What’s in the 2022-2023 EmpowerLA Budget Proposal?
The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment’s 2022-2023 Budget Proposal makes a total of 8 priority requests that meet one of 4 main goals:
Goal #1 - Improve customer service
Three of the Department’s requests were for additional staff to play a variety of roles that would increase support to the Neighborhood Council System.
One important request is the recovery of a Project Coordinator position which would allow the Department to have the same number of Neighborhood Empowerment Advocates (NEAs) as were originally on staff prior to 2020. This position had been lost to the Separation Incentive Program (SIP) – an early retirement and position elimination program which in 2020 had helped the City make the sudden budget cuts necessary to respond to the pandemic by cutting what was spent on salaries.
As relief funds were disbursed and the City recovered, other departments have been able to get some of their SIP positions restored, but this NEA position has not yet been restored to EmpowerLA. Recovering it would ensure NCs get more individual attention.
Another request was for administrative support staff to assist with tasks like posting NC agendas to the City’s Early Notification System, to be hired through the Targeted Local Hire and BRIDGE programs. These programs provide pathways to City civil service roles to members of underserved communities. The department is attempting to address a critical infrastructure deficiency as most clerical support functions are performed by staff in classifications whose primary purpose is to provide direct neighborhood council support.
And a third request was for a Commission Executive Secretary for the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, which would provide dedicated support for the Commission’s important work on behalf of neighborhood councils, and also allow the time of staff currently supporting the Commission to be reallocated to NC services.
Goal #2 - Increase positive relationships within the NC System
The Department also requested funding to create a new dispute resolution unit, to better resolve grievances and other issues within the NC System before problems escalate. Improving grievance support will help retain talented NC board and committee members, and keep stakeholders coming back to NC meetings by increasing public trust.
Goal #3 - Increase and support NC resources
Three additional requests were made to provide new or improved advocacy and educational resources to NCs.
NCs have asked for a better way to track Community Impact Statements (CIS) Systemwide, so funding for a new Community Impact Statement platform was requested to better support NC legislative advocacy. The number of CISes filed every year would be expected to rise with such a tool, as NCs would be able to see what other NCs are working on and be able to add their own voice. This in turn would increase the impact that NCs have on City issues.
Another request was for funding to create an improved NC training platform that would meet the accessibility and language needs of the diverse membership of the NC System in a way that the current training platform is not fully able to do.
Funding was also requested to continue and expand upon the Civic University civic engagement and public policy education series, which the Department offers in partnership with Cal State LA’s Pat Brown Institute.
Goal #4 - Increase participation in the NC System
Finally, funding was requested to build awareness and engagement in the NC System leading up to and during the 2022-2023 Neighborhood Council Elections season, which opens in mid-November 2022.
Please keep in mind that the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment is only funded for NC Elections engagement and outreach. Funding for NC Elections administration – including elections scheduling; polling places and staff; and candidate and voter registration and documentation guidelines – is via the Office of the City Clerk, so those aspects of neighborhood council elections will be discussed as part of the Clerk’s budget.
The Department’s detailed Elections Strategy Plan for the 2022-2023 NC Elections will be released soon and a special Elections Town Hall is expected be held in July, to discuss the details of the proposed strategy. Both the Plan and the Town Hall invite will be shared in an upcoming newsletter.
Photo credit: City Hall image via Congress of Neighborhoods Flickr
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