Just realized I forgot to post that I will be appearing on a panel discussion about neighborhood councils and planning and land use issues tomorrow morning at 7:45 AM - the actual start time of the panel:
The Micropolitics of Land Use: Demystifying L.A.'s Neighborhood Councils
Fri May 18, 2007 7:00 AM
The Micropolitics of Land Use: Demystifying L.A.'s Neighborhood Councils
L.A.'s future -- dense, elegant, or otherwise -- rests in part with neighborhood councils, L.A.'s grand experiment in democracy that began in 1999 and continues to unfold today. The 89 neighborhood councils, diverse groups organized and elected by community members, are well on their way to usurping homeowners' associations as the first stop for developers seeking to do business in their respective areas. They also have become passionate advocates for planning in their communities-whether that means balanced growth, boosterism, or NIMBYism.
This month, the Westside Urban Forum explores the relationship between grassroots democracy, the public sector, and the developers who are shaping L.A. Are neighborhood councils working to bring balance and democracy to our community politics? Do they represent the silent majority, or do they fall prey to activists with personal agendas? Do they understand the complexities of land use? Can they be trusted with even more power than they currently wield? Are they simply giving a forum to angry obstructionists? Or are they, as was initially hoped, the places where homeowners and renters, businesspeople and community leaders, can come together to craft a common agenda?
Come join the Westside Urban Forum for this month's program, exploring the brief history and future of Neighborhood Councils.
Panelists
Raphael Sonenshein, Executive Director, Neighborhood Council Review Commission; Professor of Political Science, Cal St. Fullerton
BongHwan Kim, Assistant General Manager, L.A. Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Brady Westwater, Chair, Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils Congress
Moderator
Cindy Miscikowski, former Los Angeles City Councilmember, 11th District
Location & Time
The Regency Club
10900 Wilshire Blvd.
17th Floor
Los Angeles, CA
Friday, May 18, 2007
7:00 am - Registration
7:45 - 9:00 am - Program
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