Upon certification, the name of this neighborhood council shall be the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council (a.k.a. GEPENC), an officially recognized advisory council hereby part of the Los Angeles Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils.

A. The PURPOSE of the GEPENC is to participate as an advisory body on issues of concern to the people represented by our neighborhood council and in the governance of the City of Los Angeles. This purpose is meant to be educational concerning local government and charitable as support for local community needs.

B. The MISSION of this council is:

1. To listen, respect, prioritize, and take action regarding the issues of the people of the Greater Echo Park Elysian neighborhoods, specifically,
2. To provide an inclusive open forum for public discussion of issues concerning City governanc, the needs of the neighborhoods served by this council, the delivery of City services to these neighborhoods, and on matters of a Citywide nature, and
3. To advise the City of Los Angeles on issues concerning City governance, the needs of this neighborhoods served by this council, the delivery of City services to this neighborhood council area, and on matters of a citywide nature.
4. To promote Stakeholder participation in local government and decision-making processes and to promote greater awareness and utilization of government services available to Stakeholders.
5. To educate and empower Stakeholders in the discovery and creation of opportunities to make the neighborhoods better places to live, work, invest, and play.

C. The POLICY of this neighborhood council shall be:

1. To respect the dignity and expression of viewpoints of all individuals, groups, and organizations involved in this neighborhood council,
2. To remain non-partisan and inclusive in our operations including, but not limited to, the election process for governing body and committee members.
3. To utilize the Early Notification System to inform our neighborhood council of matters involving the City of Los Angeles (and our community) in a way that is tailored to provide opportunities for involvement in the decision-making process.
4. To encourage all Community Stakeholders to participate in all activities of this neighborhood council.
5. To prohibit discrimination against any individual or group, in our operations, because of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, language or literacy, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, income, or political affiliation.
6. To have fair, open, and transparent procedures for the conduct of our neighborhood council business.
7. To provide equal opportunity for all community Stakeholders to represent their neighbors on the governance Board of this Neighborhood Council, and to participate in Council meetings and activities.
8. GEPENC shall respect the autonomy of all individuals, groups, and organizations within the community:
   1. Not to interfere with the internal affairs of any group or organization.
   2. Not to restrict any individual, group, or organization from speaking out on any side of any issue on which the individual, group, or organization wants to be heard.
   3. Not to represent any political parties or candidates.
9. The areas of this Council are demographically diverse. Many residents speak Spanish and other languages as their primary or sole language. GEPENC will translate and publish all official documents, including by-laws, meeting notices, flyers, and Rules in English and Spanish. Best efforts will be made to communicate and reach out to other Stakeholders in any other languages requested, as resources are available.
   
   

A. DONE: The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment; the Los Angeles City Agency that oversees Neighborhood Councils.

B. ENS: Early Notification System used by the City to electronically alert Stakeholders of potential actions by City Departments that affect their area well before those actions are taken.

C. ABOARD shall mean a Governing Body within the meaning of that term as set forth in the Plan for a Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils (APlan also to be known herein as the Board of Governors and referred to as the Board

D. COUNCIL shall mean the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council (GEPENC) and the expressed wishes of the majority of the Stakeholders that it represents.

E. COUNCIL MEETING shall mean a meeting of the Board.

F. CHAIR shall mean the President or presiding officer of the Board.

G. VICE CHAIR shall mean Vice-President or second in charge behind the Chair at meetings of the Board.

H. TREASURER shall mean a member of the Board of Governors also charged with the responsibility of establishing an accounting system for the Council, maintaining the records of the Council's finances and book of accounts, and preparing any financial reports for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment pursuant to the Plan for a Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils.

I. SECRETARY shall mean a person selected by the Board to keep minutes of all Board meetings.

J. COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER or STAKEHOLDER shall mean any individual who lives, works or owns property in this neighborhood council area. In addition, Community Stakeholder status may be identified by participation in, among other things, educational institutions, community organizations or other non-profit organizations, block clubs, neighborhood associations, homeowners associations, apartment associations, condominium associations, resident associations, school/parent groups, faith based groups and organizations, senior groups and organizations, youth groups and organizations, chambers of commerce, business improvement districts, service organizations, park advisory boards, boys and girls clubs, cultural groups, environmental groups, code watch, neighborhood watch, police advisory board groups, and/or redevelopment action boards. This is meant to include both persons and/or the groups they represent. Additionally, per City Ordinance 174006, which established the regulations to implement this Council, ìThe governing body must, to the extent possible, reflect the diversity of the neighborhoodís community Stakeholders. No single Stakeholder group may comprise a majority of the neighborhood councilís governing body, unless approved by the Department upon a showing of extenuating circumstances. Membership shall be used interchangeably in this document with Stakeholder. (See Article IV)

K. AREA shall mean the geographic area, as set forth in ARTICLE V.

L. OFFICIAL ACTION shall occur when the BOARD approves, fails to approve, or disapproves by consensus or vote any resolutions, positions, or decisions with respect to an item on its agenda which becomes the official or representative voice on said item for the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council.

M. DISTRICT or Electoral District shall mean a sub-area of contiguous geography within the council borders.

N. RULES shall mean the Standing Rules of the GEPENC that govern procedures, such as Electoral Districts, and amplify requirements for conduct at meetings not specified in law. These specific Rules will take precedence to procedures in Canonís Rules or Robertís Rules and may change from time to time at the will of the Board. They will be kept current, published and translated.

O. ANNUAL MEETING shall be a voting meeting for all Stakeholders to elect Stakeholders to the Board.

P. SELF ASSESSMENT MEETING shall be a meeting, wherein the Board votes upon rule changes, budget, and goals for the subsequent year and analyzes past performance. It shall be the meeting 4 months prior to the Annual Meeting, at which nominations for the Board are officially open.

MEMBERSHIP in this Neighborhood Council is open to all COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS or STAKEHOLDERS, as defined above. All STAKEHOLDERS shall be eligible to vote in elections for the Board. Any Member may run for the Board of the Council, however, should a Stakeholder under the age of 18 wish to run for any office on the Council, he/she must submit written parental or guardian consent or legal proof of status as an emancipated minor before running for office. Additionally, any board member under the age of 18 years will not participate in any decision-making activities related to entering into contracts or expenditure of funds for the NC. In these cases, the board member who is under the age of 18 will abstain from voting in order to prevent violating state law (which prevents minors from entering into contracts).

The GEPENC includes a geographic area that has a minimum of 20,000 residents.

The boundaries are described as follows: (See, Map)

1. North: The Apex of the Glendale (2) Freeway and the Golden State (5) Freeway.

2. East: The Eastern Boundary is the 5 Freeway and the joining of the 110 Freeway around the shared public Elysian Park and Dodger Stadium, excluding the residents and streets of the Solano Neighborhood, East of the 110 Freeway, and following the 110 Freeway South around Dodger Stadium (just SE of Stadium Way) to Elysian Park Avenue West to Sunset Boulevard and Southeast on Sunset to Beaudry Avenue.

3. South: Third St. along both sides of Benton Way, then east on both sides of Carondolet St.[1], then north to Beverly Bl. and First St. to Beaudry Avenue.

4. West: Third St at Benton Way, North to the Hollywood (101) Freeway, east to the property line between Coronado Terrace and Waterloo Street, proceeding North to Mayberry, (Mayberry Elementary School is shared with Silver Lake), West on Mayberry to Coronado Street, and North to Berkeley, East on Berkeley to the property line between Coronado and Waterloo Streets to Effie and up to top of steps on Effie, North to Clifford, east to Glendale Blvd. and North through the LaSorda Field of Dreams (shared with Silver Lake) to the Glendale (2) Freeway.

There shall be an odd number of Community Stakeholders on the Board of Governors. This number will be no less than nineteen and no more than thirty-three. The number of Board members elected from each District will depend upon the number nominated and willing to participate.

A. Standing Rules: (Procedures)
The Board will make Rules based upon firm principles of urban democracy. These principles are two:

1. That, equal opportunity to be represented is extended to all ethnicities, and types of Stakeholders, and
   
   
2. That, there be one geographic representative for each 2500 to 5000 people residing in the community.
   
   The manner in which members of committees, subcommittees, and/or ad hoc committees shall be elected, selected, or appointed will be determined by the Board and published in the Rules (ìRulesî). The Rules will also include District Maps, which show the sub-areas of the community that may elect a variable number of representatives. The actual number of District representatives to be elected will depend upon, population and participation. However, there will be a minimum of two and maximum of five representatives per District. This will be reviewed annually at a self-assessment meeting. There may also be particular rules for conduct of meeting, procedures for the removal of a Board Member, and the change of specific address in the same area of the City. This Councilís published rules will take precedence over Canonís rules, which shall be consulted for motions in the absence of specific Council rules. Robertís rules may also be consulted at the discretion of the chair.

B. Types of Board Members:

1. Officers: All, except Secretary, are elected by voice vote of all Stakeholders at the Annual Meeting. There will be five Officers. However, the Board may appoint two additional Vice Presidents, if the Executive Committee so decides. They are further described below.
2. District Representatives: The number of representatives per District, the District mapping boundaries, and the District demographics will be reviewed annually at the self-assessment meeting by the Executive Committee as described in the Meeting Section of these bylaws. These are elected by District, such as Angeleno Heights. In order to vote for a District representative, one must be a Stakeholder of the specific district. The number of representatives will be guided by consulting demographics, principles, and participation. There shall never be less than one, nor more than two representatives per 5,000 people. The number of District representatives will be between 9 and 19 for the whole Council and from two to five per district. The number of representatives allotted by District and the length of term per representative will be recorded in the Rules and decided by the Executive Committee at a regular meeting at least 90 days before the election.
3. At Large: The Board will meet no longer than 30 days after the Annual Meeting and invite all Stakeholders to attend. At this meeting, the Board including District and Officer Members will elect from five to nine additional Board Members (up to 40% of total) to remedy any lack of diversity of Stakeholder skills or representation of types of groups.
4. Alternates: For each District, the representatives with the most votes, by District, are the primary District representatives to the Board. The next batches of vote getters, by District, individually become the Alternates. There will be only one alternate for each District representative. The Alternates will serve on committees and attend meetings when the primary representative cannot. Additionally, Officers may delegate one person as an Alternate to attend a meeting when the Officer cannot. However, these delegated alternates do not have any power or authority other than to pass on messages and to take notes. All alternates must be kept track of by the Secretary to the Board.

C. Officers: The Board shall include officer positions entitled Chair or President, Vice-Chair or First Vice President, Chief Information Officer or Second Vice President and Treasurer. These positions shall be filled at the annual voting meeting. Additionally, there shall be a position known as ìSecretary to the Board of Governors or ìSecretary. The Board shall select or appoint someone for this position, which will entail keeping the minutes of the Board meetings, and any other duties prescribed by the Board. Additionally the Secretary will ensure that all votes are accurately counted and recorded. The Secretary will maintain a system to track qualified alternates for the Board. An Alternate Secretary to the Board of Governors may also be selected or appointed by the Board of Governors to serve as an alternate secretary in the absence of the primary Secretary to the Board of Governors or to take minutes at committee meetings, as needed. The Secretary and Alternative Secretary may be removed and replaced by Rules established by the Board. The Board at its option may appoint two additional vice presidents, as needed, with the reservation that the number of voting Board Members shall remain an odd number and shall not exceed 33. The Officers and Duties Section below contains more information on specific offices, other than Secretary.

D. Officers and Duties:

• President: The President is responsible for the orderly conduct of meetings, particularly to conduct a fair and democratic forum. The President represents and speaks for the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council.
  
  
• First Vice President: The Vice Chair is the first alternate for the President. In addition, this individual shall coordinate activities or committees assigned by the President or the Board. Specifically the First Vice President will monitor issues and opportunities presented electronically, or otherwise, by any branch of government that affect the neighborhoods of GEPEN. Should there be a need for corporate Secretary the First Vice President shall occupy that position.
  
  
• The Treasurer: This Officer must be familiar with computerized accounting in a non-profit environment. The treasurer will submit to DONE all accounting information once or twice during each fiscal year as DONE mandates. This position will work with the CIO to ensure web access to a read-only-copy of the books of record. This position will work with a CPA to set up and monitor the Chart of Accounts for the Council and to prepare and audit statements and returns for GEPENC as well as any other specific forms and reports mandated by the City of LA from time to time.
  
  
• The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the Second Vice President: This Officer is responsible for managing the flow of information into or out of the organization to fulfill its mission. This Officer will utilize knowledge of secure data transfer and will set up proper access to appropriate GEPENC Council files. In addition, the CIO will coordinate with the City of Los Angeles to make the best use of the Early Notification System, and with other systems of public and private agencies that affect the quality of life in the GEPENC neighborhoods and become accessible. Finally, the CIO will coordinate information flow with other councils.

E. Vacancies: Any Director may resign effective upon giving written notice to the President, the Secretary, or the Board, unless the notice specifies a later time for the effectiveness of such resignation. If the resignation is effective at a future time, a successor may be selected before such time, to take office when the resignation becomes effective, and serve as a Board Member, only, until the next regularly scheduled election. Vacancies can occur because of death, resignation, removal, a final court order adjudging either unsound mind or financial irregularities of any director, or if the authorized number of directors is reduced by bylaw amendment.

A vacancy on the Board of Governors shall be filled by the following procedure:

1. Any Stakeholder(s) interested in filling a vacant seat on the Board shall submit a written application(s) to the Secretary.
2. The Secretary shall then ensure that the matter is placed on the agenda for the next regular meeting of the Board.
3. If only one Stakeholder has made application for a vacant seat, then a vote of the Board shall be taken and the applicant installed by majority vote of the Board. If more than one Stakeholder has made application for an empty seat, then an open and fair vote shall be taken at the next regular meeting by all Stakeholders present. The vote shall be presided over by the Board. There shall be only one vote per Stakeholder. The highest vote getter shall become the next Board Member. A second vote will only be held if there is an exact tie in the number of votes for two or more potential Board Members. There shall be no proxy votes.
   
   When a vacant seat is filled by the aforementioned process, that seat shall be filled only until the next general election is held to fill all seats on the Board of Governors. In no event shall a vacant seat be filled where the election to fill all seats on the Board of Governors, at the Annual Meeting, is to be held within 120 days from the date the applicant (Stakeholder proposing to fill the vacancy) tenders a written application to the Secretary.

F. Removal of Board Member. A procedure will be reviewed after City Attorney consultation at the annual ìSelf-Assessment Meetingî for the removal of a Board Member. This procedure will become part of the Rules of the Council. Any procedure developed will require both reasonable cause in actions or failures to act by a Board Member according to these bylaws. Procedures for removal must also include the affirmative vote of at least 2/3 of 75 or more Stakeholders in attendance at a quarterly meeting, before removing a Board Member.

There are four Standing Committees:

Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will act in situations of urgency, with 24-hour notice, between regularly scheduled Board meetings. Notice will be consistent with the Ralph M. Brown Open Meetings Act. This Committee shall consist of four officers plus any additional VPís elected. The President will abstain as necessary to ensure there are an odd number of votes cast. The Executive Committee will maintain itself as less than a quorum of the Board. Should there be a hired Executive Director, this person shall be a non-voting member of this Committee. The President chairs the committee. This Committee will frame the Agenda and the schedules of Board meetings and report any actions taken between meetings to the full Board. This committee may also function as a nominating committee for elections to the Board under procedures outlined in Article VIII of these bylaws. This is the Committee that links to the DONE.[2]

Outreach and Membership Committee: The President shall chair this committee. This Committee shall be responsible for gathering and disseminating information important to the GEPENC Stakeholders. The committee is charged with:

1. Inspiring Stakeholders to reach out and make active as many new Stakeholders as possible; recording prospects for Board development on the Official form it provides and edits from time to time.
2. Publishing a GEPENC web site on the Internet.
3. Publishing a GEPENC newsletter within budgetary constraints.
4. Publishing the agendas provided by the President for all meetings of the neighborhood council;
5. Publicizing the GEPENC election process, especially in seeking candidates for elective and committee positions, and encouraging Stakeholders to hold such positions.
6. Operating e-mail and phone trees and finding qualified Stakeholders to reach out to the anchor tenants in the community.
7. Reaching out for best practices and other information to similar groups in this or other cities.

Finance, Auditing and Fund Raising Committee: This committee will primarily work with the City of Los Angeles to establish neighborhood-spending priorities. It will contact other Neighborhoods, raise the money for non-profit filing, write grants, and continuously seek sources, other than the City itself, to raise funds and contributions in kind to improve the GEPENC neighborhoods. The committee will assist the Treasurer with accounting and bookkeeping. The treasurer and at least one other Board Member will be on this Committee.

Information Exchange Committee: This highly specialized committee will develop systems to gather information of interest to the GEPENC, including data from the City of Los Angeles Early Notification System. The CIO will chair this Committee.

The Governing Board may establish additional standing and ad hoc committees as deemed necessary for the accomplishment of the purposes of the Council as described in Article II of the By-laws. The Board will also invite participation from and cooperate with ìissueî or ìneighborhood betterment organizationsî in this area, which are aligned with our stated purposes.

A. Nominations and Outreach: The Board of Governors shall direct that a system of outreach be instituted to find and obtain nominees for elections to the Board of Governors. The Board will implement such a system through the committee process. The purpose of this outreach is to put forth a reasonable effort to inform and give every Stakeholder desiring to participate on the Board of Governors an opportunity to become a Board member. To that end, a period of at least 60 days prior to any election shall be given to prospective Board members for purposes of soliciting Stakeholder support. Nominations for Officers and District Representatives will start the day of Certification and will be open for 60 days.

B. Procedure: Nominations will be open four months before elections. The meeting that takes place exactly eight months after elections is the Self-Assessment Meeting.

Self-Assessment Meeting: This is the meeting of the Board that opens nominations for the next year. At this meeting, annual goals and budgets for the Boards and Committees will be set. Past activities and accomplishments will be analyzed and documented and changes to the Rules will be adopted for the next year.

Elections will be held at an Annual Meeting open to all Stakeholders and noticed at least 30 days in advance, with an Agenda available at least ten days in advance. The date of the first Annual Meeting will be the fourth Tuesday at 7PM PST, following City Certification by four months or at such other time as the Board may determine in its rules. Subsequently elections will be head on the same day in each subsequent year, or as noted in the Rules.

Annual Meeting: At the Annual Meeting, one year after the first elections, nominations from the floor will be accepted, provided the nominee is there to accept his nomination. Specific procedures of balloting and nominations for office will be developed by the Executive Committee, reviewed annually at the self-assessment meeting, and published in the Rules. The District map and description of the first five districts for the first election is attached to these Bylaws as an additional map.

C. Term: Staggering Terms and Length of Term: Officer Positions will serve for two-year terms. In the first election, the leading vote getter for each District will serve for two years, as will At-Large Board Members. All other District representatives and alternates will be elected for one year. Thereafter all terms will be two years. This will ensure both continuity and an election for half the Board every year.

D. Term Limits: An individual may serve for a maximum of eight consecutive years.

E. Elections: After the initial Board members have been installed for a period of one year, new elections shall be held at the Annual Meeting. The elections shall be held and tallied by written ballot (and according to other Rules established and published by the Board) at a meeting open to all Stakeholders. A method will attempt to be developed with DONE and the City Attorney to count votes of Stakeholders, who for valid reasons, cannot be present at the Annual Meeting.

All meetings, as defined by the Ralph M. Brown Act shall be noticed and conducted in accordance with the Act.

(1) Meetings of the Board of Governors shall be held at least quarterly on the 4th Tuesday of the Month or at such other time as the Board may determine and publish in the Rules.

(2) Meetings of the Board of Governors will initially take place at: the Echo Park Library, 1410 Temple Street. However, the location for meetings thereafter, may change from time to time. The new location(s) will be noted on the Rules of the GEPENC Neighborhood Council. The Rules will be developed and adopted by a majority of the Board present at the initial meeting and can be changed or modified by the Board per said Rules.

(3) Notification of all meetings shall include, at a minimum, posting on the Early Notification (ENS) System, posting at 5 public locations, and (5) other commonly frequented locations throughout the GEPENC Area, and in one or two local publications, such as the Hollywood Independent and the Echo Park Improvement Association newsletter tailored to reach the largest number of identifiable Stakeholders in the Area. Additionally notice will be sent via e-mail at the Neighborhoods e-mail discussion group forum open to all at: EchoElysianNCForumyahoogroups.com, or any web location as modified in the Rules.

(4) The Board shall take Official Action by consensus wherever possible and if not, majority vote of the total number Board members present. A majority vote on any matter on the Boards agenda cannot be made unless there is a quorum or majority of 40% of the total number of Board Members, rounded to the nearest odd number of the Board members present. However, a quorum shall consist of no less than nine, nor more than 13 members. There shall be no proxy voting. The Secretary shall perform the necessary calculations.

(5) Other rules for the conduct and decorum of the Board meetings, including a procedure for removal of a Board Member, shall be established by the Board of Governors and reflected in the Rules.

(6) The Board may reconsider and amend its action on items listed on the agenda if that reconsideration takes place immediately following the original action or at the next regular meeting. The Board, on either of these two days, shall: (1) Make a Motion for Reconsideration an, if approved, (2) hear the matter and Take an Action. If the motion to reconsider an action is to be scheduled at the next meeting following the original action, then two items shall be placed on the agenda for that meeting: (1) A Motion for Reconsideration on the described matter and (2) a Proposed Action should the motion to reconsider be approved. A motion for reconsideration can only be made by a Board member who has previously voted on the prevailing side of the original action taken. If a motion for reconsideration is not made on the date the action was taken, then a Board member on the prevailing side of the action must submit a memorandum to the Secretary identifying the matter to be reconsidered and a brief description of the reason(s) for requesting reconsideration at the next regular meeting. The aforesaid shall all be in compliance with the Brown Act.

(7) The Board will use Canonís Rules of Order to attempt consensus first. If consensus is not achieved, and where it has not adopted its own rules for conducting its meetings, it shall follow Robert's Rules of Order. The Rules of the Board of Governors that have been formally adopted and set forth in writing shall, unless contrary to State or federal law, take precedent where there is a conflict with either Canonís or Robert's Rules of Order. All committee meetings shall be governed by any written rules adopted by the Board of Governors for conduct of meetings, or by Canonís Rules of Order, where no Board Rules applies.

The initial principal office for GEPENC shall be: the DONE office at 305 East First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The organization shall designate a registered office in the City of Los Angeles, California, which it may change from time to time by Board action recorded in its Rules. A bylaw amendment shall not be required to change its principal office. It shall maintain an office continuously in the City of Los Angeles.

Amendments, changes, additions, or deletions to these Bylaws may be proposed by the Board or any Stakeholder(s) during the public comment period of a regular meeting of the Board of Governors. A proposal to amend these bylaws must then be formalized in writing and lodged with the Secretary or person responsible for preparing the agenda for the next regular meeting. The proposed amendment will be placed on the agenda for public discussion at a subsequent regular meeting of the Board of Governors.

A recommendation for amendment or adjustment of these Bylaws must be made by a simple majority vote of the entire number of the Board of Governors (irrespective of quorum). Thereafter, and within 14 days after a vote recommending adjustment or amendment to the Bylaws, a Notice of Proposed Adjustment of Bylaws shall be submitted to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment along with a copy of the existing Bylaws for review and approval by the Department all in accordance with Article V (3) of the Plan.

A. The Treasurer of this Council shall oversee and be charged with the full custody and control of all Council funds and assets. The Treasurer will establish an account or accounts for the deposit of Council funds in a federally insured (FDIC) bank or financial institution in the precise name of this Council, as certified by the City of Los Angeles. These funds shall remain liquid and readily available for use by the Council and shall not be used for high risk or speculative investments, but must conform to prudent standards of investment of public funds.

B. The Treasurer shall establish and oversee a system of bookkeeping and accounting for the Council that complies with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and conforms to all applicable local, state, or federal laws. The Treasurer may request authorization from the other members of the Board of Governors to retain a financial professional to assist in creating a bookkeeping and annual accounting system. The Treasurer may also request the assistance of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment when implementing it. The Treasurer, however, shall be ultimately responsible for the maintenance of the system of bookkeeping and accounting and for the protection of all Council assets.

C. The Council's financial statements, books and accounts shall be open for inspection and copying by any member of the public upon a written request to the Board. The Board shall establish fair and open procedures to permit inspection within a reasonable time. Any copying of financial records will be performed by an established copy service and the charge for such a service will be billed to the person or entity requesting the copies.

D. The Treasurer shall make a report to the Board on the Council's finances at every regular meeting of the Board.

E. The Treasurer shall be responsible for preparing or coordinating the preparation of a financial statement for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, annually. The Treasurer shall also coordinate and cooperate with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment on establishing a process and/or a system by which the Council's finances and book of accounts can be reviewed by the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment pursuant to the Plan for the Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils.

F. The Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council agrees to comply with all financial accountability requirements as specified by City Ordinance 174006 and in the Plan and as stated in the City's Certification Application.  The Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council further agrees to comply with all financial requirements as prescribed by the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

GEPENC shall have a procedure for considering Stakeholder grievances and this procedure shall be consistent with rules and regulations set forth by the City of Los Angeles through its Charter, its ordinances, and its rules as communicated by agencies including the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. Disagreement with legitimately determined policies or positions of GEPENC should not be considered a grievance for the purposes of this section. An allegation that a Stakeholderís rights under the Bylaws or under the ordinances of the City of Los Angeles have been violated shall be the legitimate subject of the grievance procedure system. For this purpose, the Stakeholders at the Annual Meeting shall elect a grievance committee, none of who shall be members of the Governing Board, such committee to consist of three persons. A vacancy on the grievance committee may be filled temporarily by the Governing Board, but that position shall be filled by election by all the Stakeholders at the next regularly scheduled meeting of Stakeholders. Persons who wish to claim a grievance may do so by communicating with any member of the grievance committee, and the grievance committee shall invite the persons claiming a grievance to present arguments and evidence, which may include testimony, to the committee. The grievance committee shall act to hear a grievance within thirty days of the initial communication and shall prepare a report and recommendation to the GEPENC to be presented at its next meeting, or at least no later than the following meeting. The grievance committee may on its own volition communicate its findings directly to the DONE in addition to reporting to the Governing Board. The Governing Board shall include grievance committee reports in its agenda and shall hear the reports in a timely manner as described above.

This formal grievance process is not intended to apply to Stakeholders who simply disagree with a position or action taken by the Board at one of its meetings. Those grievances can be aired at Board meetings. This grievance process is intended to address matters involving procedural disputes, e.g., the Board's failure to comply with Board Rules or these Bylaws, or its failure to comply with the City's Charter, the Plan, local ordinances, and/or State and federal law.


In the event that a grievance cannot be resolved through this grievance process, then the matter may be referred to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment for consideration or dispute resolution in accordance with the Plan.

The Council, its representatives, and all Stakeholders will endeavor to conduct Council business in a professional and respectful manner. The Council is committed to developing a system whereby pertinent information transmitted through the City's Early Notification System will be disseminated or made available to every Stakeholder in this Council, timely.

The Council, its representatives, and all Stakeholders will refrain from violating Board Rules and shall abide by the Plan and all City, County, State, and/or federal laws that apply.


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[1] A house on the corner of second and Benton is part of the Benton Way group and also is a major Arts and Crafts bungalow, which is part of the Echo Park Historical Society. (TG page 634)

[2] Upon City certification, the initial structure committee will continue to work with DONE to develop specific election procedures. It will also operate as an election committee for the first election.

[3] INITIAL ELECTION/SELECTION of Board Members, including Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer, after certification will be by open election or selection process and shall be held and coordinated with the assistance of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE or Department).

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