Photos by David Ng

, Civic University for Neighborhood Councils#CivicU

In 2015, Civic University for Neighborhood Councils held its first non-credit certificate program under the umbrella of the Civic University – Cal State LA Certificated Program that was founded in 2014. The program was created by the Institute along with Cal State LA, and the office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. The non-credit certificate program in local government, is administered through Cal State LA’s Professional and Global Education (PaGE) office and the Pat Brown Institute.

The Institute’s Civic University for Neighborhood Councils gives people the tools they need to understand local government and become advocates for their neighborhoods and interests. After the successful Civic U 1.0 for neighborhood councils in 2015, the City’s Department of Neighborhood Empowerment asked the Pat Brown Institute to come back in 2016 and 2017 to give new cohorts of elected neighborhood councilmembers the introductory and advanced courses.


2017 L.A. City Neighborhood Council 1.0 - Held in the Deaton Hall Auditorium in Downtown L.A., the three three-hour sessions were attended by approximately 120 board members of Los Angeles neighborhood councils and 20 members of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory group.
2016 L.A. City Neighborhood Council 2.0 - Held at Cal State LA Downtown, the four three-hour sessions were attended by approximately 80 board members of Los Angeles neighborhood councils and 20 members of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory group.
2015 L.A. City Neighborhood Council 1.0 - Was the first non-credit certificate program in local government, a cohort of more than 100 Los Angeles neighborhood council leaders completed a three-session course in city government.