MORNING, IT IS FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND IS UPON US. I AM SENDING OUT THIS MESSAGE TO INITIATE A FAIR PROCESS THAT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT TO THE RESIDENTS OF THIS CITY. MY NAME IS ANTHONY MANZANO AND I RESIDE IN THE COMMUNITY OF ROSE HILLS HERE IN LOS ANGELES. I EXPRESS THE WORD (FAIR) BECAUSE WHAT OCCURRED JUST TWO DAYS AGO ON WEDNESDAY AT THE LOCAL ......... LA-32 NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL MEETING WAS REMARKABLY OUT OF ORDER AND BLATANTLY DISENFRANCHISED THE STAKEHOLDERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS MR. KVASNICKA FOR HIS ASSISTANCE IN RUNNING THE ELECTION AS THE "I.E.A.".... ON JANUARY 20, 2007.

~ ALL THE CANDIDATES HAD TO APPLY TO RUN FOR THE POSITION.
~ A TIME LIMIT WAS SET FOR SUBMISSION OF THESE APPLICATIONS OR THE CANDIDATE WOULD NOT QUALIFY FOR THE ELECTION.
~ PROOF OF RESIDENCE WAS ALSO REQUIRED TO BE ELIGIBLE.
~ AT THE TIME OF ELECTION PROOF WAS NEEDED TO BE ALLOWED TO VOTE.
~ SIXTEEN (16) CANDIDATES APPLIED TO FILL TWENTY-ONE (21) SEATS.
~ ELECTIONS WENT ON AND A FINAL RESULT WAS CONFIRMED.

I WOULD SAY THAT LINDA McGuire, WHO ALSO ASSISTED IN OVERSEEING THE ELECTION, WAS SATISFIED WITH THE PROCESS. SHE MADE SURE THAT ALL ASPECTS OF THE TURNOUT AND PROCEDURE WHERE FOLLOWED TO ENSURE THAT THIS WAS FAIR AND INCLUSIVE TO ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN LA-32.
I WOULD SAY THAT WITH ALL THE EFFORTS OF MR. KVASNIKA AND LINDA, WHO PUT THIS TOGETHER, IT MAY SEEM TO HAVE BEEN A WASTE OF PROFESSIONALISM AS PART OF CREATING A BOARD THAT REPRESENTS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY. I WILL EXPLAIN IN DETAIL.
AT THE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT REPRESENTATIVE WAS PRESENT TO ASSIST IN FILLING THE VACANCIES. (IN THE BY-LAWS THERE IS A SPECIFIC ARTICLE THAT GIVES THE PROCEDURE TO FOLLOW--ARTICLE XIII, SECTION K) FOR SOME REASON THIS WAS OVERLOOKED AND NOT DEALT WITH IN THE ORDER DESCRIBED. I MADE AN EFFORT TO EXPLAIN THAT THERE IS A PROCESS THAT IS RECOGNIZED AND THAT IT SHOULD BE FOLLOWED AS WRITTEN TO THE EFFECT OF 'FILLING THE VACANCIES'.
IT IS PRETTY SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND, THOSE WHO FOLLOWED THE PROCESS, FILLED OUT APPLICATIONS, QUALIFIED, AND MET THE TIME RESTRICTION WOULD BE CONSIDERED...............~~~~>
"ARTICLE XIII, SECTION K"
FILLING VACANCIES: IF A DIRECTOR RESIGNS OR IS EXPELLED FROM HIS/HER POSITION, OR IF THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH CANDIDATES TO FILL A SPECIFIC CATEGORY DURING THE ELECTION, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS CAN NOMINATE INDIVIDUALS TO FILL THOSE VACANT POSITIONS. THE ORDER OF SELECTION IS AS FOLLOWS:"
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE WORD OF THE BY-LAWS STATE, (I DIDN'T MAKE THESE BY-LAWS) AND THEY SHOULD BE BINDING TO ALL WHO REPRESENT LA-32 NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL. THE ORDER GOES THRU FOUR (4) OPTIONS TO FILL THE VACANCIES.
WHEN I SPOKE ON THIS SUBJECT AND ASKED THE CONFIRMATION FROM THE AGENTS OF 'D.O.N.E.' TO VERIFY WHAT I WAS SPEAKING OF, IT WAS CLEAR THEY HAD NOT BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THE BY-LAWS AND THE ORDER OUTLINED TO FOLLOW AS PROCEDURE. WHAT TRANSPIRED AFTER THIS WAS AN EVEN GREATER EFFORT OF DISENFRANCHISEMENT OF THE STAKEHOLDERS AS THE INTERIM PRESIDENT REFUSED TO ABIDE BY THE BY-LAWS AND BEGAN A SEPARATE SELECTION PROCESS. WHEN IT IS EXPRESSED BY THE BOARD (PRESIDENT) THAT THEY ACT IN A HIGHER CAPACITY THAN THE DEPARTMENT THAT OVERSEES IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICY, IS UNACCEPTABLE. (EVEN WHEN HE ENCOURAGES THEIR ACTIONS TO BE HANDLED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY) PEOPLE FROM THE AUDIENCE WERE ASKED IF THEY WANTED TO BE ON THE BOARD AND IF SO TO STAND UP FOR CONSIDERATION. _______ JERRY, LISTEN TO THIS.
~ NO VERIFICATION OF RESIDENCY REQUIRED.
~ NO APPLICATION SUBMITTED.
~ NO PROOF FROM WHAT REGION THEY REPRESENTED WAS NOTED.
~ AT LEAST TWO 'POTENTIAL' CANDIDATES ARE STILL IN JR. HIGH OR HIGH SCHOOL AND NEVER HEARD OF THIS BODY, NO PROOF OF STAKEHOLDER-SHIP.
~ NO QUALIFICATIONS PROVIDED TO ENSURE THEY ARE CAPABLE TO REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY IN SUCH A CAPACITY OF BECOMING A DIRECTOR.

LETS MOVE ALONG, I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO SEEN WHAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT I MAY BE THE ONLY PERSON TO SPEAK UP. I WOULD LIKE ALL OF YOU READING THIS TO BE AWARE OF WHAT THE BY-LAWS STATE AND FIND A WAY TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE IN A TRUE AND ACCURATE MANNER. I DON'T NEED TO MAKE A CHALLENGE, OR FILE A GRIEVANCE SINCE THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED IN THE FASHION THAT IT WAS. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A JUST PRACTICE TO FOLLOW THAN THAT IS WHAT DEMOCRACY STATES SHOULD OCCUR. PERHAPS MORE THAN JUST A FEW OF THE DIRECTORS SEATED DO NOT HAVE ANY CLUE TO WHAT 'BY-LAWS' ARE, NIETHER WHERE THEY INFORMED OF THE RESPONSIBLITIES THEY HAVE ACCEPTED. NO INTRODUCTION WAS MADE TO ASSIST THESE NEW MEMBERS SERVING THE COMMUNTITY TO BE AWARE OF WHAT IS PROPER AND WHAT IS ILLEGAL.
IF THERE IS NO RESOLUTION TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION, I WOULD ASK THAT ALL FUNDS PROPOSED TO THE LA-32 NC BE SUSPENDED AND THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BE UNDER REVIEW BY THE CITY ATTORNEY TO INITIATE DE-CERTIFICATION.
AFTER ALMOST THREE (3) YEARS OF ATTENDING THE NC MEETINGS...... HOW CONVENIENT, ON THE DAY IT MATTERS MOST, NO AUDIO WAS TAKEN OF THE MEETING FOR MINUTES. PERHAPS, SO NO EVIDENCE OF THE SHENANIGANS GOING ON CAN BE PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC. OH, WHAT ABOUT THE BROWN ACT THAT STATES THAT THE AGENDA WAS TO BE POSTED IN THE FIVE LOCATIONS WITH 72 HOUR NOTICE. I KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON, ALL OF A SUDDEN NO AGENDA CAN BE FOUND, EITHER OF THE EXECUTIVE MEETING OR THE GENERAL MEETING PRIOR TO THE MEETING. THIS IS UNCALLED FOR. THEY WOULD EVEN BE SENT OUT BY E-MAIL UP UNTIL JUST LAST MONTH.
THIS IS THE COMMUNITY I REPRESENT, MORE SO THAN THE DIRECTORS CURRENTLY ON THE BOARD, I KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FOR POSTINGS, DARN I HELP PUT THEM UP. ALL OF A SUDDEN THINGS ARE RAN IN SECRET.
I HAVE INCLUDED A FULL COPY OF THE BY-LAWS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT SHOULD BE MORE ASSERTIVE IN IT'S CONTACTS WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL.
AS PART OF THIS MESSAGE I AM NOT HERE TO START CONFLICT, I PRODUCE TOO MUCH FOR MY COMMUNITY, I AM DOING MY PART TO CONTINUE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE LOCAL RESIDENTS.

ANTHONY MANZANO
ROSE HILLS COMMUNITY & HOMEOWNERS ALLIANCE
ROSE HILLS REVIEW