Westwood Village Improvement Association recap – Nov. 16

The Westwood Village Improvement Association is a nonprofit organization tasked with improving the state of Westwood Village. Property and business owners created the association in 2011 to provide the Village with functions the city of Los Angeles could not provide. Its board of directors meets monthly.

• Jessica Dabney, chair of the association’s board of directors, said she is retiring from her position as chair.
• The board elected Jim Brooks, the previous vice chair, as the board’s new chair and UCLA Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck, as the board’s new vice chair. The board tied in its vote for a new treasurer, so board members decided to hold another election in December.
• The executive committee decided to increase the salary of the association’s executive director, Andrew Thomas, by 4 percent for 2018, Dabney said. Thomas will also receive a bonus of 8 percent of his current salary for 2017.
• Dabney also said a student-led coalition, Westwood Forward, is working to create a new neighborhood council. She added the board’s executive committee will address the new council proposal next year.
• Brooks said the Clean, Safe and Beautiful Committee discussed the high costs of Athens Services, the company that collects trash in the Village. He added the committee wants to invite a representative from Athens Services to discuss improving service in the Village.
• Members of the board said they were upset they found out about the grand reopening of the Westwood Village Farmers Market the day of the event. Board Member Dean Abell said the board hired farmer Mark to get more residents involved in the farmers market but added he did not think the farmers market was doing a good job reaching out to community members.