By David Bell
President, East Hollywood Neighborhood Council
The East Hollywood Neighborhood Council is the only
governmental body that is focused exclusively on the welfare of this
neighborhood of more than 53,000 people. This is a neighborhood with no parks — where kids kick soccer balls up against razor-wire fences and ride their bikes and skateboards in between parked cars.
The Governing Board of the Neighborhood Council is made up of 15
volunteers, who take time away from their jobs and their families to
make this neighborhood a better place. These people ask for nothing for themselves other than the opportunity to put the funds the City gives us back into the community.
volunteers, who take time away from their jobs and their families to
make this neighborhood a better place. These people ask for nothing for themselves other than the opportunity to put the funds the City gives us back into the community.
At current funding levels, we are talking about less than a dollar
per person per year for everyone in East Hollywood. And now they want
to take that away? We don’t have any “roll over” in East Hollywood.
Every year we put every penny the City chooses to give us back into the
neighborhood.
per person per year for everyone in East Hollywood. And now they want
to take that away? We don’t have any “roll over” in East Hollywood.
Every year we put every penny the City chooses to give us back into the
neighborhood.
And what have we done with the money?
- Our Planning and Beautification Committee (also made up of
volunteers) has reviewed dozens of potential developments and given
developers consistent feedback concerning the East Hollywood Design
Standards and the needs and requirements of the community. The
Planning Committee is currently in the process of revising our design
standards to reflect the adoption of the “Sole Mates” campaign and the
implementation of the our goal to make East Hollywood “a
pedestrian-oriented community.” - The Neighborhood Council has committed up to $25,000 to secure a
more than $2 million dollar beautification grant for Vermont Avenue. - Our Outreach Committee has implemented a campaign to educate the
community about City services and the Neighborhood Council in an effort
to encourage the people of East Hollywood to take ownership and control
of their own community. The Outreach Committee has passed out hundreds
of canvas shopping bags to members of the community in order to educate
about the need to recycle and reuse and avoid the litter and waste that
is such a problem in certain parts of the City. - The Arts and Culture Committee has developed a program to
re-vitalize the decrepit Cahuenga Branch Library at Madison and Santa
Monica. This is a Carnegie Library — a beautiful structure that in
any other City would be a cherished landmark — that for years has been
used as a toilet by the local homeless population. Several months ago
we held a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of
Armenian-American writer William Saroyan. Last month we staged “Voices
from Chernobyl,” a work-in-progress about the devastation of the
nuclear accident. We are currently planning community art classes for
local area kids to be held in the library. - The East Hollywood ArtCycle was an event attended by more than
3,000 people showcasing both the East Hollywood arts and bicycle
cultures. The plan is to make this an annual event to bring the
community together in a celebration of their neighborhood. (Again,
this was an event that was put together with the help of dozens of
volunteers, who asked for nothing in return other than the chance to
make their neighborhood a better place.) - The Health and Public Safety Committee is organizing a “Coffee with
the Captain” to enable the community to meet LAPD leaders face to face
and voice their concerns. They are also coordinating with Americorps
to provide free CPR training for people in the community. - The EHNC has helped fund Shakespeare in the Park, the Thai New Year
Festival, Armenian Independence Day, LA Commons: a community arts
project that took local kids and gave them an opportunity to turn
blighted electrical boxes into works of art celebrating East Hollywood,
a local animal shelter, PATH projects to help the homeless, Earth Day
celebrations, zero-waste programs, the Hollywood Complete Count
Committee for the 2010 Census ….
And the list goes on and on. This is just off the top of my head.
Do you think the City is getting it’s money’s worth for the
$50,000 they spent in East Hollywood? If the budget for East
Hollywood’s 53,000 residents is cut to $11,000 a year (about twenty
cents per person per year), the simple truth is: No one will bother volunteering for an organization that has been gutted and demoralized the point of irrelevance.
$50,000 they spent in East Hollywood? If the budget for East
Hollywood’s 53,000 residents is cut to $11,000 a year (about twenty
cents per person per year), the simple truth is: No one will bother volunteering for an organization that has been gutted and demoralized the point of irrelevance.
You are doing a great job!
I think that the Neighborhood Councils will not be demoralized by these cuts. I think that we are strong enough to fight back. Some will have to organize 501Cs.
The people that are passionate enough about their part of the City do it all on their own dime. The expenses go to the projects – projects can be funded by donations.
Yes, we will not be able to do as much. Or, we will be forced to ask our Councilmembers to take their money to fund these events. When they want their Neighborhoods beautified – they are taking credit for what you do – they will have to take a look at what we have done with our money.
If other NCs are not using their money – why not?
Are they saving it for a big project? If they do not have their funds earmarked, then those funds could be swept to help the budgets of those who do spend their funds wisely.
It looks as if the City Councilmembers think that all we do with our funds is put on parties. That can’t be further from the truth.
Thanks, Ron, for printing this and for taking the fight to City Hall for LA’s neighborhoods.