I can't believe it's springtime already -- 2019 is already flying by. I'm sure that's because when you're busy, time flies - and with City elections (thanks again for your support!), I was pretty busy! But with elections now behind us, it's back to business as usual.
Like what?
- 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count
- Ring Video Doorbell Rebate Program for Eastside Neighborhood Watch Areas (A WeHo Smart City Pilot)
- Senior Valentine's Day Dance
- Community Study Gallery Walk
- Pizza With Public Safety
- Metro Rail Crenshaw Northern Extension Community Meeting
- 24th Annual Women In Leadership Awards & Reception
- Play Ball
- She Angels Premier
There's more!
In this first quarter, I worked on a number of initiatives that were adopted by Council such as...
EMERGENCY FUND FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS (Meister) - directing staff to evaluate the creation of an emergency fund, which could be used to offset costs incurred by affordable housing providers to cover emergency situations including temporary tenant relocation.
JOB TRAINING AND WORK OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS (Meister/Heilman) - directing staff to evaluate the job training services currently available and explore options for expanding opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness in West Hollywood.
NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES (D'Amico/Meister) - directing staff to amend the City's procedure for approving traffic calming measures to eliminate the current petition process and replace it with a new community engagement strategy.
NEIGHBORHOOD-FRIENDLY MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND STANDARDS – R2/R3/R4 ZONING DISTRICTS (Meister) - directing staff to identify opportunities and develop design criteria and land use options that will advance neighborhood-friendly planning policies with the intent of addressing community concerns about neighborhood livability and out-of-scale residential development, and reducing impacts of new residential projects on adjacent properties and neighborhoods.
EVALUATION OF TRAFFIC SIGNAL SYNCHRONIZATION (Meister/D'Amico) - directing staff to evaluate the effectiveness of traffic signal synchronization and return to City Council with the results.
BIKE LANE STATUS REPORT AND EXPANSION (D'Amico/Meister) - directing staff to prepare a status update on current bike lanes in West Hollywood and an evaluation of potential bike lane expansion.
INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS FOR BLOCK BY BLOCK SECURITY AMBASSADORS (Meister) - directing staff to work with the Public Safety Commission to develop informational materials for Block by Block Security Ambassadors to distribute to community members when they witness infractions that could potentially warrant a citation, such as illegally parked cars, riding a scooter on the sidewalk or jaywalking.
PROGRAM TO SPAY/NEUTER COMMUNITY CATS (D'Amico/Meister) - directing staff to develop a program to help spay/neuter community cats in West Hollywood.
RESIDENTS TASK FORCE ON METRO RAIL (Meister/D'Amico) -- Not approved as written; however, Council agreed to direct staff to return with recommendations to further engage the community. That will be coming back to Council soon.
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We've had a few contentious issues at our last few Council meetings -- including whether or not to censure a colleague, and whether or not to ban a controversial film. Yes, a censure resolution was passed, and yes, we are moving forward with the film screening. See Council comments here.
For City News and Top Stories, check out the City's website. For upcoming City meetings and events, check out the City Calendar. For the latest City Council meeting agenda, visit the WeHoTV page on the City's website.
Happy spring, everyone!