TALK BACK- (Ed Note: The following is in response to a CityWatch article by Jay Handal.) As Chair of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, some of my primary goals are to disseminate information, promote participation, and encourage discourse among community stakeholders on matters of significant interest.
Along those lines, the recent Education and Neighborhoods Committee Special Meeting successfully achieved its stated objectives. The specific agenda item was:
“Motion relative to a request to the Neighborhood Councils to report on their process for community outreach efforts as well as on the status of their understanding and awareness of major, key issues pending before the City Council, such as proposals to establish eleven waste-sheds in their neighborhoods to serve as temporary repositories for waste separation of recyclable materials.”
First of all, the community reported on their process for community outreach. Secondly, community members provided feedback regarding their knowledge of the aforementioned matters after being briefed by both the Department of Sanitation and the City Administrative Officer.
Consequently, the discussions that occurred during the committee were relevant to the properly noticed agenda. Furthermore, meeting materials were available for public inspection hence the Brown Act was adhered to.
My plan is to send a communication that encapsulates the testimony heard at the Education and Neighborhoods Committee to the full City Council for their consideration during the discussion of the franchise issue.
Mr. Handal was wrong on so many points that I will not address them all. From his statements, it was clear that he had either not read my motion (Council File 10-1797-S7) or the agenda item or if he read one or both, he did not understand the purposed intent of the meeting. It is unfortunate that his lack of understanding or being unprepared, generated into an equally poorly documented CityWatch article. Hopefully, in the future, he will take the time to understand the issues before publishing such a misleading editorial.
I will continue to provide a platform via the Education and Neighborhoods Committee for your voice to be heard at City Hall.
(Bernard Parks is LA Councilman for the 8th District and chair of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee.)
-cw
Tags: Bernard Parks, Education and Neighborhoods, City Council, Jay Handal, neighborhood councils, NCs, truth, you can’t handle the truth, City Hall
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 84
Pub: Oct 19, 2012