Board – Candidates by Election: Criteria

SVANC board seats become available for two reasons:

  1. Approximately half of the elected board seats are up for election every two years (odd-year election cycle as of 2017) Next election will be 2021.
  2. Seats are vacated due to the resignation of board members. Go to “Board Appointment Criteria” to see if you qualify for one of the currently open board seats!

If you are interested in becoming a Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council Board Member, please read ALL the information on this page carefully.

Election Information for Candidates and Voters

  • Candidate registration for appointment for vacant seats as the next election cycle is 2025. Information is included for reference.
  • Terms are for four years
  • Seats available in 2027: (3) Resident; (3) Business; (3) At Large; (0) Community Interest
  • Seats available in 2025: (4) Resident; (4) Business; (3) At Large; (1) Community Interest
  • Seating occurs at the next monthly meeting following the certification of the election, after a five day period to allow for challenges has passed, or after all challenges have been resolved.
  • Please note: In 2017, the City Council extended current Neighborhood Council terms by one year to prevent overlap with citywide general elections in even years. 4 year terms ending in 2018 were extended to 2019, and 4 year terms ending in 2020 were extended to 2021.

Qualifications for Board Seats

Information is included for all board seat categories though not all may be open / available at any given time.
Resident (total board: 7 seats): Stakeholder who is 18 years of age or older whose primary residence is within the SVANC boundaries.

Business/Property Owner (total board: 7 seats): Stakeholder who is 18 years of age or older who owns property (other than their primary residence) within the SVANC boundaries, owns or operates a business whose regular base of operation is within the SVANC boundaries, or works within the SVANC boundaries.

At-Large (total board: 6 seats): Stakeholder who is 18 years of age or older, who can show documentation of regular and ongoing participation in, but who is not an employee of, a certified nonprofit organization whose regular base of operation has a physical address within the SVANC boundaries, including but not limited to community-based, faith- based or educational (Please note: Organization must be registered, active, and documentable. Participation with the City or County of Los Angeles or its branches/ departments/ bureaus/ units/ etc. including Neighborhood Councils or their committees does not qualify for this category.)

Community Interest Stakeholder (1 seat): A Community Interest Stakeholder is defined as a member or participant in a Community Organization, which has maintained a physical address within NC boundaries for at least one year, and whose ongoing, verifiable activities or operations confer some benefit to the community served by that NC. Examples include nonprofits, schools, or faith-based institutions. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of their application.(Note: this seat and its qualifications are defined by LA City Ordinance 182830)

Senior Representative (2 seats): Stakeholder who is 55 years of age or older (at time of seating) who lives, works, or owns property within the SVANC boundaries. These seats are filled only by board appointment.

Youth Representative (1 seat): Stakeholder who is 14-17 years of age (at time of seating) who lives, works, owns property or attends school within the SVANC boundaries. This seat is filled only by board appointment.

How to File for the 2025 Election

Information and Filing Forms will be available here when we get closer to the election.

A Message from the SVANC Election Committee to Potential Candidates

Hello and Welcome To The Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council (SVANC).

We on the Election Committee would like to talk to you about running for office for the SVANC! The SVANC is a local neighborhood branch of the Los Angeles City government. Though the SVANC does not have the ability to mandate any action, we are advisory to the Los Angeles City Council and other City entities such as the Zoning and Planning departments. For instance, the LADWP (Department of Water and Power) is supposed to consult with the neighborhood councils before they take action on items such as rate hikes.

The City funds each neighborhood council equally each year. For fiscal year 2023-2024, the SVANC will receive $32,000 to be spent in our neighborhoods, for activities including community outreach, community improvement, keeping our stakeholders informed, elections (the city does not subsidize neighborhood council elections), and some administrative overhead.

Members of SVANC are elected from four categories; Business people in the community, Residents of the community, At-Large and Community Interest Stakeholders who may be members of local community organizations such as local Faith Based organizations, or people who declare a stake in our neighborhood and affirm the factual basis for it. The term of office is four years.

We also have two Senior Representative seats (age 55+) and two Youth Representative seats (age 14-21) that are filled by Board Appointment yearly.

There is no remuneration. This is strictly a volunteer position. But this is a wonderful learning experience! You will gain knowledge and insight into the inner workings of the City government, and find out things at our meetings that are not often publicized in the media. Plus you will have closer access to your city leadership to enable you to make a real difference in your neighborhood.

Our board members meet with the public once a month (every second Tuesday) at the Sun Valley Library in Sun Valley. See our Meetings & Events page for details. Our meetings last about two hours, and are attended by various local, county, state and federal officials, and public safety officers.

In addition, there are Committees that look into Outreach, Community Affairs, Planning and Zoning, Beautification, Emergency Preparedness, etc., issues. These committees generally meet once a month for about an hour, and membership is open to all stakeholders as defined in our Bylaws. Some Board Members also attend meetings of the City Council, the School Board, Housing Board, and various LA City Council Committee meetings.

Please contact us for more information on this worthwhile effort. Please call us at 818-767-8262 and leave a voicemail message (we will be notified), or .

YOU can make a difference. You can help improve the quality of life for your neighbors.

Thank you for your consideration.