Blog: Eagle Rock's Unprecedented Alliances at the Congress of Neighborhoods

In 1999, voters approved a new City Charter, which declared: “We the people of the City of Los Angeles, in order to establish a responsive, effective and accountable government through which all voices in our diverse society can be heard; to provide fair representation and distribution of government resources and a safe, harmonious environment based on principles of liberty and equality, do enact this Charter.” Thus the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and all 95 Neighborhood Councils were formed.

Today, a yearly Congress is organized so that Community Leaders and Stakeholders alike can come together in order to form Alliances and learn from one another on how to best solve our Communities’ most pressing issues.

Every attendee was invited to three seminars from a selection of about 15. Breakfast and lunch were provided in the City Hall Courtyard to also serve as a mixer.

The first seminar I attended was “Effective Outreach & Community Building Techniques.” The panel of nine current NC members spoke on best practices and previously successful ideas to attract local residents to participate in the Neighborhood Council. They also shared ideas like Melissa Stoller’s yearly Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase, an event where Community members of all ages walk together to visit pre-registered private gardens in different phases of growth. This serves to educate as well as reinforce a sense of Community.  

Second, was “NC Collaboration (Alliances, Neighbor NCs, EmpowerLA programs).”  This was a panel led by Jill Banks Barad, head of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC). She, and the rest of the panel, spoke of the benefits of aligning one’s Neighborhood Council with others. It “makes the politicians nervous” drew the biggest response from the attendees. A representative from the North East Central Alliance of Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils (NECA) was also on the panel. I feel it is time to take a closer look at creating an official alliance with NECA.

The final course led by EmpowerLA’s Stephen Box was, in itself, reason enough to have attended. “Empowering Communities: How to Find & Encourage People Who Care” was thought-provoking, inspiring, and dealt a hefty dose of reality. He provided vision on how to motivate and empower the "everyday" citizen. He reaffirmed my belief that all Community Members are equally important and should be treated as such.

We ended the day with a communications session. There was a Q&A where any NC representative could participate. It was an open forum. I provided some detailed feedback on schools and education and the need for drastic restructuring. It was met with positive feedback. I was stopped along the hall a few times to discuss the matter further.

Sadly, during these conversations, I learned that Eagle Rock has a dismal record for attending these events, and Saturday was no exception. There were a total of three representatives from our Community at this year’s NC Congress: Robert Guevara, Erykah Grande, and myself (Nelson Grande). No current council member, save Robert Guevara, has ever attended the yearly Congress of 95 Neighborhood Councils.

This was my first Congress. It will not be my last. With the new Alliances I am building, I look to guide Eagle Rock into a more prominent role in The City of Los Angeles and assert ourselves as the Community stronghold we truly are.