Westwood Neighborhood Council recap – May 10

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

Comments by public officials

• Chris Ragsdale, Los Angeles Police Department officer for Westwood, said overall crime in Westwood, except for burglaries, has decreased by 13 percent.
• Jasmine Shamolian, field deputy for city council member Paul Koretz, said Verizon Wireless will install signal boosters on three existing street lights. Verizon originally aimed to install five cell towers in Westwood, but the council opposed it.
• Nikki Svara, representative of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said the Great Streets Initiative’s sidewalk repairs between Weyburn Avenue and Le Conte Avenue should finish by May 26. She added the association developed a mobile application, Westwood Village Everywhere that residents can use to report maintenance issues, graffiti and litter.

Discussion

• Angus Beverly, the council’s student director, proposed that committee meetings be recorded due to confusion over the last meeting’s minutes. Council President Lisa Chapman agreed and the council decided to discuss the idea later.

Motions

• The board unanimously voted to approve the Hammer Museum’s plans to extend its cafe hours and sell a full line of alcohol. Philip Gabriel said he thinks the cafe is trying to function as its own entity and not only as part of the museum.
• The board unanimously voted to approve UCLA’s plan to renovate the Gayley Center. UCLA will renovate the building’s interior, including minor alterations to the interior entry lobby to allow students direct access to Student Services. Land use chair Connie Boukidis said UCLA will need to apply for a letter of support from the Design Review Board for the renovations.
• The board voted to approve a microbrewery permit for Broxton, a restaurant planning to open on Westwood Boulevard. The microbrewery permit allows Broxton, which already has a full-line alcohol permit, to operate a microbrewery without onsite sales. The board also approved allowing the restaurant to install up to 20 televisions, rather than 10.
• The board unanimously voted to donate $5,000 to the UCLA Community Programs Office Food Closet. The food closet reduced the donation fee from 33.3 percent to 6.5 percent by reapplying for a Neighborhood Purpose Grant through the UCLA Foundation.
• The board voted against implementing online voting in its elections. Vice President Sandy Brown said the council will oppose online voting until the city introduces online voting in municipal elections. Mark Rogo said he thinks not allowing online voting disenfranchises UCLA students.
• The board unanimously voted to request an official statement from the Westwood Park Advisory Board regarding how Quimby funds – funds dedicated to parks that developers pay into – are allocated. Chapman said she thinks there is lack of transparency in how the PAB uses Quimby funds.
• Andrew Thomas, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said after analyzing presentations by different operators, he thinks the Farmer Mark company should operate the Westwood Village Farmers Market. Emmanuel Bautista, the market’s current manager, said he thought he had six months to show his capabilities, but will now be replaced after three months. The board voted to approve a motion recommending Bautista be given at least 18 months to demonstrate how he can enhance the market.
• The board unanimously voted to revise its bylaws to add the council’s land use committee chair to the council’s executive committee.
• The board unanimously voted to extend board terms ending in 2018 by one year and conduct elections in 2019.