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Want to get involved in your L.A. neighborhood? You don\u2019t have to be a policy expert. Here\u2019s how to find your neighborhood council, check meeting agendas and speak up at a meeting.<\/p>\n
Why it matters: There are 99 neighborhood councils across L.A., each serving about 40,000 residents. That gives residents a more local forum for raising concerns than the city\u2019s 15 City Council districts, which each represent nearly 260,000<\/a> people.\u00a0<\/p>\n What to expect at your first meeting: Every neighborhood council is a little different, but most include updates, agenda items and public comment. If you want to speak, check the meeting instructions or ask how to sign up. And it\u2019s OK to just listen the first time.<\/p>\n Read on… for more to know before attending a neighborhood council meeting.<\/p>\n This story<\/a> first appeared on The LA Local<\/a>.<\/p>\n First, find your neighborhood council:<\/p>\n Find out which council represents you by searching your address here<\/a>.Sign up to have council agendas sent to your inbox here<\/a>.Find information on when and where your council meets here<\/a>.Check out all Community Impact Statements your council submitted since 2008 here<\/a>.Want to get paid to attend and document public meetings? Learn how to become an LA Documenter here<\/a>. If you\u2019ve ever complained about something happening on your block, wondered why a project was approved or wanted your neighborhood to get funding for an event, a neighborhood council meeting is a place to start.<\/p>\n The Neighborhood Council system<\/a>, established in 1999, is made up of volunteer-led councils that give residents a direct way to weigh in on hyper-local issues, proposed projects and neighborhood programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are 99 neighborhood councils across L.A., each serving about 40,000 residents.\u00a0 That gives residents a more local forum for raising concerns than the city\u2019s 15 City Council districts, which each represent nearly 260,000<\/a> people.\u00a0<\/p>\n So what can a neighborhood council actually do?\u00a0<\/p>\n Neighborhood councils don\u2019t make city laws or set city policy. But they do have a couple of ways to make their voices heard. They can approve Neighborhood Purpose Grants<\/a> of up to $5,000 for nonprofits and schools, helping pay for neighborhood events and programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n They can also draft Community Impact Statements (CIS)<\/a> that tell the mayor or City Council whether the neighborhood council supports, opposes or wants changes to a proposed policy or project. And meetings are a chance to hear directly from city, county and state representatives about what their offices are working on.<\/p>\n 2. You don\u2019t have to be a neighborhood council member to participate<\/p>\n Neighborhood Council meetings are generally open to anyone who lives, works, studies or runs a business within the council\u2019s boundaries. And you don\u2019t have to sit on the board to speak during public comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n What to expect at your first meeting: Every neighborhood council is a little different, but most include updates, agenda items and public comment. If you want to speak, check the meeting instructions or ask how to sign up. And it\u2019s OK to just listen the first time.<\/p>\n 3. Check the agenda before you go<\/p>\n This is the part that can save you from showing up to a two-hour meeting only to find that the issue you care about has been moved to another meeting \u2014 or that the meeting itself has been canceled at the last minute.<\/p>\n The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, also known as EmpowerLA, maintains a database<\/a> of neighborhood councils, including their members, meeting frequency and locations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n1. Your neighborhood council is one of the easiest ways to get involved in L.A. government<\/p>\n