Here we are at the half year mark of 2019! We had a busy three months, and I'm ready to spring into summer!
What's been happening? Some highlights...
- One City, One Pride
- LA Pride Festival, Dyke March and Pride Parade
- Rainbow Key Awards
- Russian Arts & Culture Festival
- Women's Leadership Conference
- City Council Reorg & Installation
- Public Safety Awards
- Senior Month and Senior Health Fair
- West Hollywood Kids Fair
- Annual Arbor Day Celebration
- World Dog Day
What else?
In this second quarter, we extended temporary adult recreational retail licenses for the four existing cannabis shops, we made it illegal to ride any class of electric bicycle on sidewalks, and we approved a Budget for 2019/20. I also worked on a number of initiatives that were adopted by Council such as...
- 1343 N. LAUREL FEASIBILITY STUDY (Duran/Meister) - This item 1) Directs the Facilities & Field Services Division to hire a consultant to perform a study on the estimated costs and feasibility of various potential uses at Laurel House, focusing on uses supported by the community during the Community Visioning process: arts and culture, community gathering spaces and park; 2) Directs the Arts Division to further investigate Artists-In-Residence programs and arts-oriented non-profit program management and funding opportunities; and 3) Directs staff to present the findings of the feasibility study to the Historic Preservation Commission, Arts & Cultural Affairs Commission, and the Public Facilities Commission prior to returning to City Council.
- URBAN FORESTRY SYMPOSIUM (Meister) - Directs staff to organize and sponsor a symposium on urban forestry, focusing on the future of West Hollywood’s urban forest and featuring experts in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, forestry, ecological management and sustainability.
- COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REGARDING SCHOOL OPTIONS (D'Amico/Meister) - Directs staff to analyze the needs of families with school-age children in West Hollywood and perform community outreach with parents, LAUSD, and other community stakeholders.
- HUMAN TRAFFICKING NOTICING REQUIREMENTS (Meister) - Directs staff to amend the Municipal Code to expand the human trafficking notice required under California Civil Code Section 52.6 to include multiple languages, in addition to English, Spanish, and Chinese as currently required by state law.
- AMENDING INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (Meister) - Directs staff to amend the city's Integrated Pest Management Program to prohibit the use of glyphosate and educate residents and business owners on potential dangers of using products containing glyphosate.
Unfortunately, my colleagues did not support an initiative to develop a DESIGN REVIEW ADVISORY BOARD separate from the Planning Commission. The initiative presented an alternative structure to design review that would have added much-needed experience and expertise in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, design and sustainability, and would have helped foster unbiased review of projects at the Planning Commission level. Hopefully, our soon-to-be formed Design Studio will help fill in some of the gaps -- if not, I will be bringing this item back in the future.
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Looking for some summertime fun?
The City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts program presents the 2019 Summer Sounds FREE Outdoor Concert Series and Free Theatre in the Park. Yes, these events are free!
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 summer, everyone!
(Photos courtesy of City of West Hollywood/Photo credits Jon Viscott)