CITYWATCH TODAY—There was a time, back in the heady days of neighborhood council formation in Los Angeles, that NC system pioneers thought they were part of a revolution. The Charter promise, even though a bit vague, stirred up that kind of fervor among LA’s neighborhood council colonists. Not much of that talk today, however.
Early NC architects dreamed of independence, giving neighborhoods a voice and holding City Hall accountable. Today, most talk is of process, the value of volunteer time and how the Council’s paltry funding dividend should be divvied up.
The ‘revolutionaries’ understood that their power would come from independence and influence … because the creators of the system weren’t about to give them a vote. On anything. But then, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez didn’t have a vote either. Just influence. And, with it, the ability to change the world.
Too bad … with so much going on in our city in need of the people’s voice and influence … that LA’s neighborhood councils never grasped their real worth. Their ability to make a difference. To influence.
The new City Charter was overwhelmingly approved in June of 1999. July would have been the beginning of the Neighborhood Revolution. We could be celebrating two meaningful revolutions this month. Instead, we’ll have to settle instead for … even though most important … the American Revolution. That’s the one where they didn’t just dream … they believed.
Ken Draper-Editor, CityWatch
