SL Neighborhood Council Election: Singing...Over...

Silver Lake election: held fall 2007, results held up because there were two challenges.

Challenge: filed by candidate Noah Stein, on his opponent for alleged campaign violation at polling place.

Challenge: filed by Election Committee Chair Leanna Dickstein, on At-Large candidate Jason Lyons on using SLNC e-mail for campaign.

Summary of election here without much specifics, except the new SLNC board does not include either candidate, which means: Challenge by Noah Stein was not upheld. Challenge by Chair Dickstein was upheld, as the new board does not list Mr. Lyons.

All the new board members, listed in the annual report, were seated mid-December. I don't know how to copy/paste from pdf (hate pdf) pages (if you know how: please post in Comments below or shoot over in an e-mail), so you can read their names in the 2006-2007 Annual Report.

The board is almost entirely new people --neighbors, who got involved, asked for votes, got elected --represent us, in each region of Silver Lake.

What's it got to do with you? You CAN have influence over what goes on in your neighborhood --your street, your block. You have a representative --speak up. Your ideas to your board member, they to other members, together: influences what happens in Silver Lake, in Los Angeles City Council. --IF the board is receiving in-put from the community. Silence: not golden.

SLNC: looking for ideas...how to involve more of the community.

SL Board members also: work with other Neighborhood Councils, nearby and across Los Angeles. So what? With in-put from stakeholders, together: they can have direct influence --on things like the proposed 23% increase of your DWP bill and much more.

IF Councils had in-put --from stakeholders, enough to exert their power: perhaps, e.g., a fireman, who quit for "harrassment" on detecting pet food in a dish --after he spent months taunting another fireman, would NOT have received over Two MILLION "gift" --from LA City Council --from us, residents of Los Angeles. CC members: Saw the evidence, voted to give him the money anyway. Mayor V? Vetoed the payment --the first time; signed the check, the second time.

Ditto: Fast hired/fast fired transportation 'chief' --imported by Mayor V from another state, even though she had no actual "Transportation" experience, but exited with $95,000 'bonus' anyway, thanks to Council member Bernard Parks --and Los Angelenos' 'reps.' Did YOU ever receive a bonus for failure to perform? NOT in the real world....

It is OUR money they are spending; our life they are affecting. People, after they asked for our vote, sitting on City Council: NEED to hear from the people they are Supposed to represent. NC SHOULD be: our voice. --That begins with you, and neighbors.

You cannot get Eric Garcetti on the phone, I tried, long ago; he Might show up at a community event, in between his on-camera elbow-hugging appearances with Mayor V., but, believe it, you can't have dialogue with him then either.

But you can reach: your region's board member --entire board. --Too much graffitti -not enough Neighborhood Watch -more meadow -too many speeding cars -perfect spot for planting flowers -stop that condo-conversion -too many cell-phone towers -not enough bicycle racks -parking meters going in front of residences? Speak up --contact!

Of the multi-thousands who live in Silver Lake: not even 1% go to once-a-month general or to committee meetings. Don't know about Neighborhood Council --still believe 'Can't fight city hall'? Get involved. SLNC publishes dates of meetings on the website, SEE: link in Sidebar, and I published, here, nearly every month last year.

If you don't speak up --put your body where your thoughts are: City Council, City Hall will keep on keeping on --ignoring you.

Already know about Silver Lake Neighborhood Council? Where are you? Want to preserve Silver Lake buildings? --Fill reservoir with trout? --Improve traffic flow -more bicycle paths -a park for kitten equality with dogs --Jacaronda trees around entire boundary --bury overhead utility wires --Styro-foam-free zone --thatched fire-proof roof Housing code?

Get Moving! Get involved. Hook up with a neighbor: show up --at a meeting. Following month: bring Two new neighbors, who each bring a neighbor the following month. If you don't: Who will?

Don't know any neighbors? Then they don't know you either, but you have something in common: you live/work in Silver Lake daVine. Say 'hello' --to a senior adult, a young adult, the not-your-type, the crabby, the interesting customer --invite to a meeting. --Who doesn't like getting invitation?

Think. If you got acquainted with one neighbor, who introduced you to another, eventually entire block of neighbors got together on an issue: united front, powerful....

Did you know: to sway a US Senator on an issue --no matter how many lobbyists have visited, tried to influence, takes only 100 individual letters? You, and 99 others, could rule, lol....

While looking up election results: Came across this article about Neighborhood Councils, background, bit of history, so since I don't know what you've read, thought it worth posting in case you missed it. Whether you are familiar with SLNC or not, it's a well-written good snap-shot: Neighborhood Councils and City of LA posted at LA Cowboy blog. Thanks, Cowboy.

Your comments, thoughts, wishes, crabbing, ideas welcome in Comments, below. --But keep it clean!



Note: I have attempted to post this, and a few others, so many times it's spooky...booted -crashed -electrical outages -'illegal op' messages -Blogspot probs & their outages...beginning to wonder if I'm not supposed to post, lol...I will keep on attempting until I succeed, or puter burns up....

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tag: Silver Lake Neighborhood Council board election September 2007 results challenge general meeting annual report Silver Lake daVine