Commentary : Take Some Early Steps Toward Community : Politics: Flexibility in forming neighborhood groups will create something worthwhile.

The rubber is just beginning to meet the road in the restructuring of Los Angeles’ city government. It isn’t going to be easily comprehensible to many people, but one of the clearest changes will be the creation of neighborhood councils--not to be confused with the Area Planning Commissions, also called for in the charter. After two years of debate and eventual consensus among both charter commissions and most of the traditional stakeholders, the process of understanding them is starting over. No doubt it will be an ongoing effort for several years, erupting each time the issues change or a new face enters the engagement.

Neighborhood councils have come before the City Council several times now, although most of the time the discussion was more posturing, name calling and political correctness. Very few council members know what the new charter actually calls for and, therefore, have been arguing about issues in the past or ones that are specifically excluded in the new structure--such as appointments by City Council members. While it was unfortunate that the City Council--the group most experienced in running city government--was the least involved in the charter debate, it does not matter now who created advisory boards in the past and who did not. The charter calls for something else: a network of neighborhood councils that is based in communities (not council districts) and stretches across the whole city.

Mayor Richard Riordan has already proposed members for a seven-person commission and must name a general manager--all of whom must be confirmed by the council by Oct. 20. The purpose of neighborhood councils is to give the public a role in the city’s political life. The purpose of commissions is to give the public a role in city government. There is no need to have a public commission overseeing the public.

The role of the Neighborhood Council Commission in the new charter is to develop broad guidelines for the neighborhood councils, submit these guidelines for approval by the City Council and ratify those neighborhood councils that come before them seeking official recognition. While the Neighborhood Council Commission will approve contracts, it is not a managerial body such as the Police Commission, nor even that much of an advisory group, given the focus in the charter on self-government. Its first task is to develop the broadest possible guidelines for the neighborhood councils, leaving enough room for each community to seek its own style and focus. Those communities that are slower in getting started should be helped by the staff of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. But once established, the neighborhood councils will meet annually in a citywide convention. The new Department of Neighborhood Empowerment requires skilled organizers to help communities develop their councils, but it is not intended to be a guerrilla army out there, sowing the seeds of rebellion. The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment also requires an understanding of how the city government actually runs, know-how to communicate that to the neighborhood councils and the commitment to work with all segments of the city.

The charter calls for neighborhood councils to include the major stakeholders in the community. While City Hall mulls over the personnel issues in the next few weeks, the stakeholders should start thinking about their role--their goals for the community, what they can bring to the table and the nature of their participation. This is the time for everyone to think big. It is the time to start looking around at ourselves and our neighbors. Schools, the religious community, civic and human service organizations, as well as homeowner, business, and labor groups, all have structures with which to begin conversations.

There is no mechanism other than the neighborhood councils on the horizon that could possibly accomplish the task of fostering a sense of community. It is an experiment and an opportunity from which all of us will learn. A flexible and positive attitude at the beginning of the process will surely help us create something really worthwhile down the road.