Artist Colony, Neighborhood at Odds Over New Local Councils

The famed Brewery artist colony in Lincoln Heights is a creative place indeed.

But, when it comes to determining which neighborhood council the Brewery should join, no amount of creativity has been able to solve a lingering conflict.

The leaders of the fledgling Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council want to hold on to the Brewery.

"That parcel of land is in Lincoln Heights--period," said Michael Diaz, a neighborhood council member.

But the leaders of the Brewery see few common interests between its artists and the working-class neighborhood surrounding them. They would prefer to join the other artist colonies to the south in the proposed Downtown Neighborhood Council.

"Lincoln Heights is insisting that they have the power to make us be a part of them, and we don't want to," said Don Levy, a Web designer and leader in the Brewery. "The people here want to be in whichever neighborhood council is going to contain the other artists."

Leaders of the downtown council have mostly let the Brewery and Lincoln Heights representatives try to work out their disagreement--in meetings ranging from shouting matches to more peaceful tones.

Neighborhood councils were authorized two years ago when voters approved City Charter reforms aimed at engaging communities in decision making--from development to provision of public services.

Now, as the process of establishing the much-anticipated system of councils gains momentum, the vague rules handed down by the City Council to govern the setting of boundaries face their first dramatic challenge.

"We are going to see this particular problem repeated throughout the city," said Greg Nelson, general manager of the city's Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, established to oversee the process. "That's why we have the Human Relations Commission all ready to go to provide mediating."

21 Buildings on 23 Acres

The department began accepting applications to form neighborhood councils this month. The councils must represent at least 20,000 residents in areas that have contiguous boundaries not overlapping those of other councils.

Only four councils have submitted applications so far, but there are 96 others in various stages of development--and eventually many more are expected to form.

The Brewery is a vibrant community of 21 buildings on 23 acres. It houses about 1,500 artists, photographers and musicians two miles up North Main Street across the Los Angeles River from downtown.