LA’S NEIGHBORHOODS - Reviving the debate over the role of neighborhood councils, a city official called Friday for new rules that would prohibit felons convicted of violent or sex crimes from serving on the local boards.
Councilman Mitch Englander said his proposal was prompted by residents who alleged that felons are running for the North Hills West Neighborhood Council board of directors.
"As we looked into it, we found there are no regulations regarding membership," Englander said. "We want to make sure that people feel comfortable and safe when they go to these meetings."
Englander said he wanted the prohibition also to apply to all appointed commissioners.
"The City Charter expressly prohibits any person who was convicted of a felony to hold any office for a five-year period," Englander said. "But it is not clear if that prohibition also applies to appointed commissioners, seats on neighborhood councils and city department general managers."
Englander asked for the City Attorney's Office and Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to report back on the proposal.
Interim DONE General Manager Grayce Liu said she will present it to her board to examine, adding that it raises a number of issues.
"Right now, there is no paperwork that (board members) need to fill out," Liu said. "We have had a lot of interest in the neighborhood councils. I think it will raise again the question of where do neighborhood councils fit in the system. There has been an ongoing debate on whether they are elected officials."
A proposal to require neighborhood council members to fill out statements of economic interest, as required of elected officials, ran into a firestorm of protests several years ago and was abandoned.
Len Shaffer, president of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council and vice president of the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, said he saw the proposal as raising issues of who is a stakeholder.
"The City Charter defines stakeholders as any person who lives, works or owns property within a neighborhood council boundary, they can participate," said Shaffer, who was speaking for himself, not the board or his local council.
"I'm not certain you can exclude someone who otherwise would be able to participate."
(Rick Orlov covers City Hall for the dailynews.com. where this column first appeared. His Tipoff column appears Mondays. For a daily political fix, go to the Sausage Factory at insidesocal.com/politics. You can contact him at [email protected] ) –cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 67
Pub: Aug 21, 2012