Frequently Asked Questions

  • Neighborhood Councils are the closest form of government to the people. We are advisory bodies, who advocate for our communities with City Hall on important issues like development, homelessness, and emergency preparedness. The Neighborhood Council system was established in 1999.

  • A Stakeholder is anyone that lives, works, or owns a residential or business property within the Sawtelle neighborhood, including houses of worship, schools, and community or civic service organizations. The boundaries of the West Los Angeles-Sawtelle Neighborhood Council are defined as Wilshire Boulevard to the North, the 10 freeway to the South, 405 freeway to the East, and Centinela Avenue to the West.

  • Our Board of Directors meets monthly on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm. We also have various committee meetings throughout the month. Please check our calendar for meeting dates, times, locations, and agendas.

  • The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE), the Los Angeles City Agency that oversees Neighborhood Councils. Visit www.empowerla.com for more information.

  • We are City officials who are elected by the members of our local communities, but we donate our time as volunteers.

  • Because we are an elected body of local government, we must comply with the strict requirements of a state law known as The Brown Act. The Brown Act mandates that all meetings are publicly notified and open to the public, complete with agendas and minutes. It also states that a quorum (51% of the committee's membership) must be present in order to take official action. For more information on the Brown Act, click here.

    We must also abide by a code of conduct called "Robert's Rules of Order," a traditional set of rules for proposing and passing motions and resolutions, allotting the public and the members time to speak. These rules might seem cumbersome, but they are critical in making certain that the public has an opportunity to weigh in on issues before the Neighborhood Council takes official action. For the full text of the Robert’s Rules of Order, click here.