Minutes from the Training Reforms Work Group - Meeting #2

A big thank you to those who showed up to discuss training this evening.  There was general consensus that the only mandated training should be the already existing ethics training as well as an additional hour of sexual harassment and workplace violence.  The Neighborhood Council could add more trainings in their bylaws, but the thought was that any other training should be made easily available and entertaining so Board members will be motivated to take them.

Please review the notes below and let us know what you think!

Neighborhood Council Training

Reform Work Group Meeting
Agenda/Minutes

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Goals:

1. To determine what education Board members must take to serve on a Neighborhood Council

2. To determine any consequences for not taking mandated Board member education

Purpose: To ensure Board members are knowledgeable in Neighborhood Council/City policies and procedures and to reduce Board member liability when serving their communities in the Council system.

 

I.       Welcome and Introductions

• Randy Waller – Westlake North/South NC
• Marlene Savage – Venice NC
• David Hechter – North Hollywood West NC
• Tony Wilkinson – Panorama City NC
• Ivan Spiegel – Venice NC
• Mary Garcia – Mid-Town North Hollywood NC
• Karen Mack – Board of Neighborhood Commissioners
• Paul Parks – Board of Neighborhood Commissioners
• Tom Soong – Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
• Grayce Liu – Department of Neighborhood Empowerment 

II.     Training

• Current System
• Town Hall Comments
• Training versus Education
• What classes should be mandated, if any, outside state ethics?

·   Comment that  ethics training should be mandated and code of conduct/civility issues  - need to have common language/rules – experience is that those who bring down the NC and system don’t have the knowledge

·   Before a Board member even gets on the Board, they need to understand the purpose and the definitions of everything – 1500 new Board members the last election, and they don’t seem to understand the rules and code of civility is important – need a training program and mentors can help – Board orientation training should be mandated

1.     Comment - informational training prior to Board is okay, but NC’s should not be treated differently than City Councilmembers or Commissioners – should not make candidate training mandatory prior to the election

·        Response – some NC Board members think that being on an NC is a 2 hour meeting a month and have no idea what it is like to be on a Board

2.     Suggestion to put out a candidate DVD/CD so they can review

·   Question about what training the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners had to take – they replied ethics and had to do a retreat

·   Comment that training is a volunteer right, but not necessarily mandated because it is a barrier to entry to the NC – so how to make it available?  Mandatory training for certain positions, like Treasurer, is necessary

1.     Can’t fix problematic people by sending them to training

2     Lack of training does not equal mandated training

3.     Comment – don’t people who have training have the right to have a good meeting from people who don’t know the rules

·        Response – can try to informally help the Board member who doesn’t know the rules

·   Paul clarified that Department can withhold funding as opposed to Commission which is certification/decertification

·   Task knowledge is not just the only training needed – need practical knowledge too – how to make City Council listen to you

·   Only ethics need to be mandated – everything else should be voluntary so make training exciting and have mentors train regionally

1.     Comment that if you can train in the Congress, you can do it regionally

2.     Regions should do training, grievances and hand holding for NC’s – not have exhaustive efforts powers, which should stay with the Department

·   Participants agreed sexual harassment/workplace violence should be included in mandated training with ethics  

1.     Suggestion to call the training -  Ethics and Open Government

2.     Shouldn’t be automatic reaction to one NC getting into trouble and should have thought process not to force NC’s to do things just because

·        Don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t take this training so if this is going to help Board member help their community

·        Also clarified that City employees take these trainings, too

3.     Need positive and affirmative ways to reach to everyone and don’t want this to be a City Council punishment since motions are poorly written

·   Comment that in addition of 3 hour ethics, sexual harassment and work place violence training, then mandate another 3 hours including general funding training and leadership/parliamentary procedures

·   2 or 3 tier training – Board member takes ethics, Officers take additional training

·   Feel like these are barriers to entry  

i.  How should these classes be delivered?

·   Need to have any mandated training readily available and desirable

·   Manuals are good – just need to know where to go look for information so don’t have to memorize it

·   Wants to know the cost of delivering DVD

·   EmpowerLA Leadership Academy and Project Coordinator in the field was lost during the budget cuts, which is a major loss of knowledge so use peer mentoring group to help

·   Have training be succinct and enticing

·   Have templates to make things easier

·   Dedicate an hour of Board meetings to training at the beginning

·   President and Vice President influencing the tone of the Board so providing them extra education on leadership – President’s Circle for training or retreat

·   Provide food at trainings

·   Provide certificates of completion

ii. Time frame for taking classes?

·   Ethics training – before you are seated or no more than 1 meeting (45 days)

·   Funding training – no time frame because built in

·   Time line doesn’t matter if in an ordinance

• What consequences, if any, should Board members face if they don’t take mandated classes?

i. Who should track trainings?

·   Depends on who is deciding consequences

ii. Who should decide consequences?

·   Ethics training – should not vote on monetary issues and land use

1.     Comment that should not vote for anything

·   Plan of Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils should be revised to allow the Department to do sanctions, not entirely spelled out, to leave flexibility

1.     Needs to go to Board of Neighborhood Commissioners

2.     Challenge of system for capacity of the Department to hold Board members accountable

3.     May need to push enforcement down to NC's

·        Other Issues

·   Look at motion 1-3 yes, 4-6 make wide spread and available

·   Have bylaws state training requirements and defaults if they do it

·   Need to consider logistics of rollout – capacity to rollout the training itself

·   Trying to deal with this through the mentoring program 

III.  Next Steps

There is no other meeting except for summary meeting on Saturday for all the work groups.  Everything will be uploaded to EmpowerLA.Blogspot.com.