WHAT ARE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS FOR?
LA’s Neighborhood Councils are grassroots-level advisory bodies that exist to connect Angelenos to City Hall. The system was established in 1999 by the City Charter, in order to improve government responsiveness to local concerns. Currently, there are approximately 1800 elected Board Members serving on 96 Neighborhood Councils that each represent an average of 40,000 people.
SEATING
- When a new Neighborhood Council Board officially succeeds the previous Board and assumes its responsibilities
- Boards are seated at the first regular meeting of a new board, which takes place within 30 days of a board election. Learn more about the board seating process.
WHO’S ON A BOARD?
- Officers – serve on the Board’s Executive Committee and perform the administrative duties of the Board, from booking meeting locations to creating and sharing agendas to running meetings. Depending on your voting model, Officers may be elected by stakeholders on Election Day, or chosen by Board Members at the first regular Board of Governors meeting.
- Departmental Liaisons – designated contact person to attend meetings & help share news from City agencies and programs such as City Planning; Public Works; DWP; Animal Services; Homelessness; Legal; and Grievance Panel. Liaisons are often designated at the first regular meeting of a new Board. The Planning Liaison receives project proposal packets in the mail from City Planning, so this Liaison should probably be the Land Use Chair or a Board Member who sits on the Land Use Committee.
- Committee Chairs – perform administrative duties for each Committee such as preparing agendas and planning meetings; report on Committee findings to the Board; help prepare Community Impact Statements on matters processed in that Committee.
Board Members – are the members of a Neighborhood Council Board, which may also collectively be known as the Board of Governors.