Community activists Richard Leib, Bea Steelman and George Garrigues made the request during the "public forum" section of the Palms Neighborhood Council and Assembly meeting on Nov. 2.

Leib (left), who is a block captain for the Westside Village homeowners association and is also active in the Friends of Palms Middle School, told the Assembly that:

"I'm trying to get the board here to take a stand, once and for all. You don't have to say anything heavy duty, just that 'we [Palms] would welcome them [Westside Village people].' So that they know there's an open door — that's all I'm asking."

Garrigues (right) left his seat as secretary of the Palms Neighborhood Council to stand before the Assembly and say:

"We want the full Assembly to adopt a resolution supporting the right of people in Northwest Palms to join in a Palms-Westside Village Neighborhood Council and agreeing to cooperate with the [Los Angeles City] Human Relations Commission.

"We expect that to be done at the December Assembly meeting, and we would request that the President [Todd Robinson] put it on the agenda for that meeting — and if necessary refer it to a committee beforehand so it can be studied."

The Human Relations Commission has agreed to help mediate the dispute. (For more, see our Westside Village Page.)

Steelman (left), a Tilden Ave. homeowner who was a founder of the Mar Vista Seniors Group and is active in Democratic politics, said:

"I've lived in Palms, as most of you know, over 55 years. I personally feel it behooves the board to . . . rectify the wrong that's been done to us. And that's about it. So please help."

Garrigues also presented a letter from Judith Cohen, a former renter in the Village who is now a homeowner.

"It only makes sense to realign, assuming that the Palms Council would care to receive us," she wrote. (Complete letter is below.)

Both Leib and Garrigues said that the area had been brought into Mar Vista at the request of the homeowners association with no outreach to apartment dwellers, which, Garrigues said, make up 72% of the area's 12,000 residents.

Leib said that the City Charter (which set up the neighborhood council system) "is supposed to be for everybody — not just a select few to make a decision."

He claimed that of the 15 Villagers who signed the Mar Vista petition, "at least 10 of them" were on the homeowners association board.

"Tonight we have approximately 10 people in the audience here; we could make this a dynamic neighborhood council . . . You need more people in the audience than you have on the board. One of the ways this could possibly happen is to get Westside Village into this neighborhood council."

Garrigues said he and Leib had collected 233 names at 183 different addresses — including homeowners, renters and business people — in favor of a Palms-WV council.

Palms President Robinson said he would like to have a concrete proposal to consider before placing the item on the agenda.

The Palms Representative Assembly will be asked on Dec. 7 to join a citywide Congress of Neighborhoods.

Local activist Cliff Cheng (left, with Mayor Villaraigosa) has advised people on his e-mail list that he is prepared to use up to three minutes of "public comment" time at the beginning of the Dec. 7 Assembly meeting to raise the issue.

And he has asked activists from other parts of the city to show up as well.

This is what Cheng wrote in a Nov. 20 e-mail to an unnamed group of recipients:

"I do not know how to count Palms [on the Congress issue]. Pres. Todd Robinson is uninterested in what we are doing, as is Secty George Garrigues. I have lobbied the other board members but they are unwilling to make a motion to agendize an item. They defer to Pres. Robinson.

"I am adopting a more daring tactic. Bob Gelfand has agreed genrously to drive up from San Pedro to mkae a 3 mins. public comment, afetr I do 3 mins. This way we will get out presentation done without being on the agenda. We have to put them on the spot to agendize and vote.

"I can use help at Palms, Wed., 7pm, Dec. 7. Please email me if you can come.

Cheng added:

"I will go to SoRo [South Robertson Neighborhood Council] and make an pitch in Jan. So count SoRo under presentation agendized.

"I made an intital presentation at Grassroots Venice NC last tue [Nov. 15]. I requested to be placed on the voting agenda. Instead they put me on the presentation only part of the agenda. Then the proposal went to the Govt Affairs Committee. They recommended ratification. I will make another presentation next month and they will vote. So Venice can be counted under vote pending. . . .

"Likewise I presented at West LA. They are voting next month. I have another commitment that night. Bob Gelfand will close the deal for me. I have also asked Steve Twining to join Bob. Steve knows West LA's, Paul Reznick and others on the Baord. Steve will check his schedule and get back to me. West LA is also under the vote vote pending category.

"[Realtor] George Chung got Mar Vista to Ratify. . . .

"Except for Palms we are in good shape for the Westside. I need help in Palms. Please come on Dec. 7."

The Sun's editor e-mailed Cheng to suggest that Cheng write an article explaining why he is working on this concept. He declined to do so or to telephone the editor to explain.

But he did respond:

"If you think this report is newsworthy, which I think it just a routine report, I find I hard to believe that anyone would be interested.

"It's the tally of how many ratified [the idea of a Congress] that is of importance . . . As I have stated in public comments. blogs, e-mails and in conversations with board members, the real question is why is President Todd Robinson ignoring external relations?

"I think you edited out much of this issue when you printed my e-mail report on the CD10 election. There is no more important relationship for a NC [neighborhood council] than with its councilperson."

The Sun's edited version of Cheng's report on the councilmanic election in eastern Palms is on the Opinion page, and his original report is on his blog site.