By Paul Park
To commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the establishment of the first Neighborhood Councils in the City of Los Angeles, the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, which oversees the entire system of 95 Neighborhood Councils, recently announced the establishment of the EmpowerLA Awards. The EmpowerLA Awards are intended to recognize Neighborhood Councils that best reflect the goals and ideals set forth in the City Charter and the Plan for a Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils.
The EmpowerLA Awards will be given each year to those certified Neighborhood Councils that best achieve their mission to engage their local stakeholders with government and make their government more accountable and responsive to the needs of their communities. The EmpowerLA Awards are intended to highlight the highest ideals of inclusiveness, non‐discrimination, transparency, and independence for the Neighborhood Council system.
The Commission will consider examples of outstanding outreach projects such as community events that brings locals together from every segment of the neighborhood together linking them with Neighborhood Councils, and remarkable efforts in engaging stakeholders on local government issues such as land use and City services, to name a few.
The Commission is currently accepting nominations for EmpowerLA Awards until Sept. 3 , 2012. Go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HWLT2Z8 to submit nominations.
Winners will receive their awards at the annual Citywide Congress of Neighborhood Councils on Saturday, September 22, 2012, and will be invited to speak on a panel to share best practices with other Neighborhood Councils.
Commission Outreach Chair Karen Mack, stated, “Through the EmpowerLA Awards, the Commission hopes to encourage Neighborhood Councils to be continually elevating their goals and improving their effectiveness for the coming decades.”
Paul Park is the current President of the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners. You can contact him at paul.park@lacity.org.
