For the ten neighborhood councils in the eastside that were grouped into Region G, this is the day to vote. All NCs will have only one polling place each, open for a 6-hour block, most have chosen 2 to 8 pm for the hours. Highland Park - Rec. Center on Piedmont by the library; Eagle Rock, at the Eagle Rock City Hall, and Lincoln Heights at Lincoln Park. I don’t know about the others, but you can Google the rest.
[ Here is one link to see the City Clerk's resources page of links assembled for the elections: http://cityclerk.lacity.org/election/ncdocs/website.pdf ]
STAKEHOLDERS can vote and that definition includes those who live, work, own real property or businesses, attend school, worship, shop and on and on.
Tge problem, if any, in the process is the documentation to support the voter eligibility. See http://cityclerk.lacity.org/election/ncdocs/Acceptable_Forms_of_Documentation_2010.pdf for the sort of things needed.
A Provisional Vote can be made to bridge this gap, so no one has to walk away without voting, but supporting documentation is to be supplied within 3 days to make that vote count.
This is ironic that so much documentation could conceivably be a bar to voting when the local, state and federal election require NOTHING to vote. So you have the two extremes, or potential extremes, to encounter in these differing voting situations.
There's a provision for curbside voting for voters who are unable to enter the polling places to have a poll worker handle their voting from their vehicle. You can call in advance (and it's not clear- call the polling location or the city clerk?) or just show up but somebody with the voter then will have to go inside to ask for that. Some NCs will be busy and I think most will not, especially where there's not much controversy or challenge for seats on a particular board.
But in any event, vote. And for many NCs, the voting age minimum extends down to 16, according to the Bylaws of that NC. That was a sore spot for some last time around in Lincoln Heights, where it was a topic for many complaints in Mayor Sam's blog, http://www.mayorsam.blogspot.com/ There's still criticism carrying over on recent posts.
The NCs are part of a 90 member Neighborhood Council system mandated by the City Charter over 10 years ago as a result of voters' choosing this. The origin came about as a fallout from the move of the S.F. Valley effort to secede from the City of L.A. Better representation of the public by the council members was the goal, but it's only now that it is coming to some effectiveness. The DWP and City actions have become targets of public opposition, in many cases led by the coalitions of the NCs.
That newfound effectiveness could account for why some council members oppose funding NCs and would just like them to go away and butt out. And the positions are "volunteer" ones, no pay and advisory in nature.
Please participate and continue in this way to have City Hall hear the public's voice.
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