Neighborhood Councils are located all around Los Angeles. They are part of the L.A. City Government, but advocate for individual communities.

Nina Suarez has lived in East Hollywood for most of her life and is now secretary of her Neighborhood Council.

“Many of the neighbors have lived here for most of their life, they are like family. It’s a close-knit community,” said Suarez.

Nina wanted to help her community in any way she could. She saw changes happening and didn’t know why.

Now Nina helps make those changes with the council. For example, they advocate for small businesses. One recently closed due to higher rents, but the council worked to give them more time. Unfortunately, they had to move.

“I’m happy I can serve as a volunteer and happy we can have that direct impact,” said Suarez.

This is all because she ran for a position on her Neighborhood Council

“There’s this local government where you can become involved and not be afraid to voice our concerns,” said. Suarez.

There are 99 councils across Los Angeles and all board positions are voluntary. Each council holds elections for these positions at different times of the year. Empower LA recently held an informational session to explain how to apply for those who wanted to run.

Right now, certain councils are accepting applications, like the East Hollywood Council. They have 18 seats open.

If you would like to run for your Neighborhood Council, head to empowerla.org and it will give you all the details.