July 6, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

West LA’s New Neighborhood Council

North Westwood Neighborhood Council Holds First Meeting

By Sam Catanzaro

Westwood Village, part “college town” part bustling commercial center, is one of the more unique districts on the Westside, where people from all walks of life interact on a daily basis. On a given night, a group of UCLA students heading to In-N-Out could walk by George Clooney attending a premiere at the Fox Theater while tourists from around the world snap photos.

With this confluence of people and interests comes a unique set of issues for Westwood Village. Whether parking shortages, housing costs or development guidelines, at times local lawmakers may not be able to address these issues adequately. A new neighborhood council, however, seeks to serve all of Westwood Village’s diverse stakeholders.

Until November 7, Westwood Village, along with the rest of Westwood including UCLA, was under the jurisdiction of the Westwood Neighborhood Council (WWNC). Many UCLA students, faculty, staff and Westwood Village stakeholders felt the WWNC was not meeting their concerns and interests and earlier this year voted to create a new neighborhood council, the North Westwood Neighborhood Council (NWWNC).

“We the stakeholders of North Westwood deserve a council that represents us and works to address the needs of our community,” said newly elected NWWNC President Michael Skiles in a September interview with Century City Westwood News. “We need a council that’s focused on building housing catered to students walking to campus.”

The NWWNC Board is composed of one homeowner, one renter, two general residents, one member of the business community, one UCLA undergraduate student, one UCLA graduate student, one UCLA staff or administrative member, one UCLA faculty member, one worker, two active members of the community and three at-large seats open to any eligible stakeholder. 

This new council’s boundaries go from Hilgard Avenue to Veteran Avenue east to west and Sunset Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard north to south.  The NWWNC and the WWNC share jurisdiction over the Los Angeles Fire Department Station 37, UCLA Outpatient Rehabilitation Services and the Westwood Branch Library.

On November 7, the NWWNC held its first official meeting, initiated by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz swearing in the 19 board members. Koretz represents Westwood Village for Los Aneles City Council. Neighborhood councils receive advance notice of issues and projects going before Los Angeles City Council and his office told Century City Westwood News that the formation of the NWWNC will increase the community’s voice at the legislative level. There is also a monetary advantage that comes along as well.

“A new Neighborhood Council means more funding for the Westwood Village area. It also means more perspectives and more public input and that is always a good thing,” said Alison Simard, the Director of Communications for Councilmember Koretz.

According to Gibson Nyambura, NWWNC’s repseretnive from the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, the neighborhood council is granted $42,000 annually to invest in the community through initiatives and events.

Andrew Thomas, Executive Director for the Westwood Village Improvement Association (WVIA), hopes to work together with the new neighborhood council in ways to benefit both businesses and students.

“We are hopeful that the WVIA and the NWWNC can raise their combined voices to improve the business climate in Westwood. We believe that meeting this goal will benefit not only our businesses and commercial property owners, but all of our stakeholders including visitors, UCLA students, renters, and homeowners,” Thomas said.

Skiles a Philosophy Ph.D. Candidate at UCLA told Century City Westwood News that he could not legally speak to what NWWNC hopes to accomplish, but did say that working to advocate for both Westwood Village businesses and UCLA students is a goal of his.

“I hope and expect that the council will work with Koretz and [the Los Angeles Department of] City Planning to pursue changes to make it easier for businesses and housing developments to come into Westwood,” Skiles said.

Now that NWWNC is officially operating, Thomas said he would like to see the council to use its influence and advocate for issues pertaining to food uses and parking requirements in Westwood Village. The Westwood Village Specific Plan (WVSP) governs much of business and development in  Westwood Village, and Thomas believes that much about this plan does not reflect the needs of stakeholders.

“We would like them to take supportive positions on issues the WVIA has already raised including amending the Westwood Village Specific Plan (WVSP) definitions for food uses and also the WVSP parking requirements that do nothing to add to our parking inventory but do serve to prevent tenant use changes and development in our district,” Thomas said.  “We plan to talk more about mobility, access, zoning and also a complete rewrite of the WVSP.”

Related Posts

Michael Madsen, Star of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, Dies at 67 in Malibu

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Actor Remembered for His Intense Performances and as a Poet  Actor Michael Madsen, known for his distinctive gravelly voice and...

Los Angeles City Council Cracks Down on ‘Disaster Tours’ in Pacific Palisades

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

City Council Bans Commercial Bus Tours in Burn Zone Amid Community Backlash Tour buses that have been operating in fire-ravaged...

Tow Truck Scammers Target Crash Victims Across L.A.: Authorities Warn of Fraud at Accident Scenes

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officials Urge Drivers to Stay Alert After Collisions as Rogue Operators Demand Inflated Fees  Motorists involved in vehicle accidents are...

Woman Dies After Melrose Store Altercation: LAPD Launches Homicide Investigation

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Critically Injured Young Woman Died July 2, After She was Badly Beaten at Work  The death of a woman critically...

CHP Officer Dies in Culver City Crash: Medical Emergency Suspected Behind Tragic Incident

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officer lost consciousness while transporting a suspect before crashing into a tree California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Cano died early...

L.A. Beaches Brace for Holiday Rush: Over 1 Million Visitors Expected This Fourth of July

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

County Officials Urge Beachgoers to Pack Out Their Trash and  Monitor Water Quality More than one million visitors are expected...

(Video) A visit to New York Bagel & Deli in Santa Monica

July 3, 2025

July 3, 2025

Authentic NY Style Bagels with Extra Creamy Cream Cheese and Multi-Cultural Desserts. Located at 2216 Wilshire Blvd. A visit to...

Hot Dogs & Rosé: Something About Her and The Culver Hotel Roll Out Summer Specials

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Westside Venues to Serve Playful Bites and Seasonal Sips For the Holiday Weekend A bold new offering is making its...

NeueHouse Hosts Bold One-Night Dinner With Culinary Phenomenon Diego Argoti

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Acclaimed Chef Brings Culinary Mischief With a Five-Course Tasting Experience. NeueHouse Hollywood will host an exclusive, one-night-only dining event on...

(Video) Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Go To Homefrontbuild.com For More Information @home_front_build Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles Go...

405 Crash Near the Getty Sends Three to Hospital: Two Seriously Hurt Near Site Where LAPD Sgt. Died

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Early Morning Multi-Vehicle Collision Shut Down Lanes Near Brentwood Three men were injured and traffic was snarled for hours following...

(Video) Jikoni, the AfriCali PopUp from celebrated cookbook author Kiano Moju Has Been Extended Until July 3 at Citizen Public Market

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Bold Flavors and Spice Merge with Crisp, Chewy Chapati. Delicious With a Caring Chef and Staff. Jikoni, the AfriCali PopUp...

Pentagon Orders Troop Drawdown in LA: 150 National Guard Members Reassigned to Wildfire Duty

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Federal Forces Begin Partial Withdrawal From Protest Response as California Leaders Push Back U.S. Northern Command announced Tuesday that 150...

California Highway Patrol Deploys for Independence Day Enforcement Surge

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

All Available Officers to Hit California Highways for Holiday Weekend As Californians gear up for Fourth of July festivities, the...

Court Postpones Arraignment for Driver in Malibu Crash That Killed Four Students

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Fraser Michael Bohm Faces Murder Charges in Fatal PCH Wreck  The arraignment for Fraser Michael Bohm, the 23-year-old man accused...