The North Westwood Neighborhood Council heard updates on Los Angeles budget cuts and the revised design proposal for the Westwood location of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers on May 7.

The council, which represents Westwood Village to the LA City Council, holds its meetings on the first Wednesday of every month at Weyburn Commons. Meetings are accessible to the public in-person or virtually through a link posted on the council’s website. The next meeting is set to be held June 4.

Comments from public officials:

• Mandy Laflen, a field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, said the LA County Board of Supervisors passed a $700,000 budget to care for animals harmed from a toxic algae bloom and finalized a plan to remove debris from properties along Pacific Coast Highway. She added that the Metro Community Advisory Council is looking for applicants.
• Janet Turner, Congressman Ted Lieu’s outreach deputy district director, said Lieu co-sponsored several bills last month, including a bill intended to support affordable housing, a bill to prohibit oil and gas leasing off the California coast and a bill to allow 529 plans – a tax-advantaged savings plan for educational expenses – to be used to pay for trade school.
• Patricia Macias, City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky’s Westwood field deputy, said the mayor’s office had released her city budget proposal with members of the public able to comment at community town halls in the coming weeks. Macias added that there will be a Jewish American Heritage Month celebration at City Hall on May 16. Interim housing on Midvale Avenue for people experiencing homelessness in Council District 5 will be tentatively opened in June, Macias said.
• LAPD Senior Lead Officer James Allen said there had been a shooting early May 4 on Broxton Avenue with no suspects apprehended. He added that the most frequent crime in Westwood is petty theft.
• Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion 9 Chief Shin Black said Firehouse 37, located on Veteran Avenue, would hold their first annual pancake breakfast May 10 with displays of auto extrication, extended fire ladders and hose lines.
• Sherwin Shamoeil, a field representative for Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, gave updates on Assembly Bill 939, which proposes to establish a transportation bond measure to be approved by voters Senate Bill 79, which would support housing developments near transit stops; Assembly Bill 609, which would create California Environmental Quality Act exemptions for housing developments; and Assembly Bill 253, which would allow housing developers to hire third-party reviewers for delayed reviews. Councilmember Connor Webb said the council is in support of SB 79.
• Carmen Zambrano, the assistant director of UCLA Community and Local Government Relations, said the UC Regents approved James Milliken, the current chancellor of the University of Texas system, to be the University’s next president. She added that the UCLA S.A.F.E. Collection Center will be temporarily closed. She said Transfer Bruin Day would occur May 10, the inaugural Clarkia Flower Festival and a community cleanup of North Village on May 17, a memorial service for students who died while on active military duty May 22 and the annual JazzReggae Fest at Wilson Plaza on May 26.
• Erica Gatica Doughty, the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment project coordinator, said the neighborhood council budgets had a proposed reduction from $32,000 to $25,000 and that EmpowerLA – which promotes civic engagement by supporting neighborhood councils – would see a workforce reduction from 35 to 30 positions. Doughty added that there would be a Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative Community Forum on May 15, a Region 11 neighborhood council meet and greet May 27 and a Board of Neighborhood Commissioners town hall May 31.
• Webb provided updates on advancing the city budget and encouraged attendance to Budget Day 2025 on June 21.

Public Comment:

• Steve Sann, chairman of the Westwood Community Council, said the Los Angeles Public Library’s Westwood branch would be hosting its 20th anniversary event May 10.
• A caseworker from the UCLA Mobile Clinic Project said the clinic provides medical care and support for homeless people in the neighborhood.

Council announcements:

• Councilmember Elizabeth Brady said Neighborhood Purpose Grants – funds from the neighborhood council budget allocated for community development – are being processed after some delays and should be disbursed soon.
• Webb said the Transportation, Environment, and Public Space Committee met in April to discuss a streetlight repair Community Impact Statement and refile a retroactive transportation grant application for projects in Westwood not previously considered. Webb also said the Westside Mobility Projects – which aim to connect Westside neighborhoods and make biking more comfortable – were funded for the protected bike lane on Ohio Avenue.
• Council President Josh Trifunovic read Councilmember Erin Coutts’ statement, which said the neighborhood purpose grant given to Village for Vets – which provides support for homeless and at risk veterans – helped secure housing for a veteran experiencing homelessness.
• Trifunovic said he met with the California Artist Coalition of Los Angeles to add an art installation to Broxton Plaza. He also said the Westwood Village Improvement Association will vote on creating an entertainment zone, allowing open liquor during designated events in Broxton Plaza.
• Councilmember Kevin Crummy said there would be a WVIA meeting on homelessness May 22 and encouraged people to come.

Agenda:

• Randell Erving, West Los Angeles Commissioner for EmpowerLA, discussed boundary issues with the council. In its April meeting, the Westwood Neighborhood Council discussed a change of boundaries with the NWWNC.
• Sara Houghton, who is the senior vice president and land use consultant for three6ixty as well as a representative for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, gave a presentation about design changes to the Westwood Raising Cane’s in order to align with design review board requests and seek the council’s endorsement to deny the appeal. Crummy and Trifunovic recused themselves from the discussion, since they own property within 500 feet of the project. The motion passed 13-0-0 with 2 abstentions.
• The Council unanimously approved a community impact statement requesting improved non-peak hour and weekend service frequency for the D Line extension to better support Westwood Village and UCLA.
• The council unanimously approved a community impact statement urging the LA City Council to redirect cuts in the Street Damage Restoration Fee Fund from curb ramps and mobility plan improvements to resurfacing and slurry seals on non-mobility plan network corridors.
• The council approved a community impact statement urging the LA City Council to adopt a program allowing citizens to submit a video of trucks idling illegally in order to claim a portion of the resulting fine with an 8-7 vote.
• The council unanimously rejected an offer from the city for acquiring a license for the online design program Canva.
• The council unanimously appointed Councilmember Jacob Lawson to the Planning, Housing, and Business Committee.
• The council approved the June consent calendar.