About the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council System
What is a Neighborhood Council?
A neighborhood council is a city-certified advisory group whose purpose is promote citizen participation in local government. The members and elected Board members - the stakeholders - are people who live, work or own property in the neighborhood. They may also include community interest stakeholders who have a connection to the neighborhood. They are designed to advocate for the many diverse interests and needs in their community and advise the Los Angeles City Council on issues of concern.
Neighborhood Council Board Members are elected or appointed to their positions by their neighbors. They hold regular monthly Board meetings and have working committees that reflect their neighborhood's concerns, like transportation, mobility, City infrastructure, planning, land use and development, green issues, homelessness, aging, arts and education...just to name just a few.
Neighborhood Councils receive $42,000 of City funding each year to support their activities. These funds can be used for:
- events and programs that focus on the needs of their community
- advocacy on issues of community concern like crime, traffic, parks and open spaces, public safety, emergency preparedness, and economic development
- outreach to engage more stakeholders
Some of the functions of the Neighborhood Council are:
- to submit information and feedback about local priorities during the annual City budget process, prior to its submittal and approval by City Council
- to receive advance notice of issues and projects before the Los Angeles City Council through the Early Notification System (ENS)
- to submit Community Impact Statements (CIS) to the Los Angele City Council to voice stakeholders' opinions and feedback to the City before final decisions are made
On average, Neighborhood Councils represent a local population of 38,000 people. There are currently 99 Neighborhood Councils across the City of Los Angeles.
For more information, head to the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment website.
