Candidates in Los Angeles’ mayoral race said they think incumbent Mayor Eric Garcetti will be too preoccupied with running for higher office in 2018 to tackle the city’s fundamental issues.

If local workers want to get cocktails at happy hour after work, they have limited options in Westwood Village.
The Westwood Neighborhood Council, which advises the city on alcohol permit applications, imposes conditions on businesses’ alcohol sales because state guidelines restrict the number of businesses that can sell alcohol in the district.

This post was updated on Oct. 4 at 3 p.m.
Some Westwood officials said they believe more voters will support a sales tax measure on the Nov.

Jerry Brown said he will remember lengthy council meetings, heated controversies and major victories as he prepares to end his final term as president of the Westwood Neighborhood Council this month.

The Metro Expo Line extension opens Friday, allowing passengers to take the public rail to Santa Monica for the first time since the 1950s.
The 15-mile line connects downtown to Santa Monica with a 45-minute ride.

The Westwood Neighborhood Council meets monthly to discuss issues pertaining to Westwood Village and the surrounding areas.
Comments by public officials

Faisal Alserri, senior planning deputy for LA City Councilman Paul Koretz’s office, said his team is redrafting its Baseline Mansionization and Hillside Ordinances to limit the buildable area on lots to 50 percent of the lot size.

A new graduate class will study Westwood Village’s urban planning and propose potential improvements to the neighborhood’s specific plan.
Architect John Kaliski’s class at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs will explore the existing Westwood Village Specific Plan, which regulates land use and development design criteria in the Village, and prepare recommendations for the Westwood Village Improvement Association, also known as the BID.

Jessica Dabney, chair of the Westwood Village Improvement Association’s board of directors, has worked to better the Village since the 1970s, most notably with her involvement in the creation of the association, also known as the BID, in 2011.

Niki Svara walked the streets of Westwood with a pen and clipboard, noting damaged infrastructure she would later report to city officials.
Svara, the new operations manager at the Westwood Village Improvement Association, also known as the BID, said she plans to focus on attracting businesses and visitors, improving property values and helping the Village’s homeless population.

Westwood Village has been a historical part of UCLA since its opening in 1929, a community USC’s upcoming university village will attempt to establish in only three years, Westwood officials said.