Downtown residents and business people narrowly defeated a proposal to form a separate neighborhood council for skid row, the city’s epicenter of homelessness, but the measure organizers said Friday that they would continue to press for a stronger voice for their community. People with ties to a broad swath of downtown interests voted 826 to 764 against a breakaway council for the 10,000 residents of skid row’s tents, renovated slum hotels and apartments, according to an unofficial tally. The results will not be certified until challenges or recount requests, if any, are resolved, according to Stephen Box, the director of outreach and communications for the L.A. Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.
… More than 202 voters identified themselves as homeless, but many more who have no permanent housing cast ballots, said Ann-Marie Holman, a communications staffer with the neighborhood council subdivision elections.
Paper ballots overwhelmingly broke in favor of a skid row council, 183 to 19. But the online voting tilted 807 to 581 against the proposal, according to the unofficial results.
Full Article: In narrow election, downtown votes against creating neighborhood council for skid row – LA Times.