ERNC- $37,000-a-year? And Still Not Hitting Real "Outreach" Purposes

I am still running for ERNC "At-Large Director," and that ends today. Today is "Election Day" for the Neighborhood Council's "Region 8," covering the east and northeast LA area's 8 NC's, running from Eagle Rock, across to El Sereno ("LA-32"), south to Boyle Heights, and over to Lincoln Heights, closest to Downtown.  This will be all done until 2015's next NC election, but too often even routine information about NC purpose is unknown among the people that are deemed to represent. Why?  

OUTREACH still is a weak area for ERNC and other NC- that's what I want to change.

For the $37,000 a year of the public's money that's given to each NC, what is the result for "all" that you can see?  Is is something they can use for dealing with life issues and government?   The initially considered direction for the NC spending the budget funds provided through the city, in theory and law, is mainly towards educating, informing and learning from the community members. It has evolved away from that.  The priority is not there for many NCs, ERNC among them. 

I want to get ERNC to become more effective and put stakeholders interest above that of the Board's, as that should be.

As I met potential voters in Eagle Rock, I still found many not aware of the ERNC at all, and of those who did, many were unaware of the election. Many people were from Highland Park, Glassell Park and Cypress Park. Most of them, too, were unaware the same-day elections of their own NC.

I observed over the years that some- but definitely not all- NCs have too much money being re-directed AWAY from using towards potentially more effective impact efforts, but still labeled "Outreach," and being doled out to groups, projects and programs, but usually still missing the mark.

The intention may be right but the effect of the spending does not do much for certain or measurable effects for any purpose of general "empowerment."  It works in a limited way, as planned, for the requesting entity, usually a group or individual stating their purpose and how the benefits the community.

I think that there has been to loose of an orientation process for NCs with each election perpetuating much of the direction of former board membership.  Training might help get back to the original purpose and that's not "funding" for their community, at least as to many of the recipients.

But is that program funding and miscellaneous funding working anyway?  I think only as an incidental outcome. Some NCs have reduced such funding to outreach that gets the public better informed, as the "Empowerment" idea moves to reality. 

If City government services are not even understood by an NC's board members, the quality of decisions is affected.  That includes deflecting spending away from such "involvement" activities such as producing resource fairs, community topic-based meetings and other knowledge sharing work.  Instead, unending funding requests replace that for the more pleasing work of funding for what satisfies personal priorities of the Board members.

Stakeholders need to use each NC's committee structure to be heard. 2 minutes of general public comment cannot be considered an effective as hearing what a community may want addressed. Outreach spending has to show that an NC is purposeful and working as more than an ATM that too often it is, operating on a first-come, first served basis.

Until the some majority of stakeholders can better answer the question of "What is the purpose of your NC?" with some certainty, outreach remains to be done at that initial level, and it's passed over as a priority by many NCs.