They say all politics is local, and in the city of L.A., it doesn’t get more local than your neighborhood council.
It’s election season for L.A.’s 99 neighborhood councils, your neighborhood’s official megaphone to City Hall. They can’t make laws, but they can tell elected officials — namely, your city councilmember — what your community cares about and can advocate more loudly than an individual resident might be able to.
Everything a neighborhood council does has to be approved by its board in a majority vote. So if you want your neighborhood council to actually represent the issues that are important to you, it matters who those board members are. And this is where you, the voter, come in.
If you live, work, own property or have some kind of meaningful connection to a neighborhood in the city of L.A., you’re likely eligible to vote in one of these elections. You don’t have to be a U.S. citizen and you don’t have to be over 18, but you should know a couple of basics first.
Why these elections matter
The city of Los Angeles has 4 million residents that are represented by just 15 members of the City Council. That can make it pretty difficult for a resident to feel connected with their elected representatives or that their neighborhood issues are actually getting addressed.
Enter neighborhood councils. They’re a hyperlocal arm of city government, made up of your neighbors, that gets to weigh in on City Council legislation and spend a small amount of city funding on programs for their neighborhoods or to support local schools and nonprofits. They have a board, made up of members who get elected or appointed to two- or four-year terms, and topical committees.
Neighborhood councils often get more regular access to city councilmembers or…
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