The North Westwood Neighborhood Council appointed two new board members at its monthly meeting Aug. 6.

The council, which represents Westwood and UCLA to the Los Angeles City Council, meets on the first Wednesday of every month at UCLA’s Weyburn Terrace. Meetings are open to the public and 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 Sept. 3.

Comments from public officials:

• Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, whose district includes Westwood and UCLA, said she disagreed with Mayor Karen Bass’s proposal to cut 1,600 positions from city service jobs – including 400 civilian positions from the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as over 250 from city transportation agencies – in response to LA’s $1 billion budget deficit. Yaroslavsky also said the city is creating a new cost-neutral homelessness bureau that will oversee spending, adding that her office created 33 new beds for adults who are homeless, as her district was previously the only one in LA without general population interim beds. She also said her office launched a budget and finance advisory group, which intends to replace the yearly budgetary review currently in place in order to create financial stability. Yaroslavsky also said parking fees in the district have been raised for the first time in 25 years, and that she plans to meet with the general manager for the LA Department of Transportation to discuss how to mitigate any possible negative impacts stemming from the raise.

• Amanda Laflin, a representative from LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office, said a new ordinance requires tenants to keep their rental units at 82 degrees during the summer, adding that rent-stabilized units and tenants living in older buildings cannot be charged for installing air conditioning. Laflin also introduced the LA County Department of Homeless Services and Housing and its director, Sarah Mahin, to the council.

• Janet Turner, the district deputy director of outreach for Congressman Ted Lieu, said two bipartisan bills pertaining to technology safety – HR 1709 and HR 1770 – were passed on July 14. HR 1709 requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to examine and report on the cybersecurity of mobile service networks, and HR-1770, – or the Consumer Safety Technology Act – establishes a pilot program to explore the use of Artificial Intelligence in consumer product safety. Turner said Lieu wrote a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations urging them to continue funding the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for the LGBTQIA+ community, which President Donald Trump said he would shut down in July. She also said Liu joined a California Delegation letter urging the restoration of Education Department funds for K-12 schools following the Trump administration’s freeze of nearly $1 billion in funding for California schools.

• Sophia Liebman, a district representative for State Senator Ben Allen, said the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection recently revised some Zone 0 regulations, which are implemented to reduce the risk of wildfires by creating an area free of combustible materials around structures.

• Ned Racine, the principle construction relations officer at Metro, said he is seeking the assistance of the NWWNC to create permanent names for the two D-Line stations being constructed in Westwood.

• Michael Russell, the executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said the association has started to move people experiencing homelessness in Westwood to its housing program on Midvale Avenue. Russell added that new parking fees are now in place in Westwood Village, which cost $6 after 5 p.m. and on weekends. He also said there will be a wide array of new businesses opening in Westwood – including some restaurants and retail locations – and that there are free Salsa lessons in Broxton Plaza every Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Russell also said Westwood Village will be trimming trees in the area prior to the start of UCLA’s fall quarter.

• Carmen Zambrano, the assistant director of UCLA Government and Community Relations, said LA Metro is holding a series of public hearings regarding the Sepulveda Transit Corridor at the Westwood United Methodist Church beginning Aug. 7. She added that Craig Valenzuela has been appointed as the chief of UCPD, and will assume the role Sept. 1. Zambrano said the Summer Twilight in the Garden series will continue at the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden Aug. 21, and Volunteer Day will take place Sept. 27.

[Related: UCLA selects LAPD Commander Craig Valenzuela as next UCPD chief]

• Erica Gatica Doughty, a project coordinator for the Neighborhood Empowerment Project, said her department held a training session for new board members last week and hopes to appoint new board members soon. She added that the neighborhood council system is now in an evaluation stage of its new elected members. She requested that the board and the public complete a new survey, which focuses on better ways to spread the word about neighborhood council elections. Doughty also said there is a new bylaw amendment application and urged members to complete the process as soon as possible.

Public comment:

• Steven Sann, the programs and events chair for the Friends of Westwood Library, said the library recently celebrated its 20th anniversary – and thanked Jacob Lawson, an undergraduate student board member from UCLA, for attending the anniversary event. Sann added that there will be a concert supported by the Friends of Westwood Library and Los Angeles Music Salon Aug. 16.
• John Erickson, a candidate for California State Senate, said the federal government’s move to freeze funding across American universities a “travesty” – especially for graduate students. He added that, while serving on the West Hollywood City Council, his office prioritized developing the neighborhood’s infrastructure by adding more bicycle lanes, building more housing and investing in local businesses. Erickson also said he is a member of the Clean Power Alliance board of directors and is the former Vice President of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles.

Board member Announcements:

• Vice President Andrew Lewis said the Community Health and Homelessness committee met with UCLA’s Government and Community Relations department to discuss the 2028 Summer Olympics and UCLA’s Volunteer Day.
• President Josh Trifunovic said the Olympic and Paralympic committee will meet Aug. 13. Trifunovic added that the Fair Rep LA Coalition, which advocates for fair and equitable representation in the city of Los Angeles, will have a charter reform commission Aug. 9 to discuss the possibility of expanding the council’s size.
• Connor Webb, an at-large board member, said the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils – which represents more than 500,000 residents working to address regional issues and advocate for their interests at the local, state, and federal levels – discussed the Sepulveda Transit Corridor at a recent meeting. Mayor Karen Bass, who was in attendance, said she would support any plan for the STC that the public supports.
• Secretary Lauren Wagner said the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Coalition is soliciting comments from the public about the draft environmental impact report of the project.

Agenda:

• The council voted 6-4 to appoint Sailasya Munamarty as a new at-large board member.
• The council unanimously voted to appoint Michael McCormack, the 2024-2025 president of the UCLA Staff Assembly Executive Board and assistant director of leadership and involvement at UCLA Residential Life, as a university staff board member.
• Dr. Jennifer Noble, a senior librarian at the Westwood Branch Public Library, said the LA Public Library provides numerous resources and is the largest user-base of eMedia resources in the U.S. She also said the library offers free printing, free language and technology classes and counseling sessions – and that library cards allow users to visit certain museums, parks and pools for free across LA. Noble added that the library has been facing budgetary challenges and that she is aware of security concerns at the libraries across LA.
• The council voted to unanimously approve the installation of public art by Christian Moeller, an artist who also serves as the chair of the Department of Design Media Arts at UCLA, in Westwood Village. Ayndrea Wilson – the executive director of the California Artist Coalition of Los Angeles, which creates, facilitates and manages public art installations – said the sculpture will serve as a centerpiece in Broxton Plaza, adding that she believes public art helps revitalize communities.
• The Council approved a motion requesting action to preserve free parking periods and short-term loading spaces at Broxton Garage.
• The council voted unanimously to approve the July consent calendar, which included a community impact statement in response to immigration enforcement raids. The statement calls on the City of Los Angeles to enhance its protections of immigrants, make certain that city resources are not employed for federal immigration enforcement, and spread information about immigration rights to the population.