The Neighborhood Council elections are off and running with four Valley regions having held their meetings. Each region is being supported by experienced Independent Election Administrators. All four regions have decided on their shared election dates.
An exciting outreach event for candidates, titled "Rally in the Valley" will be held on Friday June 22 from 6:30 - 8 pm at Francis Polytechnic High School, 12431 Roscoe Blvd, Sun Valley 91352. The plan includes building on the lessons learned from each region into the following regions. Thanks to the Valley Neighborhood Council leaders who are taking on this project with such great enthusiasm.
The Leadership Academy continues to educate, inspire, and boost involvement through many inspiring and informative workshops. I'm pleased to announce that every Valley Neighborhood Council has now attended at least one workshop!! Neighborhood Councils are using the media in new and exciting ways as well.
Many Neighborhood Councils are pooling their funds to take out a series of full page ads in the Daily News and, as a result, our staff received several calls from prospective candidates throughout the Valley. On Friday, June 8th, the Daily News printed an editorial titled "Get involved in your community" which noted the 10th anniversary of the Neighborhood Council system, how Neighborhood Council involvement gives you a taste of political life as well as helping others and your community, and also promoted our website, EmpowerLA.org.
The Elections Division has set up offices at the Van Nuys City Hall, 14410 Sylvan Street, Van Nuys, Ca 91401. They can also be reached at the Elections hotline - 818-293-VOTE (8683). Folks are encouraged to stop by and say hello.
As the elections move forward, we are finding ways to innovate, form partnerships, and in so doing, save precious city funds - a win-win-win solution which deserves high praise, especially during these tough economic times. Kudos to Grayce Liu, Stephen Box, and the other members of the elections team for what promises to be the most successful and cost effective NC elections in the city's history!
Sincerely,
BongHwan (BH) Kim,
General Manager
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment