PORTER RANCH:
“I’ve viewed the Neighborhood Council System as
a way that the City was getting extra help to provide services that the City
could never afford to provide at a fraction of the cost…we should come up
with a way to determine the financial value of this labor by estimating the
number of hours that are volunteered per person as an average number of hours
per week.
“Reduce Neighborhood Council System funding and this labor
starts to go away quickly since there’s no support funding to facilitate the
delivery of these services. So for every dollar in allocation cut, at
least 2 to 3 dollars are lost in volunteer labor.
specific services they provide their local neighborhoods. I know in Porter
Ranch for example, the meetings that were held to address the coyote problems
delivered tremendous value to the stakeholders. The City does not have the
bandwidth to address these problems but the local residents do and without the
funding these functions and projects will cease.
they permit the Neighborhood Councils to raise their own funds?”
SILVER LAKE
“Our NC voted last night to fight this — this issue is not money butpower. We’re going to try to to unite all the NC’s to fight this.”
SUNLAND–TUJUNGA
“The answer is easy. What part of the city pays the most taxes … The Valley … Can you say Secession?“
NORTHRIDGE EAST:
“We need to collect impressive descriptions of all the good things various NCs have done with their money, with the goal of demonstrating the value added to the neighborhoods and the city at large. Also, for those that haven’t spent all their money, emphasize the value of prudent money management — we want to get the best results for the buck.
“Write up a petition and hit the streets — this situation would certainly motivate me enough to knock on some doors, and man a table at various local events. Make the point that an NC has political power in exact proportion to the number of stakeholders willing to participate, and the “collective intensity” of their participation.
“I’ve had a fantasy for a while in which the NCs get fed up enough to reorganize themselves (individually and collectively) in a form that’s outside the city’s control. As a strawman example, each NC (or small group of them) would create a nonprofit corporation, and gradually transfer all activities to it, leaving only an empty shell in the NC. There could be a separate corporation to take on a coordinating and facilitating role. As with typical nonprofits, funding would come from grants and donations from sympathetic individuals.
“I bring this up here as a possible way to impress on the City officials that we’re not going away — we’ve tasted the possibilities, and seen our potential. They can either work with us within the system, or lose control of us altogether.
Secession!
WooHoo!
S-T I am with you all the way, and then a split-up into the present communities including
their own school boards. No more UTLA. No more city council, lets have city managers who are business-like in dealing with issues instead of being in some kind of “one-0f-us” club.
The rest of LOS ANGELES can find ways that suit
them – our way is for the San Fernando Valley.
By the way, LACITY, the valley is no longer aerospace, it is small business people, public servants and their families. No more gravy train. I feel soooo sorry about that. Go find the money you need for subways in an earthquake
environment. I never intend to use it.
Our esteemed mayor announced the likelihood the elimination of 1,600 positons and the actual layoff of 400 city employees, which is way short of what the City needs to do to survive the next few years.
Since his honor hates to deliver bad news, it is no surprise that he chose to do it on Cinco de Mayo, the Numero Uno drinking holiday throughout the southwest. The City Council will rename the day in honor of his gloomy announcement and call it “Sinkhole de Mayor.”
It will be celebrated by smashing empty pinatas that depict the Mayor. The pinatas will have more content than Tony V, but not as much hot air.
Good Job, Ron. Your councilmember has written you a little missive.
See http://mayorsam.blogspot.com/2009/05/smith-spins-attack-on-ncs-should-go.html
Heh.