I hope everyone is having a great summer! The Neighborhood Council Congress Planning Committee has been busy with all the details for this year’s Congress of Neighborhoods: the annual event where all 96 Neighborhood Councils come together at City Hall. This year’s theme – “Neighborhoods First: Your Voice, Our City” – examines how local focus can create Citywide impact. The theme was chosen partly because about half of Los Angeles’ Neighborhood Council board members were elected to a Neighborhood Council for the first time so they need to learn how to navigate the civic ecosystem. However, the theme remains very relevant to experienced board members, too, as many workshops will explore local solutions to citywide or even global issues, such as homelessness and public safety.

The Congress is the year’s biggest opportunity for Neighborhood Council leaders to get training on skills and subjects key to Neighborhood Council success; network with elected officials and staff from every City department; build relationships with members of other boards; and join regional and Citywide alliances of Neighborhood Councils. Some of the confirmed elected officials include City Council President Herb Wesson, Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Bob Blumenfield.

Over 40 workshops and discussion panels will be offered at the Congress in four 75-minute sessions. You will be able to choose from topics in the areas of Planning and Land Use, Managing your City Funds, Writing Community Impact Statements, Code Enforcement and more. Basic Ethics training (which is required for all Neighborhood Council board members) will also be available. The Congress runs from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and we recommend you plan to stay the entire day. Registration will go live next week as well as the full day’s schedule. Save the date and mark your calendars now for this year’s Congress – Saturday, September 24, 2016. Many surprises are in store for this very special day when the Neighborhood Councils of the City of Los Angeles are at City Hall.

Questions? Volunteers?
Email: NCCongress@empowerla.org

All The Best,
Cindy Cleghorn
Chair, 2016 Neighborhood Council Congress