Westwood councils seek investigation of local storefront signs
A sign in a Westwood storefront offers delivery and courier services to Iran. (Courtesy of Roozbeh Farahanipour)
By Sam Hoff
Sept. 16, 2014 10:19 p.m.
Two Westwood associations have asked city officials to investigate local storefront signs after a Westwood councilmember claimed they promote activities that violate U.S. sanctions against Iran, though it is unclear whether those claims are valid.
The Westwood Neighborhood Council approved two motions in its monthly meeting Wednesday at the request of councilmember Roozbeh Farahanipour, an activist who opposes Iran’s Islamic government. One motion asks for City Councilmember Paul Koretz to look into whether signs in some Westwood Iranian businesses broke any laws regarding the sanctions, while the second motion calls for businesses to take down the allegedly “illegal signage.”
The Westwood Community Council, which has several of the same members as the Westwood Neighborhood Council, approved two nearly identical motions Tuesday evening.
The two councils are advisory bodies composed mostly of business owners and local residents and cannot enforce laws on their own.
One of the signs Farahanipour presented to councilmembers at both meetings was displayed on the door of a travel agency on Westwood Boulevard and showed an Iran Air logo. He alleged that the airline is currently sanctioned by the U.S. government and is on a U.S. government list of terrorist organizations.
In a statement, a U.S. State Department official said the airline is still designated on the list, but that transactions involving travel, including flights on Iran Air, are exempt from U.S. sanctions.
Farahanipour also claimed that several businesses in Westwood that offer consular services relating to the Iranian Embassy in Washington, D.C. are violating U.S. sanctions by doing business with Iran.
The State Department official said the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. is the only office in the U.S. authorized to provide passports and vital records for Iranian citizens, as Pakistan acts as the protecting power for Iran.
Faramarz Bolandpour, who runs a clerical services office on Westwood Boulevard that displayed a sign Farahanipour presented at both meetings, said he offers consular services through the Iranian Embassy, which is housed under the Embassy of Pakistan. His business, FB Express, focuses on providing notary services, visas and U.S. passports.
He said he plans to continue using the sign because he does not think the consular services violate U.S. sanctions.
At the meeting, several councilmembers asked Farahanipour why he did not contact law enforcement officials directly. He said he wanted the council to sign a motion instead because it would demonstrate that the Westwood community agreed the signs should be investigated.
Katherine Hennigan, economic development director in Koretz’s office, said Koretz forwarded the first motion last week to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office and other government offices for review. She added that Koretz was advised that if law enforcement officials thought there was illegal activity, they would have already been investigating it.
Compiled by Sam Hoff, Bruin senior staff. Contributing reports by Jeong Park, Bruin senior staff.
