While most of our city, state and federal elections now take place in the fall, there is one election cycle – for our local neighborhood councils – which still runs in the spring, and which is coming up at the end of April for both the Greater Wilshire and Mid City West Neighborhood Councils. The election itself will take place on April 30…but before there can be an election, there must be official candidates, and candidate registration for the two groups has been open since December 31. It closes tonight.
Anyone who lives, works, or owns property in either of the two NC areas, or who declares themselves a stakeholder in some other way, will be eligible to vote in the election…and is also eligible to run for a seat on the board, though qualifications for the various types of seats vary. In both the GWNC and the MCWNC, there are a variety of seats available, including some representing specific geographic areas, some representing special interest groups such as renters, business owners, or non-profit organizations, along with “at large” seats, open to any qualified stakeholder.
According to the GWNC website:
“If you have a vision for our neighborhood, if you want to make a difference in land use, transportation, sustainability, and emergency preparedness, run for the GWNC!
The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council speaks to city government on behalf of all the diverse groups that make up our local community— geographic areas, homeowners, renters, educators, business, religious, and non-profit interests.
The GWNC is the organization that tells the City what our community wants and needs, and it thrives on strong, competing visions of how we can influence City Council offices and municipal departments. GWNC Members are the voice of the public.”
So if you’ve been wanting to learn more about your neighborhood, or more about how city government works, and you’d like to get more deeply involved with issues that affect your quality of life and that of your neighbors, joining your neighborhood council provides a great opportunity.
To register as a candidate, go to https://clerkappsele.lacity.org/NCElection/login, create an account, and follow the prompts from there. (You’ll be asked which seat you’d like to run for, and to upload documentation proving your geographic or other eligibility for that particular seat.)
According to the City Clerk’s office, the GWNC currently has a total of 38 candidates registered to run for its 21 board seats (including at least one for each seat except the Western-Wilton neighborhood)…while the MCWNC has 41 candidates registered so far for its 36 board seats (with at least one candidate registered so far for each available seat).
Registration for all seats closes at 11:59 p.m. tonight, so if you’ve been considering jumping in, this is the time!
