Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter

April 14, 2006

Re: COMPLAINT PROCESS FINALIZED.

COMPLAINT PROCESS FINALIZED

Over a year ago, staff from our department worked with Neighborhood Council leaders to refine the process through which formal comlpaints against Neighborhood Councils are handled.  Those ideas were presented to all the Neighborhood Councils many months ago.  We received one comment from an individual, and no comments from Neighborhood Councils.

The Plan for a Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils describes how the department handles a complaint filed with it against the action of a Neighborhood Council.  The Plan requires the department to use "exhaustive efforts" to ensure that a violation is resolved, but doesn't define what those efforts may be.  The department has used a variety of efforts to avoid having to decertify a Neighborhood Council if there is a violation of the Plan.  That is the only remedy specifically described in the Plan.

This new process makes it clear, in writing, how the department handles complaints filed with it, and what some of the exhaustive remedies are that it has been able to use. 

Please remember that the use of these exhaustive efforts are employed to avoid the drastic remedy of decertification.

The new process can presently be found on our home page, but will shortly be moved to Reference Library>Forms>General.  There you will also be able to find the complaint form that has been on the website for quite some time.

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Greg Nelson
gnelson@mailbox.lacity.org

866 / LA HELPS
213 / 485-1360
213 / 485-4608 fax
done@mailbox.lacity.org email
www.lacityneighborhoods.com website