Do Councilmembers know their own districts?

With the LAist Neighborhoods Project in full swing, we thought we'd check in with the local LA City Councilmembers own web pages and see how well they promote the neighborhoods of their respective districts. This is the way they project what they know about their respective districts and the community's they serve.

On a ten point scale, with ten (10) being "awesome!" and one (1) being "doesn't seem to care about their district's neighborhoods," we evaluated each site on the following criteria with a corresponding point value for each:

1 point for posting a district map
1 point for neighborhood facilities (parks, schools, etc.)
2 points for posting a clear, complete list of the neighborhoods represented/served
3 points for listing the attractions/destinations of the district
3 points for listing the district's neighborhood organizations (Chambers, Neighborhood Councils, etc)

So, here's how each district fared in this cursory review...

Councilmember Ed Reyes, District 1
Ed's welcome page lists the neighborhoods and general description of the district. He has some links that don't work on his My Neighborhood page that could add to value of the site, if they worked. He doesn't easily share much about the rich culture and destinations of his community.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 0 of 3
Total Score: 3

Councilmember Wendy Greuel, District 2
Wendy has a great example of how to promote a district. She has useful links that list all the pertinent information like schools, parks, libraries, Neighborhood Councils, community organizations, and even fun things to do in her district (which is as close as she comes to landmarks/points of interest). She even has an entire maps page that lists her neighborhood councils, schools, and even communities. (She even describes each community she represents.)
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 1 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 2.5 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 3 of 3
Total Score: 9.5

Councilmember Dennis Zine, District 3
Dennis has a District Info page that lists his communities, written out boundaries, many of the district statistics; but it doesn't talk specifically about the actual facilities or sites. He does list his libraries on the services page, and his district map is on his home page.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 1 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 0 of 3
Total Score: 4

Councilmember Tom LaBonge, District 4
Tom lists all of his Neighborhood Councils, has a district map, and deep within his staff page lists the communities served, but only in noting which communities the Field Deputies serve. He lists Points of Interest/Landmarks in his district, but they are either on the Miracle Mile, in Griffith Park, or are at 3rd & Fairfax. there is no mention of the NoHo Theatre and Arts District (which includes the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences), the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Heritage Museum, Campo de Cahenga Museum, Ford Theatre, Runyon Canyon, Paramount Studios, and many other points of interest/landmarks.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 1 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 1.5 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 2 of 3
Total Score: 5.5

Councilmember Jack Weiss, District 5
Jack has a whole page for his district profile, listing his communities served and a map. He doesn't list points of interest, but he does list all his libraries, parks, and schools. His site has a lot of useful information for residents, but doesn't list his community organizations.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 1 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 0 of 3
Total Score: 4

Councilmember Tony Cardenas, District 6
Tony has a lot of information about his district, but does not show any attractions/destinations. He has a few maps, library information and school information. He also lists all the Neighborhood Councils in CD6.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 1 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 0 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 2 of 3
Total Score: 4

Councilmember Richard Alarcon, District 7
Richard has a significant community profile page that includes the communities he serves, some limited points of interest (no Nethercutt Museum or future Children's Museum), and other promotional information about the district. He doesn't list community groups or schools, nor is there a district map posted; but he gets an extra point for painting a clear picture of the 7th District.
Results...
district map: 0 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 1 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 0 of 3
extra point for comprehensive district profile
Total Score: 4

Councilmember Bernard Parks, District 8
(site under construction)

Councilmember Jan Perry, District 9
Jan has a prominent district map, but very little else in terms of information about her diverse and exciting district. Unless you viewed the map, read the press releases, or looked at the photo gallery, a visitor would barely know that she represented the heart of Downtown LA and areas south thereof.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 0 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 0 of 3
Total Score: 1

Councilmember Herb Wesson, District 10
Herb has a active site with a scrolling list of his communities served. He features his district map and has links to community organizations and Neighborhood Councils in his district. He doesn't list any destinations or neighborhood venues, though.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 3 of 3
Total Score: 6

Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, District 11
Bill has a strong district profile page with a map, listing of points of interest, and his communities. He also lists all the neighborhood councils. Though the site doesn't list the parks, schools, libraries, etc., it does give a strong district presence online.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 3 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 2 of 3
Total Score: 8

Councilmember Greig Smith, District 12
Greig's page is full of information. Once you get to the About The Councilman section, you can see the communities of the district. He has his district map, and the basic neighborhood information is in his pdf neighborhood guide: schools, Neighborhood Councils, Chambers of Commerce, parks, libraries, senior centers, and much more.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 1 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 3 of 3
Total Score: 7

Councilmember Eric Garcetti, District 13
Eric has a fairly informative site. The District Profile page offers maps, the communities served, and limited points of interest. Though he lists demographic information, he does not list community organizations or neighborhood facilities, but does have a map of Neighborhood Councils.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 1.5 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 2 of 3
Total Score: 6.5

Councilmember Jose Huizar, District 14
Jose has his district map as a link and his communities served listed on the homepage, but his district information doesn't go much beyond that. And even with that list, he doesn't indicate the communities of Downtown that he serves.
Results...
district map: 1 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 1 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 0 of 3
Total Score: 2

Councilmember Janice Hahn, District 15
Janice lists the 5 communities of her district in her welcome note on the main page. She does list her Neighborhood Councils, but helpful links page shows a meager start to listing community organizations at the bottom of it. She is on the only Councilmember who does not have a district map on her site.
Results...
district map: 0 of 1
neighborhood facilities: 0 of 1
list of district's neighborhoods: 2 of 2
list of attractions/destinations: 0 of 3
list of neighborhood organizations: 2 of 3
Total Score: 4

So, what does this show?
Basically, the Councilmembers don't promote the district they serve on their sites in a way that is easily understood to a first-time or even repeat visitor. Of the 14 that were evaluated, the average was 4.89 with six sites receiving over a 5 and eight sites scoring 4 or below. The breakdown by district is as follows:
[District: Score]
1: 3
2: 9.5
3: 4
4: 5.5
5: 4
6: 4
7: 4
8: N/A
9: 1
10: 6
11: 8
12: 7
13: 6.5
14: 2
15: 4

Clearly there is room for improvement for some of these sites, and others just need to spruce up what they have to rank higher on the promotion of their district.

Maybe when the LAist Neighborhood Project is complete, each Councilmember can link to their neighborhoods' pages on the LAist site.