Each morning, hours before most students are awake, Councilman
Jack Weiss runs laps at Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus.
He then goes across town to City Hall, where he has worked as
councilman for the 5th City District the past four years ““ a
job he hopes to continue for another term.
Elections for the position will take place on March 8, when
Weiss will be on the ballot next to competitors David Vahedi and
Greg Martayan.
Weiss has lived in the 5th District for most of his life and is
now raising his children here.
The 5th District includes Westwood, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Valley
Village, Palms, Century City, Beverlywood, the Fairfax District,
Cheviot Hills and the area between the 405 freeway and Laural
Canyon.
“I’ve lived in and around this district my entire
life and I was born in the district, at the UCLA hospital,”
Weiss said. “It’s literally in my blood.”
Weiss has remained connected to the university throughout his
life ““ he attended the UCLA School of Law, has sent his
children to UCLA summer camps for several years, and he said he has
participated in many campus events over the years. This, he said,
has been one of the best parts of being a councilman.
The incumbent councilman said he is most interested in programs
that connect UCLA with the Los Angeles community, programs he said
he has been supportive of.
The “UCLA in L.A.” program, which integrates
students with the city civic community, has been of particular
interest to Weiss.
“I’ve been very active with the “˜UCLA in
L.A.’ program,” he said, explaining that it is designed
to get UCLA students more involved in their community.
But while Weiss says he has made UCLA a priority, not all
students believe they have benefitted from Weiss’ time in
office.
Kristina Doan, president of Bruin Democrats, said she believes
Weiss has done more harm for UCLA students than good, particularly
in terms of off-campus housing in Westwood, which has recently
increased greatly in cost.
Doan attributes the price increase, in part, to Weiss and the
zoning policies he has enacted.
“I think one of the things he’s failed upon are his
zoning laws, which have really hurt students because of the price
of student housing,” Doan said.
The price increase is “an extra burden that we
shouldn’t have to deal with” and something she said she
has never seen Weiss address.
But some community members say he has actively addressed their
problems and served their needs.
“Over the last four years ““ three and a half years
““ he has recognized the needs of the community,” said
Sandy Brown, president of the Holmby Westwood Homeowners
Association. “I think he’s been very open to ideas and
suggestions.”
Security is one issue that is important to the UCLA and local
community, and Weiss said he has made the 5th District a safer
place than the one he found four years ago.
“Crime is down in my district across the board, and
overall it’s down 14.5 percent since I was elected,”
Weiss said.
Weiss said he will continue to focus on safety if he is
re-elected for a second term, as he has done since he began working
in public service.
Safety in the district is about much more than just crime
prevention, as it includes such concerns as traffic, construction
and emergency response ““ and Weiss said he and his office
have also made improvements in these areas over the past four
years.
Another big concern for Westwood community members has been
development projects in the area.
Weiss has been accused by Vehedi and some members of the
community of taking money from developers and siding with these
corporations rather than Westwood homeowners.
Such accusations have been leveled against Weiss recently in
regard to the Casden project, a $100 million restaurant and retail
development being built in the lot between Glendon and Tiverton
avenues. Some residents have complained that Weiss did not do
enough to block the development.
Doan said Weiss was “in cahoots with developers” and
Vahedi has said Weiss has given developers preferential
treatment.
But Brown, who has been actively involved in discussions on the
development projects, said Weiss has been fair with the developers,
making compromises on both sides.
“He’s helped us bring the Casden project down. …
He’s worked to keep the street Glendon Avenue open,”
Brown said as two examples of how Weiss has mitigated the
construction problem in Westwood.
But beyond these specific accomplishments, Brown says Weiss
““ or at least his office ““ has dealt fairly and openly
with the community in general.
“I think he’s been very open to ideas and
suggestions,” Brown said.
And as a member of the community himself, Weiss and community
members often have similar concerns.
“He is a resident of the West Side. He does live close
by,” Brown said. “I think things are just as important
to him as to (us).”