UCLA is unequivocally linked with Westwood Village. The village’s development coincided in the mid-century with the university’s rise in prominence, and UCLA students have long taken advantage of Westwood’s opportunities for shopping and leisure.
Considering the long-standing symbiotic relationship between the UCLA community and the many other stakeholders in the village, the recent motion to deny many students the opportunity to sit on the Westwood Neighborhood Council becomes all the more disturbing.
The proposed change in the council bylaws would limit the spots on the council students are eligible for to just one.
There is currently one official student seat on the council, but students may also vie for the four seats reserved for renters. The new bylaws would require candidates for renter seats to live in the village year-round and would merge the two seats reserved for a UCLA student and a faculty or staff member.
That would disqualify most students from seeking a spot on the council, since the majority of them only live in the village during the school year.
The goal of the revision is to increase the weight of the homeowners on the council while effectively minimizing student representation.
But UCLA students will always be a part of Westwood, and to minimize their power on the neighborhood council is a terrible departure from the what the council aims to stand for.
The council’s mission is to provide an “inclusive and open forum” for all the neighborhood’s stakeholders to help advise the city on issues of concern and initiate its own improvement projects.
Students comprise a large part of the village’s consumer base, not to mention a huge segment of the renter population. Therefore it is foolish, if not selfish, to disenfranchise students on council.
It seems the crux of the issue is the tension between students and the other homeowners in the village living in close proximity.
The neighborhood council should include what the name suggests ““ the whole neighborhood. This is not a “homeowners” council. The village represents a diverse range of homeowners, students, business owners and other community members who all deserve a fair chance to represent it.
Those students who truly care about Westwood and its revitalization should not be confined to a single seat. In a fair democratic process, it should be up to the voters in the next election to decide if they wish for students to represent other renters.
If the homeowners don’t like students on the council, don’t vote for them.
Just don’t try to change the rules when you can’t get what you want.