EmpowerLA - aka the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment - supports LA's Neighborhood Council system. Together, the City's 99 Neighborhood Councils form the grassroots, community-based arm of the Los Angeles municipal government. Neighborhood Councils connect the communities they serve to City Hall, advocating on issues like homelessness, housing, public safety, education, parks, and sustainability. Board members are locally-elected public officials who serve their terms in office as volunteers. LA's Neighborhood Councils define stakeholdership in a much more inclusive way than traditional elected government bodies, which only serve residents within the areas they represent. Anyone who is part of the fabric of daily life in a community is considered a stakeholder of the local Neighborhood Council. This includes all those who live, work, or own property or a business there. Also included are "community interest stakeholders," who have an ongoing, substantial involvement within a Council's boundaries, such as students of a school or members of a church. Participation is also open to the formerly incarcerated, as well as those who are not legal US residents or who are not US citizens. The Los Angeles Neighborhood Council system was established in 1999 by an amendment to the City Charter. ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL ELECTIONS Neighborhood Council elections are happening on a series of regional dates from late March - mid June, 2019. Elections happen every two years; this year, 94 of LA's 99 Neighborhood Councils are participating in the elections cycle. Look up your Neighborhood Council's election date, time, and location at http://EmpowerLA.org/elections. Don't know what Council is yours? Enter your address in the search bar on the interactive map on that page to find out.