The neighborhood council system in Los Angeles is not representative of the social and economic diversity of residents, according to a new report issued by the USC Civic Engagement Initiative.

The report also found that many of the city’s neighborhood councils continue to struggle with outreach and infighting, which prevents them from addressing key community issues.

The findings, unveiled at a conference held Dec. 16, were based on citywide surveys of various stakeholders and on the Civic Engagement Initiative’s 10-year study of the Los Angeles neighborhood council system, which was designed to allow participation in governance at the grassroots level.

The event was sponsored by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and drew city commissioners, elected officials, neighborhood council members and community leaders.

Although the conference revealed significant findings about the current system, it also served as a forum for community members to voice their opinions about ways in which the current system can be improved.

“It was a lively and constructive morning that provided research data on the accomplishments of the L.A. neighborhood councils to date as well as those areas where further work needs to be done,” said Terry L. Cooper, SPPD’s Maria B. Crutcher Professor in Citizenship and Democratic Values and director of the Civic Engagement Initiative.

“Members of the Neighborhood Review Commission, neighborhood council leaders, elected officials and their representatives, and scholars had an opportunity to talk together about this major innovation in urban governance that L.A. has undertaken,” Cooper said.

Over half of the city’s 86 neighborhood councils were represented at the conference. Following the session, participants were able to attend various workshops, where issues of neighborhood council diversity, capacity building, empowerment innovations and city department collaboration were discussed.

The Civic Engagement Initiative hopes to incorporate these discussions into its research before releasing its final report early next year.

“We were delighted that nearly 100 community and civic leaders were sufficiently interested in our research findings to turn out on a rainy Saturday in mid-December,” said Carol Baker Tharp, deputy director of the USC Civic Engagement Initiative. “We received excellent, thoughtful feedback on our research, and we will be incorporating public comments from the workshop into our final papers.

“The news coverage of the event is giving us additional opportunities to discuss and disseminate our reports,” Tharp said. “We are proud to be part of the public conversation reviewing the Los Angeles neighborhood council system, and are pleased that the 10 years of research investment we [and our donors] have made is now able to influence the policies governing the system.”

The Civic Engagement Initiative is an interdisciplinary research group that examines the interaction between individuals and institutions, and studies the network of relationships that shape civic identity and people’s connection to government. It holds workshop series throughout the academic year on democracy, civic participation and governance reform.