WSSM hosted our first post-pandemic community-wide Annual Meeting on the
evening of November 14, 2023 at St. Timothy’s Church Social Hall. It was wonderful
to gather together IN PERSON over dinner and to hear updates about what’s
happening in the City and in our neighborhood.
To welcome everyone back, WSSM hosted dinner for all dues paid members and
attendees enjoyed dinner catered by The Empenada Truck
Instead of looking back over the months of the pandemic, WSSM President Barbara
Broide told the audience that instead she was going to focus her remarks on what
might be referred to as “coming attractions” – what issues, pending policies and
changes we are likely to see and should watch for. She closed her
remarks by urging WSSM residents to get involved. The Association could cover
many additional issues and take more proactive stands if more neighbors would
offer to follow or get involved in just one specific issue or item. As citizens and the
Association are often blind-sided by the City when it releases major policy changes
and hearing dates with little advance notice, we must remain ever vigilant, watchful
and ready to respond. Jumping to respond to the City can, at times, steal away
resources from implementing projects that we would like to originate around
community needs or issues.
As always, WSSM serves as the link between local government and the community –
advocating for our residents, working to improve the community, responding to
proposed developments and policy proposals, and meeting and working with other
homeowner associations and neighborhood councils to amplify our voice.
Following Barbara’s comments, those attending heard a presentation by the
founders of United Neighbors, Maria and Jeff Kalban. United Neighbors is a local
and statewide coalition of neighborhood residential groups engaged in the
common goal of protecting single and multi-family neighborhoods while
supporting affordable and equitable housing for all. Maria is VP of the Sherman
Oaks HOA and Jeff is an architect who chairs the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood
Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee.
United Neighbors, is the organization that has brought together homeowner
associations from across the City to look at proposed upzoning plans from the City
to pursue our shared common goal to accommodate needed growth/density, while preserving our stable residential neighborhoods. (See:
https://www.unitedneighbors.net for further information about United Neighbors.)
United Neighbors reported on the meetings they have held with local
councilmembers and the corresponding community groups and recently held a
meeting with the Mayor’s office to show how zoning and land use practices
proposed by community organizations accomplishes needs for added density
without mandatory and broad brush rezoning of residential neighborhoods. The
focus is on placing development on our commercial corridors with mixed use
projects and adaptive reuse of office buildings for which there is no longer a need
and to incorporate these concepts into the Housing Element documents currently
being drafted by the City Planning Department. (The City must submit new zoning
maps to the State by February of next year to meet assigned housing goals. The
rezoning is meant to accommodate the assigned Regional Housing Needs
Assessment goals (RHNA) assigned to LA City by the State ,
with specific targets for each economic group of residents.
A map of the WSSM area was shared with different zoning scenarios (see PDF of the Presentation below).United Neighbors WSSM Presentation
The Westside has been identified as a “high resource” area and we do not yet know
how that designation will affect the housing goals and policies applied to the area.
The City and State wish to see density encouraged in high resource areas where
there is access to good jobs, transportation, educational facilities, etc.
Janet Turner our local deputy from Congressmember Ted Lieu’s office welcomed
WSSM constituents to the Congressional district. Our area has been moved to
Lieu’s district from Karen Bass’ former district / Sydney Kamlager’s current
Congressional district. She invited individuals to contact her on matters related to
the federal government (and that includes the Post Office). Councilmember
Yaroslavsky took ill the afternoon of our meeting and was unable to attend. Our
LAPD Senior Lead Officer Ballesteros was in an automobile accident while entering
St. Timothy’s parking lot and was unable to speak as planned, and the new LAPD
West LA Station Captain unfortunately had to attend the funeral of a WLA officer
the day of our Annual Meeting
At the sign-in table, attendees received the updated edition of the WSSM Community Resource Guide
with current contact information for City departments and elected representatives from all branches/levels of government. Displays about current issues were shown and shared with handouts available. WSSM members returned copies of the biannual survey of residents and those results are currently being compiled and will be reported to the membership.
An Annual Meeting planning committee has already been organized and plans are underway for the 2024 meeting. Stay tuned and save the tentative date of November 14, 2024