The North Westwood Neighborhood Council, the official neighborhood council representing UCLA and Westwood Village to the Los Angeles City Council, met Nov. 1. NWWNC meetings are open to the public and are held on the first Wednesday of every month at UCLA’s Weyburn Terrace. The next meeting is set to be held Dec. 6.

In the Nov. 1 meeting, the council and Westwood community members heard updates from public officials and discussed issues in the neighborhood.

Comments by public officials:

• LAPD officers reminded the community to not leave items in their cars as they expect auto break-ins and theft to rise during the holiday season. They also told attendees and the council to lock their homes, leave lights on, install home security cameras and befriend neighbors to prevent burglaries. Council President Josh Trifunovic asked the officers if any major incidents happened over the Halloween weekend, to which they said nothing major occurred. They added that parties will continue to happen into the holiday season.

• Trifunovic also asked about concerns that Kevin Wise, managing partner at SCI Executive Services and community liaison to the council, has brought to the council in the past surrounding homelessness on Westwood Boulevard and public indecent exposure. The officers said they are doing their best to keep the Westwood community safe, but that some incidents have lower priorities than others. The officers recommended that community members email LAPD Senior Officer James Allen if they think a person experiencing homelessness needs a mental evaluation.

• Homeowner stakeholder Philip Gabriel asked LAPD if Westwood could get nighttime bike patrol officers. The officers said LAPD is experiencing too many shortages to be able to offer that to the neighborhood. They added that West LA is currently 18 officers short. During the public question period, Steven Sann, programs and events chair on the Friends of the Westwood Library board, said the library is a resource for people experiencing homelessness but that they often have issues. He asked if LAPD could check in on the library more often.

• Janet Turner, congressman Ted Lieu’s outreach deputy district director, said the congressman introduced the Facial Recognition Act of 2022, which places limits on law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology because of concerns about the technology’s likelihood to misidentify people of color.

• Marian Ensley, Mayor Karen Bass’ west area representative, said Mayor Bass signed her fifth executive directive to improve constituents’ ability to access city services. She added that Metro unanimously approved Mayor Bass’ motion to address homelessness on public transportation. Ensley also said Mayor Bass just completed her 29th Inside Safe operation, which is a program focused on bringing those who are unhoused inside. Ensley said there have been misconceptions about Bass wanting to tear down the 90 Freeway, but she assured the community that it is not part of Mayor Bass’ plan.

[Related: Mayor Karen Bass proposes $1.3 billion to address homelessness in Los Angeles]

• Assemblymember Rick Zbur’s field representative Sherwin Shamoeil apologized for the assemblymember’s absence at the meeting, but said he hopes he is there in the winter. Shamoeil added that four of the assemblymember’s bills made it to Gov. Newsom’s desk to get signed. He also said the assemblymember’s open house was postponed to Dec. 3 because of Hurricane Hilary.

• Carmen Zambrano, assistant director of UCLA Community and Local Government Relations, announced Chancellor Gene Block’s retirement and said there will be chancellor search virtual town halls this week. Trifunovic asked her about the campus response to the conflict in Israel and Palestine. Zambrano said UCLA is trying to balance providing a safe space for students while also allowing free speech and expression.

Comments made by the public:

• Sann said the Westwood library will host a holiday book sale Dec. 2 as well as various concerts and dance events throughout December.

Agenda:

• The council heard a presentation from the student-run homeless clinic of the UCLA Department of Family Medicine on what their organization does and how they would benefit from a neighborhood purpose grant, which provides funding for those helping the Westwood community. They requested $1,000 to provide preloaded TAP cards to those in need and $4,000 for food and water. The team, composed of medical student volunteers, provides free medical care to people experiencing homelessness and to those who are underserved, according to their website. There were some concerns from the council and the public on whether the organization is part of the UCLA Foundation and how that would affect how much money is taken, as the foundation has a fee on the organizations it supports. However, the grant was approved by the council.

• The council also heard a presentation from Nicole Telep, co-founder of Hibachi Papi, on the restaurant’s desire to begin serving pre-packaged beer and wine. There were some disagreements during the council’s discussion about security on the back patio and the avoidance of serving minors. The council voted to support Hibachi Papi’s desire to get a conditional use beverage permit and asked to be at the hearing with LA City Planning on Dec. 5.

• Department of Neighborhood Empowerment project coordinator Erica Gattica Doughty gave the council a presentation regarding the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners agenda posting policy because the council has not followed protocol in the past that requires the council to post their agenda physically and online prior to their monthly meeting.

• The council discussed using teleconferencing for hosting meetings, as established in Senate Bill 411, and agreed to discuss a plan in a future meeting.

[Related: SB 411 brings possibility of virtual option for neighborhood council meetings]

The council discussed a Community Impact Statement on Council Files 23-1168 and 23-0002-S55, which supports LA’s use of automated speed enforcement systems. Raag Agrawal, NWWNC’s graduate student member, said speed cameras can be effective, but that there are many caveats in the bill. Vice President Marcello Robinson said such systems can target low-income communities and communities of color, adding that he also has seen other neighborhood councils purchase “watch your speed” signs. Councilmember Nuha Khalfay shared similar sentiments to Robinson, but also said no one is ticketed until they drive 11 miles over the speed limit. The community impact statement was denied by the council.

[Related: California assembly bill allows establishment of speed safety system pilot in LA]

• The council approved the November consent calendar, which included items such meeting minutes.

Announcements:

• Trifunovic said Evan Curran, former stakeholder, stepped down from the council to focus on UCLA’s Undergraduate Students Association Council, where he serves as the facilities commissioner. Curran sent a letter to the community about his resignation. Trifunovic also said the LA City Council District 5 field deputy Patricia Macias could not attend the November meeting, but sent virtual updates. In an email to the council, Macias said the Great Pumpkin Bash, a sustainability event to compost old pumpkins from Halloween, happened Sunday.

• Khalfay announced that NWWNC has a $1,500 fund for community improvement projects, which includes adding stop signs and bike lanes. She added that the community improvement project fund is different from Neighborhood Purpose Grants because the council works with Gattica Doughty and the City on projects.