Westwood BID recap – May 21

The Westwood Village Improvement Association, also known as the BID, is a nonprofit organization tasked with improving the state of Westwood Village. The BID was created by property and business owners in August 2011 to provide Westwood Village with services the City of Los Angeles could not provide. Its board of directors meets monthly.

• Board member Nick Jacobs, owner and executive chef of The Glendon Bar and Kitchen, officially resigned from the board prior to the meeting after becoming too busy. The board plans to form a nominating committee to find someone to replace the merchant seat Jacobs held. One member of the public expressed that he was upset by the high turnover of board members.
• Andrew Thomas, executive director of the BID, said certain Westwood businesses are considering donating a portion of their sales on a selected day to fundraise for the 2015 Special Olympics.
• Thomas also said their fifth stakeholder survey, which attempted to determine what issues are important to stakeholders, was posted Tuesday on the BID’s website.
• The board discussed its plans to begin the City of Los Angeles application process to renew its status as a business improvement district. A business improvement district is a defined area in which businesses pay an extra tax. The taxes fund projects beneficial to the businesses within the area’s boundaries.
• The board unanimously voted to approve a management plan to begin working on a 10-year renewal for its status as a business improvement district. The last two BID renewals were three-year contracts. Board members said the longer renewal period will save time and money because the BID will not have to prepare a renewal every three years.

Compiled by John Peter Cavender, Bruin reporter.