Westwood Neighborhood Council recap – March 8

The Westwood Neighborhood Council meets monthly to discuss issues pertaining to Westwood Village and the surrounding areas.

Comments by public officials

• Christopher Ragsdale, a Los Angeles Police Department officer for Westwood, said residential burglaries and automobile crimes continue to increase in the district. He advised residents to use break-in alarms and motion sensors in their homes to prevent future burglaries. He added residents should never leave valuables in their cars.
• Andrew Thomas, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said the association has been working on trimming more trees in the village and putting together an independent recycling program. He also said the association is trying to create a communication forum where residents can discuss issues in the district.

Discussion

• Lisa Chapman, council president and head of the homeless task force, said there were many more homeless individuals counted during the annual homeless count in January, but official tallies from the count could not be released. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority should publish the numbers sometime in the next few months, she added.

Motions

• The board approved neighborhood purchase grants of $5,000 each to the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Westwood Branch Library, West LA Little League and a few of the schools in the neighborhood district, including Emerson Community Charter School. Neighborhood purchase grants are funded by the city of Los Angeles and can be awarded at a maximum of $5,000.
• The board decided to hold off on a neighborhood purchase grant of $5000 for the UCLA Community Programs Office Food Closet. The program would require that one third of the grant goes to administration, and the board said they wanted the money to be available exclusively for students. Chapman suggested another group apply for the grant next month with the intention of purchasing food items and then donating them to the food closet.
• The board approved the transfer of $5,000 from the Community Improvement Project Budget to the total budget for grants so that all neighborhood purchase grant applicants could receive a grant of $5,000. Laura Winikow, the council’s treasurer, said the Community Improvement Project Budget still has $1,000 left for the board to spend. Funds that are not spent by June will be transferred back to the city, Chapman said.
• Connie Boukidis, chair of the land use and planning committee, introduced a land-use change that involved the Landmark Regent Theatre on Broxton Avenue. The board approved the renovation of its facade and the division of the property into two adjacent restaurants. However, in their formal approval, the board said they prefer the project develop two retail stores instead of restaurants because board members believe there are already too many fast food-style restaurants on the street.