ERNC Appoints 3 New Members

The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council appointed three new members Tuesday night after six candidates stepped forward looking to fill positions that became open when three members recently stepped down.

Two appointees, for public safety director and sub-district 6 director, ran unopposed and were appointed with no opposing votes from the council.

The drama for the evening was the election for general stakeholder, where four candidates had stepped forward. John Goldfarb, a retired psychologist who serves on the Land Use Committee, was elected by the council. The other candidates were Nelson Grande, Laurel Moglen and Oscar Figueroa. Rachel Deutsch was appointed public safety director and David Kofahl, who used to hold the position until he was defeated in the 2012 election, was appointed to the sub-district 6 seat.

Each candidate had an opportunity to address the council for a few minutes before the voting, and the candidates running unopposed simply needed to receive a majority of the vote. For the contested general stakeholder position, the council voted by ranking each candidate from one through four on a point system and then voting. 

“I think whoever has the position of general stakeholder has a responsibility to represent to the council a broad cross section of the views of other residents,” Goldfarb told the council. “I was thinking about how that could be practiced. I was thinking one could post a notice on Patch about issues, current issues to the community, talk to neighbors and try to solicit as many opinions of people that I could.”

Under the complicated voting point system that was used by the council, Goldfarb received 200 points, Figueroa received 170 points, Moglen received 155 points and Grande received 140 points. 

Goldfarb said that he had lived in Eagle Rock for 10 years and that he would like to make it “a more appealing place than it is now.” He also said he was a big fan of Take Back the Boulevard and that he “likes the direction we are moving in right now.”

When Moglen spoke, she said she has owned a home with her husband and two sons in Eagle Rock for 10 years and used to host and produce a podcast, “Eagle Rock Talk.”

“It is no longer, but when it ran we covered issues that mattered to the people in Eagle Rock,” Moglen said.

Grande ran in 2012 for the presidency of the council but lost to current president Michael Nogueira. He organizes multiple events around Eagle Rock, including the Eagle Rock Block Party, Eagle Rock Town Hall and The Eagle Rock Unity Festival.

Figueroa works for the city of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and said he thought his inside knowledge of how the city administration works would be an advantage while serving on the council.

Many candidates and current council members commented how positive it was that so many people had stepped forward to serve. 

“I find it amazing that we now have four people trying to serve. The last election, the last council board, jokingly, ‘Does anybody want to join the board?’” Grande said. “There’s a new fervor in town in becoming more involved in the community.”

All of the appointees are serving out the terms of the people who resigned and will have to run for reelection in the spring if they want to continue to serve with the council.