WEST HILLS COUNCIL VOTES NOT TO DISBAND CITY RESPONSE MAY HAVE SAVED PANEL.Byline: James Nash Staff Writer WEST HILLS - The West Hills Neighborhood Council lives on. Capping weeks of debate over whether to quit over bureaucratic red tape from the city of Los Angeles
Had members decided to disband dis·band v. dis·band·ed, dis·band·ing, dis·bands v.tr. To dissolve the organization of (a corporation, for example). v.intr. 1. , West Hills would have been the first of nearly 100 neighborhood councils Neighborhood councils are governmental or non-governmental bodies composed of local people who handle neighborhood problems. They can be found in many cities throughout the world. in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. to vote itself out of existence. The group's threats to disband - motivated by difficulty in securing an office and $50,000 in city funds - alarmed city officials including Councilman Dennis Zine, who made an aborted a·bort v. a·bort·ed, a·bort·ing, a·borts v.intr. 1. To give birth prematurely or before term; miscarry. 2. To cease growth before full development or maturation. 3. attempt to run for the panel. ``We felt that we have made substantial progress in moving it forward,'' said Neighborhood Council president Stephen Lenske, adding the council got an office at the Boeing complex on Fallbrook Avenue but still is experiencing delays in receiving city funds. Board member Ed Youngblood said city officials were slow to respond to members' concerns until the group's former president, Charles Gremer, resigned in frustration last August and the group considered disbanding a month later. ``We've made a lot of progress with (the city Department of Neighborhood Empowerment) since it became a public issue,'' he said. Zine was pleased that the group won't disband, saying, ``We have growing pains grow·ing pains pl.n. Pains in the limbs and joints of children or adolescents, frequently occurring at night and often attributed to rapid growth but arising from various unrelated causes. with neighborhood councils, and we're going to have to respond to those as they come up.'' West Hills' frustrations were mirrored in the hillside neighborhoods of Bel-Air, whose neighborhood council president also resigned over a lack of support from the city. Stephen Lukasik, who headed the Bel-Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council until last August, told a Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. committee
that the job left him exhausted because of a lack of support from the
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.
DONE General Manager Greg Nelson said the department is working with the Bel-Air-Beverly Glen organizers on getting an office. Unlike leaders in West Hills, those in Bel-Air-Beverly Glen have not publicly talked about disbanding the neighborhood council. James Nash, (213) 978-0390 james.nash(at)dailynews.com |
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