Maia Ferdman: UCLA students should participate in Westwood Neighborhood Council

Living in California during the general election may make UCLA students feel ignored or unimportant in the political arena. Presidential campaigns, which generally focus on swing states, may seem too distant to justify our civic engagement.

However, we have an opportunity to make our voices heard right outside our doorstep: participation in the Westwood Neighborhood Council.

Students and faculty members who live near, eat in, drive through, walk or bike to the Westwood area surrounding UCLA should consider voting in community government elections ““ and perhaps find other ways to participate as well.

The council, which is holding its elections on Oct. 28, is a locally run governing body that serves as an advisory board to the Los Angeles City Council, in addition to allocating funds to various projects, such as the Westwood Organized MEGA Project, and making decisions regarding local transportation and commerce.

Anyone who attends or works at UCLA is considered a Westwood stakeholder and is allowed to vote in the local elections.

This places UCLA students ““ all 40,000-plus of them ““ in the voter position. Westwood is made up of about 51,000 constituents.

But even with Bruins making up a majority of the council’s constituency, only five of the 19 seats on the council are open to student representation. One seat is exclusively for students, while four others are for house or apartment renters.

From apron parking to new businesses, the Westwood Neighborhood Council’s work pertains heavily to the day-to-day of UCLA students.

Some topics of discussion at the meetings might include the addition of new Westwood businesses. After all, the Westwood Neighborhood Council approved the newly opened CityTarget and is in the process of adding an iPic Luxury Theater to Westwood.

These additions expand our entertainment options ““ but more importantly, they increase our job opportunities.

UCLA students should attend these meetings; speaking out at them could be an easy and practical way to effect change in our neighborhood.

One way in which even stronger student involvement in Westwood life could be initiated is through the Undergraduate Students Association Council.

USAC members often propose platforms outside the student government’s sphere of influence, but with a partner in Westwood’s Neighborhood Council, some of these projects might become feasible.

Past partnership has demonstrated the productivity of such a connection.

Last year, David Bocarsly, then a USAC general representative, paired up with the Westwood Community Council to host successful events, such as Westwood LIVE and Bruins Night Out.

“(The Westwood Neighborhood Council) is a great opportunity to get involved at a young age with local government … (and) to improve the area that surrounds us,” said Armen Hadjimanoukian, a second-year economics and international development studies student running for a renter seat.

Already, USAC members are in the race for Westwood Neighborhood Council seats ““ both Hadjimanoukian and Samuel Haws, a second-year political science and economics student running for the same neighborhood council position, hold positions in USAC offices.

Both Hadjimanoukian and Haws said they would support a clearly defined partnership between USAC and the Westwood Neighborhood Council, even if they were not elected. Still, the problem remains that the Westwood Neighborhood Council does not find wide exposure among the general student body.

Ryan Krebs, a UCLA graduate and Westwood resident who is running for a renter seat, said the council could also engage with students by holding events on the Hill, through bodies like the Office of Residential Life.

But this sort of partnership is not going to happen unless the student body shows a commitment to being involved. Ultimately, it is up to USAC ““ and all students ““ to show that UCLA cares about the goings-on of Westwood.

The first steps? Show up, vote and participate.

Email Ferdman at [email protected] . Send general comments to [email protected] or tweet us @DBOpinion .