Neighborhood Congress brings together communities



Los Angeles is a sprawling city of diverse communities, but early Saturday morning, September 24 at the 2011 Congress of Neighborhoods, it became one voice.

“No one of us is the expert, but all of us together can figure out how to make our Neighborhood Councils work,” said BongHwan Kim, general manager at the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

Local neighborhood council board members and stakeholders arrived early Saturday morning at City Hall to attend the 2011 Congress of Neighborhoods.

Organized by community leaders and stakeholders, the meeting brought together about 600 people from 95 neighborhood councils for a day of training and community action.

“Neighborhood Councils are a core operation of our city,” Los Angeles City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said during opening remarks. “This system has probably the most robust neighborhood participation in the country.”

Workshops ranged from introductory topics such as how neighborhood councils work and budgeting basics to more complex issues such as community outreach and ethics.

2011 Neighborhood Council Congress Chair Cindy Cleghorn spearheaded the planning committee. She said the purpose of the event was to create “an urgency and more excitement to be involved.”

“It’s important for us as Neighborhood Council representatives and volunteers to lead by example… to inspire others to do the same,” said Cleghorn, who also serves as a secretary on the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council.

Blanca Zacamitzin, a board member on the MacArthur Park Neighborhood Council since August 2010, said she hoped to apply what she learned at the Congress to solve problems in her area.

“What can I do to change my area?” Zacamitzin asked. “I get the most information I can take.”

Neighborhood Councils were formed by the City Charter mandate in 1999 to “promote more citizen participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs.” Neighborhood Council board members are charged with listening to their communities and representing them city government.

Click here for more photos and coverage of the Congress of Neighborhoods.