Vote: DTLA neighborhood council elections are tonight
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
A previous meeting of the DLANC Board of Directors. Elections for the council members take place today from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) elections take place on Thursday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., and residents, property owners, employees and anyone else with a stake in DTLA is eligible to vote.
Although primary stakeholders -- meaning anyone who can prove they live, work or own in Downtown -- can vote on every ballot, even people who only "drink and eat Downtown" can vote for the At-Large Director.
Current DLANC president Patti Berman said that the Downtown council has spent a great deal of time establishing credibility with city officials, and that a strong voter turnout is crucial in maintaining these relationships.
“The more people who vote in our election the better we look to City Hall,” said Berman, who's been involved with DLANC for the past seven years.
There are 28 available seats on the Downtown council, each representing a different district of Downtown. These elections take place approximately every two years, and the council president is elected once the Board of Directors is chosen.
Berman said she hopes Downtown voters will fight election fatigue and come to the polls at the DTLA Exchange at the Rosslyn Hotel; she's hoping for at least a 1,000-person turnout.
Berman said the reason neighborhood councils were created is because “one-size-fits-all represntation just doesn’t work," so the DLANC is Downtown's chance to have a unified voice in city discussions.
She cites some of the council's most important accomplishments so far as including the Spring Street Park-- which is currently in its construction phase -- and their initiation of the Downtown Art Walk.
Elections take place at 114 W. 5th Street at the DTLA Exchange in the Rosslyn Hotel building
T K Nagano on November 15, 2012, at 10:57AM – #1
The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council also bought a horse for the Los Angeles Police Department, brooms and cleaning supplies for Skidrow Clean-ups, Paint for murals, equipment for the Skid Row 3 on 3 Basketball League, refurbished computer by Trade Tech for 9th Street Elementary, cameras for the Skidrow Camera Club, support for the Metro Charter School, support for Downtown Greening Activities...
Important to VOTE...open 'til 8 PM tonight Thursday, Nov 15, 2012. - TK
dave on November 15, 2012, at 11:13AM – #2
C'mon DLANC...how about actually putting some election information on your website so we know who we're voting for and why. Simply asking people to show up to vote without providing any context or information seems like a rather ineffective way of fighting voter fatigue.
dave on November 15, 2012, at 11:18AM – #3
Also, if you want to engage residents and business owners in the area, you need to do a better job of getting the word out. I'm pretty active in DTLA and this is the first I'm hearing about the elections. Where was the outreach? Did you guys send election information out to all of the HOAs in the area? Did you put voter information sheets in local area businesses? Let us know ahead of time so that we're engaged, informed, and enthusiastic about voting.
Erick on November 15, 2012, at 03:35PM – #4
This article lacked critical information on candidates. Some of that information can be found at this link at Empower LA.
Betty on November 16, 2012, at 08:58AM – #5
This is really lazy reporting. Of the 28 seats and candidates running, only one candidate was interviewed for this story? It reads like a press release from the candidate herself.