Neighborhood Council Candidate Info Session

Ever thought about running for office? Now is your chance to learn how!

LA’s 99 Neighborhood Councils are the grassroots arm of the City of Los Angeles government. Elections for Neighborhood Councils across the City are happening on a series of 12 regional dates from November 2020 – June 2021. Board members serve their terms in office as volunteers, and are elected by the members of the communities they serve.

At our Neighborhood Council Candidate Info Session, you’ll learn tips for:

• running a successful campaign
• connecting with voters
• advocating for issues you’re passionate about
• writing your personal statements
• filling out your candidate application with the City Clerk

This virtual session will take place on Zoom. Details to join the session online or by phone will be shared in your RSVP confirmation email.

We encourage you to RSVP even if you aren’t sure if you can attend, as doing so will put you on the email list to receive important resources and a copy of the presentation after the session.

Spanish translation will be provided. Please email us at empowerLA@LAcity.org 72 hours before the workshop begins, for accessibility or translation help.

Candidate Info Video

Learn more about what it means to be a Neighborhood Council member, including the average time commitment and the opportunities you’ll have to be a voice for your community in this short video: http://tiny.cc/CandidateInfoVideo

FAQs

Who can run for office on a Neighborhood Council?

Unlike other city, state, or federal elections, voting and being a candidate in Neighborhood Council (NC) elections is open to more than just the residents of a community.

Participation is open to those who live, work, or own property or a business within an NC’s boundaries, as well as to “community interest stakeholders,” such as church members, local students (or parents of students), or members of local service organizations.

Candidates need not be US citizens or legal residents to qualify. Participation is also open to the formerly incarcerated.

The minimum age to vote is 16. The minimum age to run for most Neighborhood Council seats is 18, except for candidates for the Youth Seat (on Councils which have them), who may be between the ages of 14-17.

When is my Neighborhood Council’s Election Day? And when is my candidate application due?

Neighborhood Council elections are happening on a series of 12 regional dates between November 2020 and mid-June 2021. Please note that voting in all NC elections this season will be exclusively Vote-By-Mail.

91 of LA’s 99 Neighborhood Councils are holding elections this season – look up your NC’s Election Day date and Election Region # here:

http://tiny.cc/2021NCElectionDates

Candidate applications open a few months before each regional Election Day, with start dates ranging from mid-November 2020 to mid-February 2021.

To determine your NC’s candidate filing window, find your NC’s Election Region # on the list linked above; then look up timeline details for your Election Region at the link below (scroll down to see Regional details):

http://tiny.cc/NCRegionalTimelines

How do I look up which Neighborhood Council I belong to?

Enter your address in the search bar at: http://tiny.cc/FindMyNC

How can I learn more about Neighborhood Council elections?

http://EmpowerLA.org/elections

What are Neighborhood Councils?

LA’s 99 Neighborhood Councils form the grassroots level of the Los Angeles city government. The system was established in 1999 to connect their communities to City Hall. The Councils advocate on issues like homelessness, land use, housing, emergency preparedness, sustainability, aging, youth programs, transportation, and parks. They also provide a local voice on the use of city funds and delivery of city services to their communities.

While Neighborhood Council board members are volunteers, they are public officials elected by the members of their community. Most board members serve two-year terms; a few Councils have four-year terms.

Learn more: http://EmpowerLA.org/about-neighborhood-councils

Questions? Contact us:

EmpowerLA@LACity.org