The Westwood Neighborhood Council meets monthly to discuss issues pertaining to Westwood Village and the surrounding areas.
Discussion with the L.A. City Council president
- Herb Wesson, president of the city council, attended the neighborhood council meeting to answer any questions from council members or the public.
- Wesson said he made a committee that will list recommendations to the city council on alleviating citywide homelessness in January.
- He also said he encourages more cooperation between the neighborhood council and the Westwood Village Improvement Association, also known as the BID. He said he thinks a better relationship will develop if both parties sit down and talk.
- Wesson, who has showed support for the L.A. Mobility Plan 2035, said he thinks there will be a chance for Westwood residents to incorporate their concerns into the plan in the near future. Some of these concerns include increased congestion and emergency response times and a bike lane on Westwood Boulevard.
- Wesson said the committee the city council created to overlook Los Angeles’ bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games is looking at alternative sites to host an Olympic Village. Currently, the village is planned to be in downtown Los Angeles next to the Los Angeles River.
- He also said he expects the city council to address issues such as illegal billboard use, sidewalk repairs and short-term rentals within the next year.
Comment by public officials
- Chris Ragsdale, the Los Angeles Police Department’s senior lead officer for Westwood, said Westwood will finish the year with a 20 percent increase in crime. He said most of these crimes are property crimes, such as thefts and burglaries.
- Jasmine Shamolian, Westwood field deputy for L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz’s office, said a new bus shelter will be installed on Westwood Boulevard north of Wilsire Boulevard as part of the Greats Streets Initiative. She added Westwood Gardens Park is now under construction. Jerry Brown, president of the neighborhood council, asked if Koretz could attend one of its meetings.
- Jay Handal, citywide elections administrator for neighborhood councils, said the L.A. City Clerk’s office will offer paid poll workers as well as signage to promote the council’s elections in June.
- Megan Furey, marketing and communications manager for the BID, said the Express Park program launched last month. She added the city will install dynamic signs that will show street parking rates.
Discussion
- Lisa Chapman, vice president of the neighborhood council, said the homeless task force the council created in November will meet sometime in January.
Motions
- The council voted to spend up to $700 for a venue for its election in June. Chapman said the venue will probably be the Westwood Recreation Center.
- The council passed a motion to take a stance against the city removing alcoholic restrictions originally placed on a business when it opened. Council member Sandy Brown said she has seen this happen with Barney’s Beanery in Westwood Village.
- After hearing from public comment from Airbnb renters, the council voted to support a draft proposed by the L.A. City Planning Department to regulate short-term rentals and to propose any amendments to the draft in its January meeting.
Compiled by Roberto Luna Jr., Bruin senior staff.