June 22, 2025 Your Source for Brentwood News

Neighborhood Councils Spar For Control of Westwood Village

Students, businesses, establishment politics clash.

By Sam Catanzaro

There is a debate heating up over local politics in West Los Angeles around the creation of a new neighborhood council.

For years, all of Westwood was under the jurisdiction of the Westwood Neighborhood Council (WWNC) but earlier this year, students and Westwood residents voted to create a new neighborhood council in Westwood. Known as the North Westwood Neighborhood Council (NWWNC)  the borders of this new council include UCLA, Westwood Village and the North Village.

The creation of the NWWNC came after many UCLA students, faculty and staff felt their concerns and interests were not being met by the WWNC.

“We the stakeholders of North Westwood deserve a council that represents us and works to address the needs of our community. When Westwood’s rents are the highest in the state, and students are forced into homelessness or cramming 8 students into units made for 2, we need a council that’s focused on building housing catered to students walking to campus,” said Michael Skiles, president of the UCLA Graduate Students Association and a member of Westwood Forward. “WWNC repeatedly opposed UCLA’s housing projects, fraternity houses and private housing development projects that would considerably alleviate our housing crisis.”

While Brentwood News could not verify that Westwood rents are the highest in the state, according to a 2016 Apartment List study, the average rent for a two-bed in Westwood, $4,200 a month, is the highest in Los Angeles.

Lisa Chapman, President of the Westwood Neighborhood Council says, however, that this new neighborhood council is unnecessary and will only divide the Westwood community.

“There was no reason to subdivide this Neighborhood Council. The UCLA students have had the opportunity to run and win a majority of seats on the existing council for many years, they have never chosen to do so. Instead, they chose to divide and tear apart an entire community,” Chapman said.

In addition, Chapman accuses the Westwood Village Improvement Association (WVIA), which is the business improvement district (BID) in Westwood, of encouraging students to create the NWWNC to allow the BID to push through an agenda without opposition.

“The BID wanted the students to be in charge of the Village, because they knew they would be an easy target to push any agenda through without any oversight or opposition,” Chapman said. “This was maneuvered and influence by the Westwood BID executive Director, Andrew Thomas, and board member Kevin Crummy.”

Chapman bases her claims off of documents published on the blog michaelkohlhaas.org. The documents can be read by visiting https://bit.ly/2OCI4ti.

After the vote to create the NWWNC, the WWNC drew up boundaries that would have shared jurisdiction of Westwood Village between the two neighborhood councils. Earlier this month, however, the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC) approved boundaries that gave the NWWNC sole control of Westwood Village. Skiles says this will make it easier for businesses to operate in Westwood Village.

“It would have been a nightmare for every proposed business and development to have to go before 2 different councils and their respective committees, especially when WWNC has brought back some projects as many as 10 times,” Skiles said.

Last month,  BONC approved the borders and bylaws for the NWWNC, officially certifying it as the 98th neighborhood council within the City of Los Angeles.

Within the neighborhood council, there are several avenues for students to serve. There’s one graduate student seat, two undergraduate seats and three at-large seats open to all stakeholders as well as two organizational seats open to those engaged in any organization within the community.

Related Posts

Brentwood Book Signing Explores Why Wolves Matter to Nature’s Balance

June 21, 2025

June 21, 2025

Children’s Author Karen B. Winnick to Appear June 22 at DIESEL, A Bookstore Children’s author and wildlife advocate Karen B....

Weekend Lane Closures on PCH in Malibu Could Snarl Summer Beach Traffic

June 21, 2025

June 21, 2025

Army Corps Work Triggers Weekend Closure on Pacific Coast Highway Motorists traveling along Pacific Coast Highway this weekend should prepare...

LA City Councilwomen Yaroslavsky and Jurado Call for Legal Action Against Federal Immigration Raids

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

City Motion Targets Alleged Unconstitutional Tactics, End Qualified Immunity for Fed Officers  City Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Ysabel Jurado introduced...

All Aboard to LAX: Metro Opens Game-Changing Transit Hub Ahead of Global Events

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

 New LAX/Metro Transit Center Comes Closer to Connecting Metro Directly to LAX The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)...

Princess Diana’s Largest Wardrobe Auction Set for Beverly Hills

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Over 200 Royal Garments to Hit the Auction Block for Charity More than 200 garments and royal artifacts, including the...

Queer Beauty Through the Ages: Getty Hosts Lecture on Greek Art’s Influence on LGBTQ Aesthetics

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Art Historian to Trace Homoerotic Imagery From Ancient Greece to Modern Queer Identity As part of its ongoing Pride Month...

Food Fight on the Venice Boardwalk: Chefs Stand Up for Immigrants with Food

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Turk’s Pizza Party Rallies Top Local Eateries for an Immigrant Rights Fundraiser In a bold display of culinary activism, Turk’s...

Navy Vietnam Vet Finally Gets His UCLA Commencement Moment

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

John Fong, 80, Missed His Graduation in 1968 While in Vietnam  Nearly six decades after completing his studies, U.S. Navy...

Films, Flair, and Panoramas: Free Cultural Events Light Up The Ebell This Week

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

The Ebell Theatre Hosts a Double Feature of Films, Plus a Coffee Talk A pair of free public events this...

9th Circuit Court Backs Trump in Battle Over California National Guard Control

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

Federal Judges Allow Trump to Retain Command of Troops in Los Angeles Federal judges on Thursday cleared the way for...

Nightly I-405 Lane Closures Begin June 23 for Sepulveda Pass Rehab

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

Caltrans Will Shut Down Select Lanes Nightly Through June 28 The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced overnight lane...

Brentwood Weekly Crime Report: June 8, 2025 – June 14, 2025

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

SLO Kirk Resumes Reports with Roundup of Brentwood Crimes In the first Brentwood crime report released since Senior Lead Officer...

(Video) Where great minds grow at The Willows Community School

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

The Willows, a DK-8 co-educational school, enrolls 474 students from 57+ zip codes annually. As a balanced, progressive educational leader, experiential learning,...

(Video) The Guest List Collab Dinner with Chef Raphael Lunetta and Chef Alan Wong

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

Held at Marelle Restaurant at The Sandbourne Hotel in Santa Monica. An Incredible mix of Hawaiian and Santa Monica’s flavors...

Summer Pop-Ups Serve Crullers, Challah Donuts, Croissants, Coffee and Musical Vibes

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

Nyletta Nyletta, Challah Dad, Des Croissants Paris Bring Pastry Delights to Culver City A pair of sweet summer pop-ups are...