Help Keep Venice Progressive!

Help Keep Venice Progressive!

by Marta Evry Monday, Sep. 05, 2005 at 4:16 PM
msblucow@comcast.net

Vote for Progressive Independent Candidates for the Venice Neighborhood Council

VENICE, HELP BRING BACK DIVERSITY AND CREDIBILITY TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL!


Vote for community control of development!
Vote to support affordable housing!
Vote to help control expansion of LAX and Playa Vista!
Vote to support comprehensive transportation planning!
Vote to support the arts and local businesses!

VOTE SEPTEMBER 10 & 11 - 10AM TO 5PM
Venice High School Auditorium (parking just in the lot just East of the auditorium)
You do NOT need to pre-register to vote.
You DO need to bring a form of ID with you to prove Venice stakeholdership
(for details - http://www.grvnc.org/NewSite/Election2005/ElectionFrequentlyAskedQuestionsFAQ.htm#FAQ7 )
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The only power a neighborhood council has is the power of persuasion. Our Councilman Bill Rosendahl – a self-proclaimed “Proud Progressive” - has demanded Neighborhood Councils become more representative if they want to have an effective voice in the 11th District. Our Neighborhood Council has a real chance to get back on track with an entirely new board. One which will represent all of Venice, not just a few special interest groups. That is why each and every independent candidate the Venice Progress Coalition (see below), has endorsed has pledged to change the way our Neighborhood Council does business, so that it can be a force for building community and bringing together Venetians from all walks of life. 

THE VENCE PROGRESS COALITION – who are we?

The Venice Progress Coalition is an ad-hoc committee formed for the sole purpose of evaluating and recommending candidates for the 2005 Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council. We are your friends and neighbors – Venice residents (renters and owners) from all over our community – from the Boardwalk to Penmar Park, Oakwood to the Marina Peninsula.

We are not a slate. We do not have a platform. But we have a common goal – to make sure our neighborhood council is as representative as possible. Because only through diversity can our neighborhood council claim credibility, and in turn become an effective voice for our community.

To achieve this goal, we’ve asked candidates to honor a ten-point pledge. A promise that says the candidate agrees to abide by a minimal code of conduct - to treat Venice stakeholders and fellow board members with respect, even if their opinions may differ.

To learn more about the candidates, visit www.veniceprogressives.org

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THE “PLEDGE”

As a candidate for the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council, I pledge:


1. To respect the Community Stakeholders of the GRVNC as the ultimate authority and controlling force of the GRVNC (Article II.c.1 of the GRVNC bylaws).

2. To treat both the stakeholders of Venice and my fellow board members with courtesy and respect, even if their opinions differ from my own.

3. To place the will of the community over slate politics or personal agenda by engaging in all debates and deliberations with a respectful and open mind.

4. To help the GRVNC become a force for uniting our community by encouraging and facilitating consensus building.

5. To actively and continuously outreach to and engage the stakeholders and community organizations of Venice.

6. To help ensure the finances of GRVNC are transparent, accountable and open to stakeholder review.

7. To uphold the spirit - not just the letter - of California’s open meeting law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, so that Venice stakeholders can count on inclusion, transparency and accountability from their neighborhood council.

8. To abide by any and all applicable sections of the City of Los Angeles Ethics Code.

9. To work with stakeholders and fellow board members to improve the GRVNC bylaws in order to ensure representation for all the neighborhoods of Venice, build a stronger organization more accountable to stakeholders, and guarantee that all future elections will be as inclusive, fair and as accountable as possible.

10. To immediately resign from my seat on the GRVNC Board should I chose to run for public elected office.