Echo Park Neighborhood Council · Held

Echo Park Neighborhood Council meeting, July 28, 2026

July 28, 2026, 7 p.m. · Updated October 2, 2026

From the minutes: The Echo Park Neighborhood Council's board on July 28, 2026 approved three Neighborhood Purpose Grants of up to $1,000 each, to Food Access LA for the Echo Park Farmers Market, Fulcrum Arts for the Copper Siren project and El Centro Del Pueblo for a backpack drive, each 12-0 with four members ineligible to vote, and the 2026-27 budget packet by the same count, according to the council's minutes. It re-elected Sara Seidman chair and elected Windy O'Malley vice chair, and board member Nick Caputo resigned during the meeting before a vote on removing him for absences. The agenda had 13 numbered sections.

Outcomes for the July 28, 2026 meeting of the Echo Park Neighborhood Council come from its posted minutes.

Outcomes come from the minutes in the council’s Aug. 26 meeting files, a Drive folder linked from its agendas page. Tallies are yes, no, abstain, ineligible. The Aug. 26 agenda listed minutes dated July 29, 2026 for adoption, and the Aug. 26 minutes record minutes of that date adopted with 11 yes votes and none opposed; neither record names July 28. Seventeen board members attended, counting one appointed and one who resigned during the meeting, and three were absent; the meeting ran from 7:05 p.m. to 9:33 p.m. (minutes).

9.b.i. Up to $1,000 for the Echo Park Farmers Market

• What it asks: A Neighborhood Purpose Grant to Food Access LA for Echo Park Farmers Market activities for Halloween, Dia de los Muertos and the market’s 20th anniversary (agenda).
• Amount: Up to $1,000 (agenda).
• Who brought it: Community Organizations and Schools Committee, 3-0-0-1 (agenda).
• What happened: Approved 12-0-0-4 on a motion by Ryan Bergeron, seconded by David Toppelberg. The market’s operations manager told the board the money would add live music, cooking demonstrations and a sound system to its Halloween event on the last Friday of October (minutes).

9.b.ii. Up to $1,000 for Fulcrum Arts’ Copper Siren project

• What it asks: A Neighborhood Purpose Grant to Fulcrum Arts for materials for the Copper Siren project (agenda).
• Amount: Up to $1,000 (agenda).
• Who brought it: Community Organizations and Schools Committee, 3-0-0-1 (agenda).
• What happened: Approved 12-0-0-4 on a motion by Ryan Bergeron, seconded by Grant Bowlds. The project’s representative described covering a 30-foot steel structure at Edgeware and Bellevue in copper (minutes).

9.b.iii. Up to $1,000 for El Centro Del Pueblo’s backpack drive

• What it asks: A Neighborhood Purpose Grant to El Centro Del Pueblo for its annual backpack drive (agenda).
• Amount: Up to $1,000. The three grants total up to $3,000, our sum (agenda).
• Who brought it: Community Organizations and Schools Committee, 3-0-0-1 (agenda).
• What happened: Approved 12-0-0-4 on a motion by Ryan Bergeron, seconded by Grant Bowlds. The group’s program director said it gave out about 1,000 backpacks last year (minutes).

Other votes

• Officers: Sara Seidman was re-elected chair, Mimi Donnelly was elected chief information officer and Owen Reese treasurer, each 12-0-0-3. Windy O’Malley was elected vice chair with seven votes to two for Emily Blake. No one accepted a nomination for secretary, and the chair put it off to the next meeting. Uwe Bald was named second signatory and Mansoor Khan alternate second signatory, each 12-0-0-3 (minutes).
• Removal item: Nick Caputo resigned during the discussion, before any vote, and said he would reapply for a seat (minutes).
• Vacancies: Pedro Piqueras was appointed to the District 5 seat, 13-0-0-2. The minutes record no appointment to the District 1 seat (minutes).
• Budget and contracts: The June expenditure report, the 2026-27 budget and administrative packet, the $175-a-month website contract with The Mailroom, $100 for Canva and up to $25 for the domain each passed 12-0-0-4. The July expenditure report was not ready (minutes).
• Outreach and retreat: Up to $500 for pins and stickers passed 12-0-0-4, and a board retreat passed 13-0-0-3 (minutes).
• Committees: The board formed an election ad hoc committee (13-0-0-3), a Community Safety and Economic Resilience Committee chaired by Maya Guzdar (12-0-1-3) and a board retreat ad hoc committee co-chaired by Windy O’Malley and Connie Acosta (13-0-0-3) (minutes).
• June 23 minutes: Adopted 11-0-1-3 (minutes).

Next meeting: August 26, 2026 · All meetings