2. Welcome to CivicU Let’s Get Social
Mayor Eric Garcetti
  |
  |
Pat Brown Institute
  |
Raphael Sonenshein
EmpowerLA
  |  |
Please share your experience – use these hashtags:
#PBI #CivicU
#LAMayor #EmpowerLA
#CivicEngagement
#NeighborhoodCouncils

3. Session Three: Moving the System
Los Angeles City Government And the Neighborhood Councils Dr. Raphael J. Sonenshein The Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA
Session Three: Moving the System
January 31, 2017

4. The Dotted Line…Influencing City Hall
Section 900 “to promote more citizen participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs…shall have an advisory role on issues of concern to the neighborhood.” Section 909 “Each neighborhood council may present to the Mayor and Council an annual list of priorities for the City budget.”
The City’s role is to: Section 907 “…establish procedures for receiving input from neighborhood councils prior to decisions…(including) notice to neighborhood councils as soon as practical, and a reasonable opportunity to provide input before decisions are made.”

5. Getting the maximum out of the neighborhood council system
Making It Work Means…
Understanding the City’s election system; that’s how you know the forces that are operating on the elected officials you are trying to influence.
Getting the maximum out of the neighborhood council system

6. Part One: Los Angeles Elections
Add photo to symbolize elections in LA
The election system
Who votes in LA elections?
What accounts for low voter turnout?
Who gets elected to office in LA, and who doesn’t?
Who holds the most power in the electoral system?

7. LA Voters Have a Lot of Decisions to Make
Elections held in odd years (until 2020); next one is March 7, 2017
Nonpartisan
18 electeds, with 3 citywide
Elected school board, n=7
I would move this excellent photo to the end one and can we insert here the LWV city voter guide?

8. Los Angeles Election Participation is Skewed
Most likely voters: older, educated, homeowners
Least likely voters: younger, renters, less educated
Overall turnout is low, even in mayoral elections. LA County least in the state.
But LA voter turnout remains high in presidential elections.
Voters cast 18% of votes in 2012 presidential, but only 5% of city primary and 6% of city general election votes.
Who votes in LA PBI

9. Office Holding by Groups Keeps Shifting
On right side have chart from womens equity study
Women’s representation has declined in City, increased at County level.
Asian Americans have 1 elected official in LA City and County
Largest growth has been in Latino/a office holding.

10. Who Has The Most Clout and Why?
I have a different photo in mind
Organized labor
Business
Political leaders
Newspaper editorial pages
Neighborhood councils (I’m quite serious)
Money, mobilization, media

11. Summary on City Elections: What Are The Gaps?
We have a big problem of voter turnout. Not just LA, but in all of Southern California.
The election system works fairly well, but it is not always inclusive.
Elected officials are responding to many forces in politics. These forces are going to shift after 2017.
Can neighborhood councils help to fill these gaps?
Insert photo of diverse neighborhood council

13. Part Two: Where do the Neighborhood Councils Fit In?
Photo of volunteer activity
It’s about civic engagement, not just voting
The NCs are not limited by the regular election system
All roads lead to engagement

14. Voting is The End Result of Engagement
Homeowners are more interested in city politics than renters.
Those over age 45 were twice as likely as under 45 to join a neighborhood council.
Those with college degrees were 4 times as likely to attend a public meeting as those without college degrees.
Source: PBI Who Votes in Los Angeles City Elections? 2014
Joining a neighborhood council
Writing to an elected official
Testifying at a public meeting
Volunteering
Attending a rally
Those who are more likely to do these activities are also among the more likely voters.
Insert table that I will create from our report

15. Neighborhood Councils Can Do Things City Elections Can’t
Undocumented residents can join on equal terms.
Can experiment with election rules
NCs can reach youth.
NC districts can be of unequal population size.
Women’s equity study:
Lack of candidates is a major problem. When women run, they can win.
But 38% of neighborhood council board members are women. You are filling a gap!
Be careful not to replicate the inequities of the city’s election participation. After 2017, city elections will get MORE equitable in participation, so gotta up your game.

16. Tools for Neighborhood Councils: Formal and Informal
Formal Tools Community Impact Statements Budget submissions Notification and early warning systems Testimony at public meetings (the 5 minute rule) City wide alliances DONE Weekly Legislative Report (NEW!)
Informal Tools Authoritative source of data in the NC territory Reliable source on attitudes in community Reputation for effective meetings and public support R-E-S-P-E-C-T Deploy a board member to track upcoming stuff Skill in addressing public officials and staff Can turn people out

17. The Art of the Ask
Be specific about what you want: The Miss America Rule Make sure you are asking the right powerful people at the right time Think about why on earth they should say yes
Collect supporters and understate their numbers Publicize your backers Do your homework Have better data than those you are addressing Addressing the city council is the last step, not the first

18. WHICH IS MORE POWERFUL?
vs.

19. YOU GUESSED IT!

20. Where Do Bylaws and NC Funding Fit In?
“The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good.” Voltaire
There are no perfect by-laws.
But…as long as they are clear, and they are followed, you’ll be OK.
NC funding has to be strategic: how can it expand engagement, and build the authoritative voice of the NC?
What’s a good meeting if engagement is the goal? The Sister Act rule.
Insert picture of Voltaire

21. All Roads Lead to Engagement
Widening the circle
Going beyond voting in city elections
Showing people that they can make things work
Becoming the authoritative voice on the neighborhood
NCs as civic educators
NCs as candidate incubators
Let’s put the studio city election photo here

22. Guest Speaker: Councilmember David Ryu, District 4
Los Angeles City Councilmember David E. Ryu represents the 4th Council District which includes the neighborhoods of Sherman Oaks, Toluca Lake, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Miracle Mile, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Larchmont and a portion of Koreatown.
Ryu studied economics at UCLA; Public Policy and Administration at Rutgers; won a prestigious United Nations graduate internship; and was a Netkal Fellow at USC’s School of Social Work.

23. Guest Speaker: Councilmember David Ryu, District 4
As Senior Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke, he worked for years on issues like public health, housing, children and family services, transportation and senior services. He helped oversee the County budget and worked for a time as a Special Investigator for the Auditor-Controller, rooting out waste and fraudulent expenditures.
Ryu returned to the non-profit world and served as Director of Development and Public Affairs at one of Los Angeles’s largest non-profit health care providers: Kedren Acute Psychiatric Hospital and Community Health Center.
On July 1st, 2015 Ryu became the first Korean American to serve on the LA City Council and only the second Asian American.

24. Concluding Comments: Envisioning the Future of Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles
What people thought in 1999
Surviving was the first victory
Challenges and happy surprises
Always room for new structures and ideas
A dream for tomorrow: a city council meeting in 2020, with neighborhood councils engaged, listened to, and productive
Never lose your edge; you’ll need it. Two parts outsider, one part insider.
Acknowledgements
And now…CONGRATULATIONS!
We’ve reached the end, or… is it the beginning?

25. Presentation of Certificates of Graduation
Dr. Jose Gomez, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Cal State LA
On behalf of Mayor Eric Garcetti and Cal State LA President William A. Covino

26. Join the Conversation
Go to EmpowerLA.org/CivicU ➡️ Click Town Hall!
Sign up with your or connect with your Facebook, Google or LinkedIn account
Participate in the CivicU conversation by selecting questions and topics and responding

27. Contact Us Pat Brown Institute Phone Email Web
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES
5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032
Phone
Web