First GWNC Meeting of the Year

The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council held its first meeting of the new year last week, consisting of largely administrative duties, including listening to reports from various city departments.

Among those reports, LAPD Senior Lead Officer Hebel Rodriquez reported on the recent increase of car break-ins and stolen cars in his Basic Car area. Rodriquez said there’s been a 25 precent increase in car break-ins recently, and a 43 percent increase in stolen cars, as well as theft of items that are left unattended. Rodriguez said some of crimes were attributed to a group of thieves who had traveled to LA from the Bay area, resulting in a spike in crimes. A recent story in the Los Angeles Times explained how the thieves, suspected gang members, traveled to Southern California to commit crimes against unsuspecting tourists at shopping centers, museums and other high-traffic areas during the holidays.

CD4 Field Deputy Rob Fisher reported that his office will be participating in the upcoming Homeless Count and encouraged GWNC members to also volunteer. Fisher also reported that the speed hump application process opens up on January 29.  Fisher said applicants should let the council office know they have applied, and he will follow up with the city Department of Transportation. He also reported that low-voltage upgrades maybe be causing some of the street light outages are occurring in the neighborhood. The outages are proving to be hard to troubleshoot and determine the source of the problem.

CD5 Field Deputy Kevin Nahai reported similar issues with street lights on Citrus Avenue in his district. He reported that his office has been working to get city agencies to conduct homeless encampment clean-ups five days a week. If residents see an  encampment, he said, they should report it. He also noted that his office is asking a developer proposing a girls school at First and La Brea to do a traffic study.

Tammy Rosato, who represents the La Brea Hancock neighborhood on the GWNC, gave a report on her neighborhood. La Brea Hancock is bordered by Wilshire Blvd., La Brea Ave., Third Street and Citrus Ave.  It has close to 300 homes, and is considered one of the most walkable neighborhoods in the city.  Rosato said the neighborhood will be the new home of the Hornburg Jaguar-Land Rover dealership, at 4th and La Brea, as well as a new City Target across the street. Rosato said that though the neighborhood has lost 15-20 percent of its original homes, it still qualified for new R-1 zoning rules that prohibit mansionization and have slowed the destruction of the neighborhood’s historic homes. Rosato said neighbors are also concerned about how new rules for development near transit might impact her “diverse neighborhood of young families and longtime residents;  LA Brea Hancock is very LA.”

Committee reports

The GWNC Outreach Committee reported on its efforts to organize volunteers for the Homeless Count on January 23 – from 8:00 p.m. -11:30 p.m. Volunteers can click here for more information on how to get involved.

GWNC Sustainability Committee member Dan Kegel recommended filing a Community Impact Statement in support of converting the city’s fleet of trucks and cars to zero-emissions vehicles. Sustainability Committee Chair Julie Stromberg noted the City’s Safe Sidewalks report is now available for public comment, and she urged residents to review it and weigh in. Finally, Stromberg reported that 200 people have signed up to participate in the GWNC’s BioDiversity Pilot Project, a partnership with the neighborhood council and LASan.

The next meeting of the GWNC will be held on Wednesday, February 12, at 7 p.m. at the Ebell of Los Angeles, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd.