Panel Can’t Prove It Gave Notice of Election
Los Angeles city officials said Monday they cannot establish that the Community Redevelopment Agency properly notified residents of an election last February to fill seats on a citizens panel that helps run the agency’s North Hollywood project.
A report by the city’s chief legislative analyst office said the North Hollywood CRA could not verify that a notice about the election, which filled seats on the CRA’s Project Area Committee, was published in a local newspaper. Proper notice is required by state law. The CRA said it placed the advertisement and also noted the election in a newsletter mailed to 500 community members.
The report criticized the CRA for lax procedures, but did not recommend nullifying the election. It urged the CRA to provide additional documentation to verify the validity of the election during the next 30 days and gave the agency 60 days to set up standards for ensuring the integrity of future elections.
The recommendations and findings of the report were adopted Monday by the Los Angeles City Council’s Housing and Community Redevelopment Committee. The report was prepared after complaints from critics of the CRA.
Don Spivak, a top CRA official, said the report’s call for minor reforms is fair and reasonable.
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