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Westwood Neighborhood Council recap – Dec. 13

By Jacob Preal

Dec. 14, 2017 2:54 p.m.

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

Comments by public officials

  • Marco Perez, a representative from UCLA Government and Community Relations, said campus parking will be free during UCLA’s closure from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, 2018. However, parking will not be free during UCLA’s two basketball games on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31. Perez added Parking Structure 5 will be closing down for construction in January, and permit holders will then need to park in Parking Structure 3.
  • Gibson Nyambura, a neighborhood council advocate from the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, said the department has been in the process of advising student leaders on their proposal for a new neighborhood council for Westwood. He added Westwood Forward, the coalition behind the proposal, did not invite the department to any of the town hall meetings the coalition hosted to engage with the community.

Discussion

  • Lisa Chapman, council president, said she wants the council to host their own town hall meeting to discuss the new neighborhood council proposal because she thinks Westwood Forward has only presented a one-sided view of the proposal. Peter Clinco, owner of Skylight Gardens, where a previous Westwood Forward-hosted town hall took place, offered his restaurant as a venue for the council-hosted town hall. Graduate Student Association President Michael Skiles, one of the leaders of Westwood Forward, said he supports any efforts to increase community dialogue around the proposal. The town hall will likely take place in February, Chapman said.

Motions

  • The board approved a motion requesting the city to amend the Westwood Village Specific Plan to make it easier for restaurants to move into the Village. The proposed amendment would require restaurants to meet only three of the currently five characteristics outlined in the plan to be considered a food establishment. The Westwood Village Improvement Association had previously proposed requiring restaurants to meet only two of the five characteristics. Some board members, including Stephen Resnick and Marcello Robinson, wanted to postpone the agenda item so the council’s land use committee could review it and make a recommendation before the board approved it. However, other members said they think that was unnecessary.
  • The board rejected a motion to eliminate several of the sample alcohol conditions which new businesses must adhere to when they apply for an alcohol permit in Westwood. Chapman said she thinks the conditions give Westwood the perception that it is strict and not welcoming of entertainment in the Village. Resnick, who said he thinks it is up to the association to improve how the Village is perceived, motioned for the item to be postponed to another meeting so the land use committee could review it, but his motion failed. The motion to change the sample conditions did not pass because the vote was tied with two abstentions.
  • The board unanimously approved a motion calling on LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz to ask the city to enforce laws that require food deliverers to receive food handling permits. Roozbeh Farahanipour said restaurants are still liable when food deliverers mishandle food.
  • The board recommended that Gene Fong be appointed a member of the Westwood Design Review Board, which evaluates whether Westwood projects’ designs meet specific plan requirements. Koretz’s office will review each applicant and select the new member.
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Jacob Preal | Editor in chief
Preal is the editor in chief of The Bruin. He was previously the assistant news editor for the city and crime beat and a news reporter for the city and crime beat.
Preal is the editor in chief of The Bruin. He was previously the assistant news editor for the city and crime beat and a news reporter for the city and crime beat.
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