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Downtown Los Angeles
Neighborhood Council

About DLANC

The mission of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) is to unite the diverse communities of Downtown Los Angeles and to provide an innovative forum for all community stakeholders to contribute to a healthy, vibrant, and inclusive Downtown.

The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) is the closest form of government to the people. We are an advisory body of the City of Los Angeles that advocates for our community on important issues like land-use development, homelessness resources, livability and quality of life issues, public safety and emergency preparedness, and issues pertaining to the jurisdiction of the City of Los Angeles. Our Board of Directors consists of 24 elected seats representing various communities and interest categories within five geographic areas of Downtown Los Angeles. We also sponsor community events, hold public hearings, issue grant funding to non-proftis and schools (NPG’s), and much more.

We are part of the Los Angeles City government and have an annual budget funded by taxpayer dollars. Although we are an advisory body, we have the authority to comment on city legislation and issue positions called “Community Impact Statements” (CIS), which are submitted to the City Council, City Boards & Commissions, Mayor, and City Departments. We also play an essential role in reviewing and holding public hearings on real-estate development and land use cases for all major building projects and the issuing of alcohol, cannabis permits, and other Conditional Use Permits (CUPs). Neighborhood Councils also play a role in reviewing the creation of the annual City budget prior to its approval by the City Council.

DLANC board members are volunteer City officials elected by the members of our communities. Our 24-member Board of Directors is composed of residential and business representatives from five assigned geographic areas of Downtown as well as Social Services Providers, Homeless residents, At-Large, and Area Wide seats. We have five board officer positions, nine standing committees, appointed liaisons, and alternate board members.

The Neighborhood Council system was established in 1999 under the authority of City Charter Section Article IX to ensure that the City government remains responsive to the different needs and lifestyles of the wide variety of communities in Los Angeles. DLANC was certified as an approved City Neighborhood Council on April 27, 2002 and is governed by city-approved bylaws.  There are currently 99 Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles, each serving about 40,000 people. Neighborhood Councils are overseen by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners and receive departmental support/overview from the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the Office of City Clerk.