Back in 2015, City Council Member David Ryu ran his campaign for office on a promise of increased transparency. A key item in implementing that transparency after he was elected was the creation of a task force to review discretionary funds expenditures by Ryu’s office. The two-year terms of the original task force members are now expiring, and Ryu is now seeking up to five new applicants to fill the seats on the committee, which meets every other month. All interested members of the CD4 community are urged to apply.
“The task force was started in good spirits to offer the community an opportunity to have insight into how community funds are spent,” Cindy Chvatal Keane, president of the Hancock Park Homeowners Association who also served on the task force, told the Buzz.
According to Ryu’s office, the Task Force’s mission is:
1. To advise and review on the use of discretionary fund expenditures.
2. To craft policies and guidelines to distinguish appropriate use of funds.
3. To solicit community input and provide recommendations for specific long term discretionary fund projects.
4. To review and recommend approval or disapproval of previously rescinded discretionary funds.
5. To advise the Council Office on discretionary funding matters as requested.
More information is available at http://davidryu.lacity.org/discretionary_funds_task_force…and a breakdown of discretionary spending in CD4 can be found at http://davidryu.lacity.org/cd4_checkbook
People who are interested in applying for a seat on the panel can fill out an application and e-mail it to [email protected]. According to the form:
“Applicants should live in Council District 4, and it is highly advisable that they have a track record of community involvement or professional experience dealing with the topic that the appointment covers. In some specific cases dealing with a Citywide issue the residence requirement may be waived based on extensive expertise.”
The application deadline is January 31, 2018.
