The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment has prepared a uniform Neighborhood Council virtual meeting process, as committed to in their March 27 and April 8 letters to NC board members. As a result, the Department will be returning the NCs to full board service effective May 1, 2020, using the Zoom meeting application. The EVG includes a collection of City Attorney approved meeting notice and agenda templates, meeting protocols, and Zoom Meeting technical requirements, to name a few of the ready-to-use tools.
Neighborhood Councils
Tips for Government Bodies Meeting Remotely
You’re all set to launch your first totally remote meeting. How are you going to make it a win? This article offers guidelines, tools, and tips to conduct a remote local government meeting with success.
1. Check your system to make sure that everyone can hear and be heard throughout the meeting. This is the most fundamental principle of remote meetings. It is essential. You’ll be glad you scheduled a test run when you see how many things can go awry.
2. Comply with notice requirements. It should go without saying, but even in an emergency situation, local government bodies must follow RCW requirements on notice. Don’t let urgency distract you from correct procedure.
3. Decide how the public will attend or observe your meeting. This has to be part of your planning. Under Governor Inslee’s 20-28 Proclamation, you must provide telephone access at a minimum, and may provide video access as well. Some councils are streaming their meetings on YouTube. Importantly, a jurisdiction cannot opt to do only video or other Internet-based streaming, but must provide a call-in number so that participants can hear the meeting.
4. Decide how you’re going to handle public comment. While the OPMA does not require public comment, for most of our local governments, this is an established and essential feature of their meetings. There’s a lot of creativity going on! Some bodies are urging the public to send comment in writing, others are allowing people to sign up ahead of time to dial in and speak, and some are even accepting voicemails.
5. Prepare a lean and compliant agenda. Under the Governor’s order, agencies are prohibited at this time from taking action unless the items are necessary and routine, or are necessary to respond to the current public health emergency. In any case, it’s not possible to process as much business remotely as in person. Whenever you’re meeting remotely, you want to be thoughtful in choosing what to cover.
6. Add times to your agenda. Listing the anticipated start and end times for each item will help keep everyone on track. Jurassic Parliament recommends adding “all times approximate” so you have flexibility if discussion runs over — as of course it will!
7. Prepare your room for the meeting. Everyone needs to put some thought into where they will be during the meeting. Choose as professional-looking a room as you can arrange. Dress appropriately and comfortably. Check that you have adequate lighting. Test out your microphone and camera. Minimize background noise. You don’t want to have a barking dog, the front doorbell, or your cell phone intrude into the meeting. Don’t chew gum on camera!
8. Prepare yourself for the meeting. It’s essential to invest in the meeting ahead of time. Review the materials, study the agenda, and marshal your thoughts in advance. Dress comfortably and appropriately. Plan to concentrate on the meeting and refrain from checking your email, no matter how tedious it may feel. As William Vanderbloemen says, “Virtual meetings require vigilant and singular attention — almost more focus than if you were in person.”
9. The chair must control the meeting. As explained throughout Jurassic Parliament’s materials, the chair (mayor, council president, planning commission chair, etc.) runs the meeting as the servant of the group, and the facilitator. Once the group has adopted rules and the agenda, the chair has the responsibility of making sure that the meeting runs accordingly. This means that the chair has to be a “benevolent dictator.” It isn’t easy to do this! However, you will serve your organization well when you do.
10. No one may speak a second time until everyone who wishes to do so has spoken once. This is a fundamental guideline that ensures fairness in discussion. It’s so different from our ordinary, conversational style of discussion! Yet it is critical. In order to ensure this, members must “seek recognition” before speaking. In a video meeting you can use the “raise hand” feature to facilitate this process.
11. Use the round robin. To use this method, the chair prepares a “speaking chart” listing everyone’s name, and then calls on everyone in turn. People may pass, and speak at the end of the round. Jurassic Parliament recommends that the chair speak last (this is our suggestion and does not come from Robert’s Rules of Order). If a second round is necessary, that’s fine. You can learn more about the round robin in this article.
Here’s a sample speaking chart. A speaking chart is very helpful in a hybrid meeting, where some members are there in person and some are on the telephone. It’s all too easy for the chair to forget to call on the people participating via phone.
12. No one can dominate the discussion. If your members decline to use the Round Robin, it’s still essential to prevent anyone trampling on the rights of others. The chair must be strict in recognizing people. Everyone must state their name before speaking. Again, no one may speak a second time until everyone who wishes to do so has spoken once.
13. Don’t allow interruptions. In everyday life we interrupt each other all the time, but it’s forbidden in Robert’s Rules. Robert even says that the chair may not interrupt a member just because the chair knows more about a topic than the member! The exception is when an important rule is being broken, so the chair intervenes, or a member makes a Point of Order.
14. Don’t allow inappropriate remarks. Certain kinds of remarks are inappropriate in your meetings because they are not germane (relevant). Read Inappropriate remarks on local government councils. The chair must stop them when they occur, or a member may raise a Point of Order. Note that these requirements for good decorum apply to the members of the body when they are in a meeting, but do not apply to the public giving public comment.
15. Members may use Point of Order and Appeal if they disagree with the chair’s decision. When the chair makes a ruling or a decision that seems wrong to a member, that person can raise a Point of Order, which can be Appealed. In Jurassic Parliament’s view, these two motions are critical to the democratic process, as explained in Point of Order and Appeal are the heart of democracy.
16. Use a voting chart. Likely your clerk already has this chart in the tool kit, but just in case here is a sample chart.
Well, it’s quite a list, but with energy, attention, and good will, you can run effective remote meetings that will continue your vital service to our communities. Let me know how these ideas work for you!
MRSC is a private nonprofit organization serving local governments in Washington State. Eligible government agencies in Washington State may use our free, one-on-one Ask MRSC service to get answers to legal, policy, or financial questions.
Northridge West Neighborhood Council – 02/07/2019
Reforms to the Neighborhood Council (NC) System.
CF 18-0467 AT CITY COUNCIL 01/16/2019
HEALTH, EDUCATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS COMMITTEE REPORT relative to the proposed reforms to the Neighborhood Council (NC) System.
Recommendations for Council action, as initiated by Motion (Ryu – Blumenfield – et al.):
INSTRUCT the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) to:
Begin phasing out the use of the term EmpowerLA in any and all print and/or online messaging and branding, and report back to the Health, Education and Neighborhood Councils (HENC) Committee in 120 days with a status update and methods to more cohesively brand the NC System.
Develop formal rules, guidelines and a process for NC selections, including minimum requirements for outreach and allowable seat criteria, and report back to the HENC Committee in 120 days with a strategy and timeline for implementation.
Implement a system-wide minimum voting age and board member age of 16 years, with the exception of up to one youth seat per NC in which the minimum age to vote or hold the seat can be as low as 14 years old.
Develop an ongoing compendium of best practices for community engagement, policy making, legislative processes and financial management, among others, generated in collaboration with the NC, and develop a working how to manual to be periodically disseminated to NC’s, and report back to the HENC Committee with a status update in 120 days.
Develop a departmental points of contact list for all City departments, bureaus or agencies, including but not limited to the Departments of Aging; Animal Services; Cannabis Regulation; Bureau of Contract Administration; Disability; Economic and Workforce Development; Emergency Management; Office of Finance; Los Angeles Fire Department; Housing and Community Investment; City Planning; Los Angeles Police Department; Port of LA; Recreation and Parks; Transportation; Water and Power; Los Angeles World Airports; the Zoo and City sanctioned Business Improvement Districts, with the assistance of the aforementioned entities, and share the contact lists with the entire board of the NC, facilitate trainings for departmental points of contact on best practices for assisting NC’s, and coordinate with NC’s to appoint designated points of contact between the NC membership and each department, creating a single, responsible point of communication flowing in both directions. If no NC contact is appointed, the NC President or Chair shall be the default contact.
INSTRUCT the DONE, with the assistance of the City Clerk, to report back to the HENC Committee in 120 days with suggestions on how to deliver demographic and neighborhood data to NC’s that would point out areas where current seat allocations, when compared to the data, may not be equitable and provide written suggestions for ways each NC could amend their bylaws to create a more equitable allocation of seats if the data shows potential inequities.
INSTRUCT the DONE, with the assistance of the City Attorney, to report back on establishing rules and guidelines stipulating that after each decennial census, NC’s will evaluate any seats tied to residency and allocate those seats proportionally based on population.
INSTRUCT the DONE and the Department of City Planning to design and implement a mandatory planning and land use management training, required of both current and future Chairs and Vice Chairs of the NC planning and land use committees, and report back to the HENC Committee in 120 days with a status update on the roll out of the training.
INSTRUCT the DONE, with the assistance of the Department of General Services, to assist NC’s with accessing shared space in City facilities, as envisioned in Council file No. 16-0298, and report back to the HENC Committee in 120 days with a status update on the implementation of the program and a process to notify the NC’s.
INSTRUCT the City Clerk and the DONE to implement a process by May 1, 2019 for NC’s to roll over a non-cumulative maximum of $10,000 in any given fiscal year.
INSTRUCT the City Clerk, with the assistance of the DONE, to report back to the HENC Committee in 120 days on the feasibility of holding all NC elections on the same day in order to provide for uniform Citywide outreach and advertising and increase voter turnout.
REQUEST the City Attorney, with the assistance of the DONE and City Clerk to prepare and present an Ordinance by January 14, 2019 to amend the Los Angeles Administrative Code to define community interest stakeholder as any individual who lives, works, or owns real property in the neighborhood and also to those who participate in, or are a member of a community organization, defined as a named entity, which has a physical street address within the boundaries of the NC for not less than one year prior to the NC election or selection which performs verifiable ongoing activities and operations that confers some benefit on the community. This may include but is not limited to, chambers of commerce, houses of worship or other faith-based organizations, educational institutions, non-profit organizations or other such community based organizations. NC’s may and are encouraged to expand this definition by amending their bylaws to include other defined groups of stakeholders that conform to the above definitions.
Fiscal Impact Statement: Neither the City Administrative Officer nor the Chief Legislative Analyst has completed a financial analysis of this report.
Community Impact Statement: Yes.
For:
Empowerment Congress North Area Neighborhood Council
Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council
Palms Neighborhood Council
Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council
Los Feliz Neighborhood Council
Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council
PICO Neighborhood Council
Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council
Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council
Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council
East Hollywood Neighborhood Council
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
Del Rey Neighborhood Council
For if Amended:
Encino Neighborhood Council
Greater Valley Glen Neighborhood Council
Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council
Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council
Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council
Silver Lake Neighborhood Council
Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council
Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council
Zapata-King Neighborhood Council
Greater Valley Glen Neighborhood Council
Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council
Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council
Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council
Atwater Village Neighborhood Council
Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council
Westside Neighborhood Council
NoHo Neighborhood Council
Historic Cultural Neighborhood Council
Against:
Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council
Neutral:
Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council
Click on the BLUE highlight to view official documents and reports.
Refer to CF 18-0467 for prior to 2019 entries
- 04/17/2019 City Clerk document(s) referred to Health, Education, Neighborhoods, Parks, Arts, and River Committee. Report from City Clerk (April 15, 2019)
- 04/16/2019 Document(s) submitted by City Clerk, as follows:
City Clerk report, dated April 15, 2019, relative to Neighborhood Council (NC) system reforms and a recommendation regarding the feasibility of conducting all NC elections on the same day. Report from City Clerk (April 15, 2019) - 01/18/2019 Council action final. (January 18, 2019)
01/16/2019 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51. Report from Heath, Education, and Neighborhood Councils Committee (December 11, 2018) - 01/10/2019 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on January 16, 2019 . Report from Heath, Education, and Neighborhood Councils Committee (December 11, 2018), Report from Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (December 7, 2018), Report from Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (December 4, 2018), Report from Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (November 12, 2018)
Demolition Notification
- CF 13-1104 Department of Building and Safety / Demolition Work Enforcement / Increased Fee Structure / Public Notification
- CF 16-0988 Demolition Notification / All Community Stakeholders / Municipal Code / Amendment
PLANNING AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT and ORDINANCE FIRST CONSIDERATION relative to amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) relative to public notification procedures for the demolition of older structures.
Recommendation for Council action, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR:
PRESENT and ADOPT the accompanying ORDINANCE, dated August 23, 2017, amending Subsections 91.106.4.5.1, 91.106.4.5.2 and 91.106.4.5.4 of Section 91.106, Article One, Chapter IX of the LAMC to increase the notification requirements when a demolition permit is requested 45 years after issuance of the original building permit for a building or structure.
Fiscal Impact Statement: None submitted by the City Attorney. Neither the City Administrative Officer nor the Chief Legislative Analyst has completed a financial analysis of this report.
Community Impact Statement: None submitted.
- 01/10/2018 Final Ordinance No. 185,270
- 12/01/2017 Mayor transmitted file to City Clerk. Ordinance effective date: January 10, 2018.
- 11/21/2017 City Clerk transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is December 1, 2017.
- 11/21/2017 Council adopted item forthwith. Draft Ordinance (August 23, 2017) Vote Action: Adopted, Vote Given: (13 – 0 – 2)
- 11/08/2017 Council adopted Planning and Land Use Management Committee Report forthwith (vote:11 ayes – 0 noes); Ordinance over to November 21, 2017 for second reading. Report from PLUM (October 17, 2017), Draft Ordinance (August 23, 2017)
- 11/01/2017 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on November 8, 2017 . Report from PLUM (October 17, 2017), Draft Ordinance (August 23, 2017)
- 10/17/2017 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved item(s) . Draft Ordinance (August 23, 2017), Report from City Attorney (August 23, 2017)
- 10/13/2017 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on October 17, 2017. Draft Ordinance (August 23, 2017), Report from City Attorney (August 23, 2017)
- 08/24/2017 City Attorney document(s) referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee. Draft Ordinance (August 23, 2017), Report from City Attorney (August 23, 2017)
- 08/24/2017 Document(s) submitted by City Attorney, as follows: Draft Ordinance (August 23, 2017), Report from City Attorney (August 23, 2017)
City Attorney report R17-0301, dated August 23, 2017, relative to a draft ordinance amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code to increase public notification procedures for the demolition of older structures
- 03/22/2017 Council Action (March 22, 2017) Vote Action: Adopted Vote Given: (12 – 0 – 3)
- 03/21/2017 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51. Report from Planning and Land Use Management Committee (February 28, 2017)
- 03/17/2017 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on March 21, 2017 . Report from Planning and Land Use Management Committee (February 28, 2017)
- 02/28/2017 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved item(s) . Motion (August 31, 2016)
- 02/24/2017 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on February 28, 2017. Motion (August 31, 2016)
- 10/10/2016 Community Impact Statement submitted by Glassell Park Neighborhood Council.
- 08/31/2016 Motion referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee. Motion (August 31, 2016)
Neighborhood Council formal positions
CF: 15-0389 Enable a City Board or Commission to give enhanced consideration to a Neighborhood Council’s position on a pending item for neighborhood councils.
- Ordinance (June 4, 2016)
- On April 13, 2016 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
- On April 5, 2016, Rules, Elections, Intergovernmental Relations and Neighborhoods Committee approved Chief Legislative Analyst Report (October 5, 2015)
- City Attorney (December 17, 2015)
- Chief Legislative Analyst Report (October 5, 2015)
- Department of Neighborhood Empowerment Report (June 22, 2015)
- Motion (April 28, 2015)
Neighborhood Council presentations during City Council and Council Committee meetings, and City Board or Commission meetings.
CF 15-0389, 15-0524 At City Council
Adopted, (12); Absent: Cedillo, Englander, Krekorian (3)
ELECTIONS, INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS, AND NEIGHBORHOODS COMMITTEE REPORT and ORDINANCE FIRST CONSIDERATION relative to Neighborhood Council presentations during City Council and Council Committee meetings, and City Board or Commission meetings.
Recommendations for Council action, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR:
ADOPT the following Council Policy:
The Presiding Officer of the City Council, or the Chair of a Council Committee, shall provide an opportunity for duly authorized members of a Certified Neighborhood Council board in the City of Los Angeles, to address the City Council or Council Committee on matters for which a Community Impact Statement has been submitted and posted to the Council File currently under consideration. This opportunity will allow Certified Neighborhood Councils to elaborate on issues raised in filed Community Impact Statements, on behalf of that particular Neighborhood Council, in a manner consistent with opportunities provided to City departments or commission officials.
The opportunity to speak may be provided early in the meeting, and shall be considered separate from the public comment process. The Presiding Officer/Chair may exercise his/her discretion in allocating an amount of time for Neighborhood Council comments. In addition, authorized board members of Certified Neighborhood Councils shall be asked to identify themselves for the record, the Neighborhood Council to which they are a member, and the position(s) they hold on the Neighborhood Council board. Comments shall speak directly to the Community Impact Statement and the official position of the Neighborhood Council.
PRESENT and ADOPT the accompanying ORDINANCE dated December 16, 2015, adding Section 22.819 to the Los Angeles Administrative Code to enable a City Board or Commission to give enhanced consideration to a Neighborhood Council’s position on a pending item for Neighborhood Councils.
Fiscal Impact Statement: None submitted by the Chief Legislative Analyst nor the City Attorney. The City Administrative Officer has not completed a financial analysis of this report.
Community Impact Statement: Yes.
Greater Valley Glen Neighborhood Council
Mid City West Neighborhood Council
Northridge West Neighborhood Council
Canoga Park Neighborhood Council
Harbor Gateway North Neighborhood Council
Northridge East Neighborhood Council
Los Feliz Neighborhood Council
Winnetka Neighborhood Council
Valley Village Neighborhood Council
Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council
Venice Neighborhood Council
Chatsworth Neighborhood Council
West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council
Glassell Park Neighborhood Council
Foothill Trails District Neighborhood Council
Neighborhood Council Database for Public Use
CF 13-1685 City Council request referred the following to Education and Neighborhoods Committee:
City Attorney report R15-0003, dated January 9, 2015, relative to a draft Ordinance amending the Administrative Code to establish and maintain a neighborhood Council database for public use.
Report Report of Karen Mack, President Board of Neighborhood Commissioners