DLANC Candidates: Genevieve Liang

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — In my post on the DLANC candidates I offered to run statements from any candidates who sent them to me. This one is fromGenevieve Liang, a candidate for theArea-Wide Resident seat.

I’ve been a downtown resident since December 2004. I’m running for a Board position because I have a lot of questions. And, being a pretty proactive person, I’d like to not just raise issues and be given an answer; I want to be active in shaping the answer. Thus, being a voting member on the Council would give me that opportunity.

DLANC Visibility

I just found out about DLANC and the whole network of Greater LA Neighborhood Councils not too long ago. That was after over a year of living downtown, wondering who to talk to/complain to about things that I observed impeding the potential quality of life we could have, and commiserating with neighbors who also felt rather clueless and helpless. If I’m elected, I will make sure that the Council has a much greater presence in the lives of all residents, and that it’s known as the resource for connecting us to City Hall and the public agencies which form the policies we live by.

Genevieve’s statement is continued if you click the “Read More” link below.

Specific Issues

Noise & Notification – Sometimes I get the feeling that many folks still don’t know how sizable a residential population there is downtown and what buildings are inhabited. This leads to things like: 1) a bulldozer breaking concrete in a newly demolished lot across from my building starting at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday, with no posted notice whatsoever, and lasting through the weekend; and 2) when the big immigration march took place a couple of months back, residents being denied access to their garages after getting within a block of their buildings by overwhelmed and uninformed traffic officers. Logistical consideration of downtown residents cannot remain an afterthought anymore.

Multi-use Parks – There are roaming groups of skateboarding kids who love the granite entrance and metal railings to the Pershing Square subway station on 5th Street. They fly off their boards at all hours of the night, risking serious injury and law enforcement wrath, when the creation of a skate park could do the trick. Also, the recent frustration over the closure of Pershing Square park highlights the necessity for sustained community input regarding the little open space we have and the importance of rallying our officials for more rec areas, including diversified uses such as a dog park.

Homelessness – We live here, and so do they, for the time being. The problem doesn’t get any closer than this. So what can we do about interfacing more with the organizations and agencies that deal directly with the area homeless, so that we can voice specific concerns and contribute (beyond monetarily) to their missions? There is a DLANC committee on homelessness that needs much better, active resident participation. I believe it holds great potential to generate some homegrown, innovative solutions given all the pooled brains & talent in our neighborhood.

PLEASE ENROLL TO VOTE & VOTE ON SEPT. 12TH! I am running for the Area-Wide Resident seat, so regardless of which sector you live in, you have a separate vote to make for this position. I hope to represent you well.