SONC Again Asks City Council to Slow Down Rather Than Rush Items Through Without Public Input

Posted on 05/16/2024

May 16, 2024

Los Angeles City Council and its Committees
Board of Neighborhood Commissioners

Neighborhood Councils Excluded From DONE GM Appointment Process
SONC Again Asks City Council To Slow Down & Give NC’s Time to Provide Input

Neutral Position — CF 24-0465. Carmen Chang / General Manager / Department of Neighborhood Empowerment / Appointment.

To City Council and Board of Neighborhood Commissioners,

With regard to CF 24-0465 / DONE General Manager Appointment, the Neighborhood Councils were again excluded from submitting input; this despite explicit direction from the mayor that neighborhood councils should be involved in the selection process.

In August 2023, in a Community Impact Statement to CF 23-0623, SONC adopted the following position: The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council (SONC) requests that the Los Angeles City Council refrain from voting on pending motions and/or council files until Neighborhood Councils have been granted at least 60 but up to 90 days to bring items for consideration to committee/board meetings, hear public remarks, and potentially file a Community Impact Statement.

SONC via unanimous vote (14-0) reiterates this stance and once again reminds City Council of its duty to seek input from affected parties and affected electeds.

CF 24-0465 was referred by the Mayor to City Council on April 25, 2024, and adopted by Council on May 8, 2024. As we stated in August, two weeks is hardly enough time for most NCs to convene and adopt positions on council items, much less members of the public. We again call on this City Council to slow down rather than rush through the process without adequate time for public comment and Neighborhood Council input.