Public Invited to City Charter Meeting

Northeast Valley residents will have an opportunity to submit their ideas for consideration tonight at the first in a series of meetings to discuss the overhaul of the city’s charter.

Tonight’s meeting will be joined by Councilman Richard Alarcon as well as Marcos Castaneda and Jose de Sosa, who represent the Charter Reform Commission and the Advisory Commission on Charter Reform, respectively.

In March, Los Angeles voters passed Proposition 8, which established the Charter Reform Commission, a 15-member elected panel charged with updating the city’s 72-year-old governing charter. Backed by Mayor Richard Riordan, Proposition 8 was a direct response to actions taken by the City Council, which last year appointed 21 members to its own Advisory Commission on Charter Reform.

The charter acts as the city’s constitution and sets the balance of power at City Hall.

“This first meeting will be primarily educational. The most important element right now is informing the public as the process moves on,” Alarcon said. “In the rush of forming these commissions, we didn’t do a good job educating people on what charter reform is all about and what it can do.”

The newly formed Northeast Valley Charter Reform Advisory Committee, made up of area residents and business people, is sponsoring tonight’s meeting. Alarcon said the group will continue to hold meetings throughout the reform process.

In addition to taking recommendations, commission members will discuss and answer questions about the reform process.

The free public meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the United Auto Workers Hall, 7915 Van Nuys Blvd., Panorama City.