Grievance

Department of Neighborhood Empowerment Grievance Form

Thank you for contacting the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment regarding your Grievance. Your concerns are important to us. Please fill out this form as completely as possible to help expedite our determination. Please be aware that the information you are submitting is subject to the California Public Records Act.

We will NOT be able to respond to your Grievance unless you provide a valid email or mailing address.
Please note that once you click Save at the upper right corner, your Grievance will be submitted.

All witness statements must be attached on this form.

The Department will not process more than three Grievance Forms filed by the same person in any calendar year and no more than five Grievance Forms filed by the same individual in any three year period. All Grievances submitted through this portal are considered processed.

First Name

Lisa

Last Name

Sarkin

Please identify your role within the Neighborhood Council system:

Stakeholder

Phone Number

(818) 439-1674

Email Address

lssarkin@gmail.com

Mailing Address

11603 Kelsey Street, Studio City, California 91604

Neighborhood Council

Studio City

Neighborhood Council Bylaws

Specific Violation Alleged

Failure to indicate the nature of your alleged Grievance will result in the dismissal of your Grievance.

Neighborhood Council Bylaw

Article Number

Section

Los Angeles Administrative Code

Section

Code Number 2.20.0

Plan for the Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils

Section

Board of Neighborhood Commissioners Policy

Please state Policy below

Department Policy

Please state Policy below

Journey Empower LA - Conflict of Interest

* - Any other City code, executive directive, rule or regulation applicable to Neighborhood Councils.

Date of Alleged Violation

08-02-17

A Grievance must be filed within 30 days from the date of the event giving rise to the Grievance. Any Grievance alleging a violation relating to Neighborhood Council funding must be filed within 90 calendar days of the date the expenditure is made.

Please state below

*Ethics Handbook for City Officials

Please specify the exact rule and explain the facts of the alleged violation.

SCNC board members have violated the JOURNEY EMPOWERLA � Conflict of Interest � �You must �recuse yourself��]; ETHICS HANDBOOK FOR CITY OFFICIALS, January 2017 [Pages 12-15]. STATE AND CITY CONFLICT OF INTEREST LAWS [Page 1, Los Angeles Administrative Code 2.20.0 - Conflict of Interest Policy] which states �make, participate in making or attempting to influence a government decision� [Page 2, Footnotes 2 and 3; Page 4 Real Property; Page 6 Summary; CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXAMPLES - Example 9] in several different ways.

The following Studio City Neighborhood Council (SCNC) board members must recuse themselves according to the information above. First, Alex Izbicki lives within the 500 foot radius of the proposed Harvard/Westlake Parking Improvement Plan (Plan) and he is a board member of Save Coldwater Canyon! (http://savecoldwatercanyon.com/) whose� sole purpose is to oppose the Plan. Second, Heidi MacKay, holds the seat of SCNC Community Service Organization, representing Save Coldwater Canyon! and is a board member of Save Coldwater Canyon! Third, Eric Preven, Patrice Berlin, Richard Welsh and Denise Welvang are members of Save Coldwater Canyon! All of these SCNC board members listed Save Coldwater Canyon! on their 2016 SCNC Candidate and/or Voter Registration Forms in order to qualify to vote for the Community Service Organization seats on the SCNC board.

Alex Izibicki became a board member of the SCNC April 14, 2014. There have been many committee and board meetings about the Plan since that time. Mr. Izbicki knew he must recuse himself as shown in the SCNC Board Meeting Approved Minutes for the March 16, 2016 Special Board Meeting Agenda - Item 8 (http://www.studiocitync.org/docs/34481980-3618.pdf). Under previous SCNC Presidents Walker and Sarkin, Mr. Izbicki recused himself properly.

During the August 2, 2017, August 7, 2017 and August 16, 2017 SCNC Board Meetings, Mr. Izbicki did not recuse himself.

At the August 2, 2017 SCNC Special Board Meeting, called to address the Plan, Mr. Izbicki left the board table without mentioning why and sat in the audience during most of the meeting. Board members can be seen looking at him and he can be seen gesturing to them [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMd-UxzwUw4]. None of the other members of the SCNC board who are members of Save Coldwater Canyon! recused themselves: Heidi MacKay, Patrice Berlin, Eric Preven and President Denise Welvang. In fact, just before the vote, Ms. MacKay brought up the issue of recusal and President Welvang told her she should recuse herself or abstain from the vote. After participating in the discussion of the Plan, Ms. MacKay abstained.

At the August 7, 2017 SCNC Special Board Meeting, held at the Studio City Rec Center, Mr. Izbicki and Ms. MacKay made the quorum of 8 SCNC board members. At this meeting Patrice Berlin and Eric Preven [see photo] were also part of the quorum. The quorum did not comply with the rules governing quorums with these four board members attending this Special SCNC Board Meeting called by Mr. Preven, not the SCNC President. This entire meeting is out of order and in fact, was not sanctioned by SCNC President Welvang.

Again, discussion of the Plan occurred during the August 16, 2017 SCNC Board Meeting with Mr. Izbicki asking questions about it without recusing himself. He is clearly heard on the audio asking several questions during Item 5.

Remedy

There are various remedies available. Please select from the list below the remedy OR remedies you are seeking.
Please be advised that the Department has sole discretion in determining whether your remedy conforms with your Grievance.

From the list below, which remedy or remedies are you seeking?

1) Warning to the Neighborhood Council board, individual board member, or, members.

2) Required corrective action of the Neighborhood Council.

3) Mandated training for the Neighborhood Council, individual board member, or, members.

4) Required mediation for the Neighborhood Council board, individual board member, or, members.

5) Suspension of Neighborhood Council board until mandated trainings are taken by board, board member, or, members.

6) Temporary suspension of Neighborhood Council Funding.

7) Placement of the Neighborhood Council board under control and supervision of the Department.

8) Suspension of individual board member or members.

9) Initiation of de-certification process or process to declare board seats vacant.

Please state why you are seeking the above mentioned remedy or remedies.

The recusal issue is part of a larger problem. The Studio City Neighborhood Council (SCNC) Board has shown month after month that they are out of control. The purpose of the SCNC is to advise Councilmember Krekorian, but they insult him and his staff continually as demonstrated in the many videos on YouTube prove [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQgIKYKTAuCIza0LWk8PLQ].

There is no clear communication with the stakeholders as shown by the lack of attendance at the committee and board meetings. Historically, attendance at the SCNC meetings was among the best of the Neighborhood Councils. The committees do not meet regularly and special agendas are regularly posted, haphazardly or in violation of the SCNC Bylaws, Operating Procedures, BONC and DONE policies and the Brown Act. There is no decorum as demonstrated during the July 19, 2017 board meeting when board members Vice President Patrick Lewis and Eric Preven dropped the �f� bomb at each other. More evidence is the SCNC Special Board Meeting August 7, 2017, when Mr. Preven brought together, without permission of the President, most of the known SCNC board members who are members of Save Coldwater Canyon! to a meeting in a non-compliant park to vote on a motion related to the Harvard/Westlake Parking Improvement Plan (Plan). Two of the SCNC board members, John Crotteau and Keith Schwalenberg, did not attend the regular SCNC board meetings in July and August, but were available for this particular special meeting related to the Plan.

Ad-Hoc and Advisory Committees are initiated by the SCNC Board and President Welvang with no meetings or outcomes. Community Impact Statements and motions passed by the SCNC board are not transmitted to the appropriate City staff, departments or Councilmember Krekorian. Frankly, no Studio City business or recommendations, the purpose of a Neighborhood Council, are being communicated or transmitted, so the Studio City Stakeholders are not represented by this current SCNC Board.

DONE representatives Barry Stone and Semee Park, plus numerous stakeholders, have tried to instruct and assist the SCNC board members at every occasion, with no results. It just keeps getting worse. Stakeholders who have made suggestions have been ridiculed, insulted in person and online. SCNC board members send out emails and Nextdoor communications using their titles, without stating they are sending out these communications personally. These communications are not just regarding SCNC business, but also to insult stakeholders and City staff.

Finally, since I am not a SCNC board member, this grievance, per the portal, will be sent by DONE to the SCNC first, but as you have read and seen, almost all of the SCNC board members are part of the debacle that the SCNC has become. I request that this grievance be handled by the proper DONE Grievance Panel to assure the stakeholders of Studio City are represented fully and respect.

Witness Information

ALL of your Witness information and Witness Statement needs to be included at this time. The Department will ONLY accept and review Witness information included at time of submission.
You can find the Witness Statement form here.

Witness 1 Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Phone Number

Witness Statement

Witness 2 Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Phone Number

Witness Statement

Witness 3 Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Phone Number

Witness Statement

If no witness, please check this box

Supporting Documents

Before submitting, please include ALL supporting documentation HERE. The Department will ONLY process and review materials included at time of submission. NOTE: The Department will only review up to 10 pages submitted. Any information submitted past 5 pages will not be taken into account.

Supporting Document

SCNC Special Board Meeting Draft Minutes August 2nd.pdf

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

By checking this box and typing my name below, I am electronically signing this form.

Lisa Sarkin

To SUBMIT, please click "Save" on top right corner.

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