What is the NOHONC?

What is the NoHo Neighborhood Council, or “NOHONC”?

I have lived in North Hollywood, Noho adjacent, for about ten years now and I have been writing for NoHoartsdistrict.com for five and although I have known about The NoHo Neighborhood Council, or “NOHONC,” if I am absolutely honest I have never really had the faintest idea of what it actually did…so I dropped in on one their monthly meetings to find out.

Every 2nd Monday at 6:30 pm the local NoHo Neighborhood Council hold a board meeting.  The 23 elected members get together at the East Valley High School to discuss various local topics and to hold a public forum, an opportunity for “stakeholders” or local residents, business and members of other community groups, to communicate with each other and to voice concerns, grievances and most importantly to bring their own ideas on how to improve the NoHo neighborhood.

It’s all very civilized, the members sit at a long table facing the public seating and each meeting has its own agenda based around the City Council’s office current activities.  So whatever is a priority of the Council office becomes a priority of the neighborhood council.

This really could cover anything from community outreach to public safety concerns, land use, parks and of course the homeless…always a concern.  It’s a fascinating and complex weekly ritual.  Each member has the opportunity to bring their own particular agenda or bring up something for a vote to the board…very democratic and fluid, a bit medieval, but only in a good way.

Recently they have lent their support and even some of their budget to projects such as the NoHo Block Party, NoHo Summer Nights Concert Series, a call for local Muralists to brighten up the streets and some serious work on the homeless committee…the secretary of the board is Pastor Stephanie Jaeger who runs the wonderful St Matthews Church and their brilliant Homeless program https://www.stmatthewsnoho.org 

If you are interested at all in getting involved in NoHo as a community, or if you are annoyed about something you see going on or have some brilliant idea to make our glorious NoHo an even better place to live, then please bring yourself along to the next meeting on September 10th.  There’s even usually a few tacos or some such nosh, so you won’t even have to miss your dinner!

All joking aside, the world is very, very fraught, our lives are overly stressed and the general feeling of “what the hell” is pretty much everywhere.  So feeling connected to our home, to the people who surround us and the ground beneath our feet may just help a little.  What gets decided in this small space with a group of very devoted and concerned neighbors does actually have an impact…plans are made, things are accomplished and the City pays attention.

They are always looking for help, the council is made up of residents and as we all know people come and go, LA is very transient, so as folks move on their places need to be filled.  You never know, a quick scouting visit may very well turn into a place of the board and the beginnings of a new life in politics…perish the thought!!

I for one am quietly impressed with their devotion, their fortitude and quite frankly their stamina…it takes a village and by golly it takes forever!  But fortune favors the brave and Rome wasn’t built in a day and, well, you get the idea. 

LA is a city of neighborhoods and every one of them has a certain flavor.  NoHo has been searching for it’s own flavor for some time now, but it’s coming together and no small amount of responsibility for that should be laid at the feet of the Neighborhood Council and their members.  Trash cans don’t just get beautified by pixies in the night you know.  NoHo is a small, unique, feisty place to live, lets all work to keep it that way.

Everything you need to know is on the website: http://nohonc.org/index.php