HOLMBY NEWS
November 22, 2024
From the Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association, serving the Holmby Westwood community since 1960.
1. LAPD Crime Report
2. Holiday Package Safety
3. Coyote Sightings & Safety Reminders
4. Housing Element Rezoning Update
5. Holmby Park Update – Maintenance Staff
6. Dumpsters in the Dark – Take Safety Precautions
7. Westwood Village Holiday Market & Tree Lighting
8. West LAPD Holiday Toy Drive
9. Activities & Things to Do
10. Local Discounts & HWPOA Benefits
1. LAPD CRIME REPORT
BURGLARY
900 BLOCK MALCOLM
Tues., 11/5/24 @ 4:00 pm
Unknown suspect forced entry through doggy door and unlocked interior door lock. Suspect repositioned camera, ransacked home and stole jewelry.
BURGLARY
400 BLOCK DALEHURST
Thurs., 11/14/24 @ 7:55 pm
2 Male unknown suspects smashed rear sliding door. Suspects ransacked and took designer handbags. CCTV showed one suspect talking on a phone. Suspects were wearing gloves.
File a Police Report Online: click here
EMERGENCY: 911
NON-EMERGENCY: 1-877-275-5273
All other City Services: 311
West L.A. Community Police Station –1663 Butler Ave.
James Allen, Senior Lead Officer
Office: 310-444-0741
Email: 39318@lapd.online
West LA Community Police Station Website: click here
LAPD Website: www.lapdonline.org
2. HOLIDAY PACKAGE SAFETY
What comes after Black Friday and Cyber Monday? “Package Theft Wednesday”, the biggest day of the year for package thieves. With the holiday season there are more packages and thieves who want to take advantage of the ripe pickings.
It is never safe to leave packages by your front door. Please have packages delivered with “signature required” or have them delivered to another location (such as a business office) where it can be handed to a person directly. We also suggest following these simple tips…
DO
- Check your email alerts to know when packages have arrived.
- Bring packages into the house as soon as possible.
- If no one is around to receive packages, have them delivered to a safer location, like a workplace or a Smart Locker.
- Check delivery dates to make sure packages don’t arrive when you’re away. If this can’t be avoided, have a friend or neighbor hold them for you.
DON’T
- Leave packages out all day or overnight.
- Leave outgoing mail in your mailbox, especially any bills with checks.
- Thieves are getting more creative and some will arrive at your door with a food delivery bag, leaving with your belongings when they see no one is home. Be on the lookout for suspicious activity.
3. COYOTE SIGHTINGS & SAFETY REMINDERS
HWPOA has received several reports about coyote sightings in the vicinity of Holmby Park, Comstock, Warner and Wyton. One person described the coyote she saw as being “as big as a German Shepherd”.
This is a good reminder to take safety precautions for potential encounters with coyotes.
LA Animal Services Safety Tips:
Encounters with Coyotes
COYOTE ENCOUNTERS – KEEP CHILDREN & PETS SAFE
- Small animals and children should not be left outside unattended if there are coyotes in your area. Never leave small children and pets unattended outdoors even if your yard is fenced.
- Walk your dog on a leash at all times — not only is it the law, but it will keep your pet safe. Do not allow your dog to interact or “play” with a coyote.
- If you see coyotes, make loud noises and scare them away: bang pots and pans, use a whistle, etc. BUT, they are smart and you cannot keeping making the same noise and expect the coyotes to fall for the same trick over and over.
- When you are walking your dog in areas known to have coyotes, you can carry a loud whistle or even an umbrella that you can open and close rapidly to scare them away. Unlike the approach with an aggressive dog, you can raise your arms above your head and stomp your feet while shouting at the coyote to scare them away.
- Bring cats and dogs inside at night.
4. HOUSING ELEMENT REZONING UPDATE
Earlier this week, LA City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) held a hearing to discuss the Housing Element Rezoning ordinance. This ordinance aims to rezone areas of the city to allow for multi-family housing developments such as apartment buildings. There are several drafts of the proposed ordinance but only one draft will protect single-family neighborhoods from needless development. This draft is known as “Draft #3 of the CHIP LA Housing Element without Exhibit D”.
The following information summarizes the results of this week’s PLUM hearing. Thank you to the United Neighbors group for keeping us updated and for working so hard to preserve single-family neighborhoods!
Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUM) of the City Council voted unanimously to support Draft #3 without Exhibit D!! There was no discussion about adding single family neighborhoods among the committee members.
We want to thank those of you that came down and spoke at the hearing. For the first time we were not overwhelmed by the opposition. We had great speakers and enough of us to show that neighborhoods matter. To those that were intending to come but couldn’t at the last minute, we thank you as well. And especially to all HOAs, NCs, and individuals that took the time to send statements to the council file and to the councilmembers, thank you.
One important moment at the hearing was the huge announcement by Vince Bertoni (LA City Planning Director) that the CHIP Draft #3 as presented had been sent to the State for input and he had just received confirmation that the State would certify this draft as written.
This now goes to the full City Council. We have one last task and that is to send letters to our own councilmembers letting them know we support this draft. This draft will be heard quickly before the early Holiday recess. We think we have the votes but your outreach to your councilmember is critical.
Again thank you all. Thank you for your community leadership and your willingness to band together so our voices were heard. We have new challenges ahead for our communities but for now we are pleased and grateful.
Best regards,
Maria, Cindy, Jeff, Marc
United Neighbors
5. HOLMBY PARK UPDATE – MAINTENANCE STAFF
Who takes care of Holmby Park?
For our residents who spend time in Holmby Park, there are three gentlemen responsible for maintaining the park grounds. Meet Jesus, CoCo and Salvador! We are so grateful to them for the wonderful condition of the ground cover, the flowers and shrubs, the play equipment, and trash receptacles.
On your next visit to the park, be sure to say “hi” and thank them for all they do!
6. DUMPSTERS IN THE DARK – TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
A neighbor has reported a concern regarding dumpsters on the street that are being used for construction projects. Many of theses dumpsters are black iron with no reflectors or cones around them. As such, they are difficult to see when it gets dark. This could lead to a car accident if a driver doesn’t see it.
If you have a dumpster in front of your house, please make sure that it has reflectors or is surrounded by cones. Please speak to your contractor if it does not. Thank you.
7. WESTWOOD VILLAGE HOLIDAY MARKET & TREE LIGHTING
Broxton Plaza
Holiday Market & Tree Lighting
Join us at Broxton Plaza’s Holiday Market for a festive day filled with holiday cheer, hosted by the Westwood Village Improvement Association and The Pop-Up Shoppe. Our family-friendly market transforms Broxton Plaza into a winter wonderland with live music, seasonal activities, and dazzling tree lighting.
Saturday, November 23, 2024
2:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Broxton Plaza
1036 Broxton Ave
- Shop 40+ local artisan vendors for unique gifts
- Holiday tree lighting celebration
- Holiday tunes with The Soundbox DJ Truck & UCLA student performances
- Kids’ crafts, whimsical story time & play area
- Free photos with Santa & Mrs. Claus
- Beer garden with seasonal brews and hot cocoa for all ages
- Holiday pet parade
- Snow machine
- Raffle prizes
- Free Broxton Plaza swag
- Broxton Plaza between Weyburn & Kinross
- Parking $5 flat after 5pm at the Broxton Ave Public Parking Structure
8. WEST LAPD HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE
West Los Angeles Station will be hosting its Annual Toy Giveaway on December 18, 2024. Toy drive collection begins today and will end on December 17, 2024.
Please donate Unwrapped and New Toys for kids Ages 8-12. Toys can be dropped off at West Los Angeles Station lobby between the hours of 7 am and 8 pm.
TOY DROP-OFF LOCATION:
WLA Community Police Station
1663 Butler Ave.
Nov. 1 – Dec. 17
7:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thank you!
9. ACTIVITIES & THINGS TO DO
Botany of the Holidays
Thursday, December 5 from 5:30-6:30pm
at the UCLA Botanical Garden in La Kretz Garden Pavilion
Explore the botanical origins of some winter holiday traditions! De-stress from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and celebrate with the Garden! Join us to learn about the history of various plants in our collection and their use in holiday traditions.
This annual event is free and open to the public.
Messiah Sing-a-Long
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at 8:00 PM
at Westwood Presbyterian Church, 10822 Wilshire Blvd.
Westwood Presbyterian Church’s Music at Westwood presents their annual performance of George Frederic Handel’s Messiah on Friday evening, December 6, 2024, at 8 pm. The audience will join the Westwood Presbyterian Chancel Choir, six esteemed vocal soloists and the Westwood Presbyterian Chamber Orchestra, forming a 150-voice choir as part of the traditional “Messiah Sing-Along,” one of the few events of this kind in greater Los Angeles.
Composed over a three-week period in 1741, “Messiah” is a holiday favorite and regarded as one of the Handel’s finest oratorios. It includes such renowned arias and choruses as the celebratory “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted”, the exuberant “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion” and the majestic “Hallelujah”.
Tickets and Additional Information
MoMA Contenders – 10 Nights of Cinema
December 3-19 at 7:30 PM
at the Hammer Museum
The Hammer Museum presents MoMA Contenders, The Museum of Modern Art’s renowned series of influential, innovative films from the past 12 months. Whether bound for awards glory or cult classic status, each of these films is a contender for lasting historical significance.
This year’s lineup includes a conversation with actor Danielle Deadwyler following The Piano Lesson, a post-screening conversation with writer-director Steve McQueen after Blitz, and writer-director India Donaldson joining us for her feature debut, Good One;Late Night with the Devil followed by a Q&A withactor David Dastmalchian, andSean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner Anora. Don’t miss the chance to experience powerful performances from Adrien Brody, Zoe Saldaña, and Angelina Jolie, alongside these unforgettable films and special guest appearances.
Mark your calendars for November 25 when general public tickets go on sale. These screenings tend to sell out fast and you definitely won’t want to miss out on the chance to see these films with in-person special guest appearances.For tickets and to see a list of film screenings, please click here:
10. LOCAL DISCOUNTS & HWPOA BENEFITS
Below you will find links to discounts and benefits that local businesses have offered to HWPOA members. We hope to add more as often as we can. Please let us know if you would like to submit additional discounts for other Westwood retailers.
Current benefits include:
- ACS Security – $150 account credit towards Patrol or Alarm Monitoring*. Please call 310-446-0527 ext 3 or email info@acssecurity.com and mention Holmby Hills July 4th.
*New customers only, agreement required. - SSA Security – For new clients, SSA will waive the $110 sign-up fee and the 1st month will be 50% of the going fee. New clients who pay for a full year in advance will receive an additional free month. Valid until the end of 2024.
- Campus Shoe Repair – 10% off any shoe or bag repair
Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 49180
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (310) 470-1785 (call/text)
Email: hwpoa@aol.com OR info@holmbywestwoodpoa.org
Website: www.holmbywestwoodpoa.org
Pay Membership Dues: https://hwpoa.square.site/
You Are Invited . . .
- To attend our monthly Board Meetings*
- To let us know your concerns about our community and your ideas about how we might work to improve it
- To become involved in our Association.
*Board Meetings are usually held the second Tuesday of each month. Please confirm prior to attending.