The North Westwood Neighborhood Council, the neighborhood council representing UCLA and Westwood Village, met Oct. 8.

NWWNC meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at UCLA’s Weyburn Terrace and are open to the public. Meetings can be attended in person or virtually using the link posted on the corresponding month’s agenda. The next meeting is set to be held on Dec. 4.

In the Oct. 8 meeting, community members heard from officials who discussed topics including repairing the sidewalk on Gayley Avenue, lowering crime in Westwood and UCLA’s updated Time, Place and Manner Policies.

Council announcements:

• Councilmember Connor Webb said the transportation and safety committee met and addressed topics such as damaged sidewalks, artificial turf installations and possible improvements for the Westwood and Le Conte Avenue intersection. Webb also said parking gates have been installed at Broxton Plaza, with parking meters being removed as part of the street’s pedestrianization.

Comments from public officials:

• Kevin Liu, the Streets Policy manager for Mayor Karen Bass, discussed an op-ed written by UCLA professor Donald Shoup about fixing the damaged sidewalks. Liu said the mayor’s office of infrastructure is searching for a solution to the issue.
• James Allen, a senior lead officer for LAPD, said burglaries have been on the rise and added that LAPD was able to take down four South American burglary crews in West LA. Allen said the arrests were a success in ensuring safety and, additionally, advised people to be careful when attending off campus parties after two students were recently drugged.

[RELATED: UCLA students report drug-related aggravated assault on Gayley Avenue]

• Sherwin Shamoeil, a senior field representative for California state assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, said 10 bills were passed through both chambers of the California legislature back in August, and eight of those bills were signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. The bills covered issues such as gun safety, foster care and retail theft.
• UCLA Government and Community Relations representative Carmen Zambrano announced state and local ballot measure events that discussed the measures on the November ballot, along with a Veteran’s Day event that took place Nov. 7 at the James West Alumni Center. Zambrano also announced events that occurred Nov. 8 and 9 for Bruin Family Weekend, including fun activities and information on campus resources.

Comments made by the public:

• A UCLA student commented on an agenda item about UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner policies that were instituted in September. The student said UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner policies severely restrict student protests on campus and specifically targets pro-Palestine protests. She also advocated for the council to continue supporting students’ rights.
• Donald Shoup presented a plan to fix the broken sidewalk on Gayley Avenue. Shoup suggested that Westwood Village is an effective place to begin a proposed “fix now, pay later” plan in preparation of the 2028 Olympics, so Los Angeles can “avoid being humiliated by having the world visit LA and see sidewalks they have never seen before.”

Agenda:

• Amos Marvel, secretary of the Reseda Neighborhood Council, asked the council to support City Council file 19.1020 which would create a lived experience advisory board, allowing people who have experienced homelessness to share their experiences and highlight issues in the current homelessness programs. The Community Impact Statement on homelessness was passed.
• The council approved a Community Impact Statement on UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner policy. The council released a statement providing a neutral stance on UCLA’s new policy regarding free speech and protests on campus.
• The council approved a Community Impact Statement arguing council term limits would leave council seats vacant and “stifle” participation. The statement added that youth seats would be expanded to “all students enrolled in high schools and undergraduate institutions.”
• The council approved signing onto a LA Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance Letter, which requests the banning of artificial turf installations.

The council approved their September consent calendar.