By SDCNN Staff

Former City Councilmember Donna Frye will be the guest speaker at the first meeting of the SoNo Neighborhood Alliance.

The alliance is about “empowering residents of South Park and North Park,” according to the group’s website, sonoalliance.org.

Frye is an environmental and community activist, and former president of Californians Aware.

The debut meeting will be from 6–8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Lafayette Hotel, located at 2223 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park.

The Oct. 11 forum will explore the topic of resident rights, about having a say in your quality of life, about being informed of neighborhood changes before they happen, and about ensuring accountability and transparency in elected officials

The Steering Committee for the launch of the SoNo Alliance includes:

• Vernita Gutierrez and Lucky Morrison, co-chairs
• Judy Aboud, administration
• Cia Barron, finance
• Kate Callen, communications/ news media
• Rick Pyles, policy

The nonprofit’s mission, according to its website, is:

“The SoNo Neighborhood Alliance will serve as a platform for residents (homeowners and renters) of the communities of North Park and South Park to work together to enhance the quality of life in their neighborhoods. The Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, will focus its attention on residential quality-of-life issues that include land use and development, traffic, green space, parking, and code compliance. It will strive to ensure that laws are obeyed and enforced. It will call on elected officials and municipal agencies to be accountable to all their constituents and diligent in fulfilling their responsibilities. It will seek to foster diversity through special outreach to underrepresented groups, build consensus, and generate solutions.”