Grass Roots Democracy and LA’s Neighborhood Councils

Host:

Warren Olney

Produced by:

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Before neighborhood councils came along in 1999, LA city government was remote and resistant to input from taxpaying citizens. It still is, as the councils don’t have any power. Tonight we’ll hear about efforts to make them work.

Created by charter reform eight years ago, eighty-nine neighborhood councils have been formed to encourage participation in civic affairs. Without any authority to make policy, they’ve fought a losing battle against bureaucratic inertia and struggled to make any impact on the fifteen members of the City Council. One very basic issue is who gets to sit on neighborhood councils. Last week, the Council began looking at the recommendations of a Review Commission.

Guests:

Raphael Sonenshein: Professor of Political Science, California State University Fullerton, @PBI
Bill Rosendahl: Los Angeles City Councilman, @Bill_Rosendahl
Bonghwan Kim: Acting General Manager, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Mary Benson: Vice President, Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council

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A CD copy of Which Way L.A.? is a available by calling 1.888.600.5279.
Transcripts are not available.

Underwriters

Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.

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