West Los Angeles Sawtelle Neighborhood Council · Held

West Los Angeles Sawtelle Neighborhood Council meeting, September 23, 2026

September 23, 2026, 7 p.m. · Updated October 2, 2026

From the minutes: On Sept. 23, 2026 the board of the West Los Angeles Sawtelle Neighborhood Council voted 10-0-1 to oppose the November Charter proposal to replace the Area Planning Commissions, rejected 4-5-2 a letter asking for an enforceable 15 mph limit on Slow Streets, and approved up to $1,900 for anti-graffiti paint for murals 10-1-0, according to the board's draft minutes, a Google Doc with no tally sheets attached as of Oct. 1, 2026. It approved letters to LADOT and CD 11 on a Westgate and Mississippi greenway, a crosswalk and wayfinding signs, postponed the New West School traffic complaint to October, and postponed the motions against AB 2005, SB 1116 and AB 1751 by 6 votes to 5. The agenda had 34 items.

Outcomes for the September 23, 2026 meeting of the West Los Angeles Sawtelle Neighborhood Council come from its posted minutes.

Eleven of 15 board members were present; Alexandra Polin, Danilo Torro, Natasha Harkison and Ron Ben-Yehuda were absent. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. and adjourned at 8:45 p.m. The minutes are a Google Doc in the council’s meeting folder; the tally sheets it refers to were not attached as of Oct. 1, 2026, so the votes below come from its narrative (minutes).

Votes on routine items, from the minutes: the minutes of the last meeting, unanimous; the July and August expenditure reports (12), 10-0-1 with Monica Mejia-Lambert abstaining; community sponsorship, in name, of the Bundy Triangle Popup3 events (15.1), unanimous; committee member nominations (15.2, 16.5, 18.6), unanimous, with Johanna Minassian removed from the PLUM list and Susan Gates added; and a renters’ rights zine workshop with the Los Angeles Public Library (19.1), unanimous. The minutes record no vote result for the Homelessness and Public Safety Committee nominations (17.7).

11. Up to $1,900 for anti-graffiti paint for murals

• What it asks: Buy anti-graffiti paint for murals (agenda).
• Amount: Up to $1,900 (agenda).
• What happened: Approved 10-1-0 on a motion by Jay Handal, seconded by Pierre Tecon. Monica Mejia-Lambert voted no (minutes).

16.1. Neighborhood greenway on Westgate and Mississippi avenues

• What it asks: A letter asking LADOT and CD 11 for a neighborhood greenway on Westgate Ave. from Ohio Ave. to Mississippi Ave. and on Mississippi Ave. from Bundy Dr. to Sawtelle Blvd., with no loss of parking, and a study of limiting car access at Mississippi and Bundy (agenda).
• Who it affects: Students traveling between University High and the Expo/Bundy station, per the letter (agenda).
• Who brought it: The Mobility and Environmental Committee (agenda).
• What happened: Approved unanimously in one vote on items 16.1 to 16.3 (minutes).

16.2. Crosswalk at the Sawtelle and Tennessee offramp

• What it asks: A letter asking LADOT and CD 11 to repaint the crosswalk as a striped continental crosswalk and rotate the “Do not walk” signal 90 degrees to face pedestrians (agenda).
• Who brought it: The Mobility and Environmental Committee (agenda).
• What happened: Approved unanimously in one vote on items 16.1 to 16.3 (minutes).

16.3. Wayfinding signs to the Expo/Sepulveda Station

• What it asks: A letter asking LADOT and CD 11 to install pedestrian wayfinding signs between Sawtelle Japantown and the Expo/Sepulveda Metro station (agenda).
• Who brought it: The Mobility and Environmental Committee (agenda).
• What happened: Approved unanimously in one vote on items 16.1 to 16.3 (minutes).

16.4. Enforceable 15 mph limit on Slow Streets

• What it asks: A letter asking LADOT and CD 11 to lower and codify the speed limit on the Slow Streets network from 25 mph to 15 mph. The letter says autonomous vehicles follow the posted 25 mph limit, not the advisory 15 mph signs (agenda).
• Who brought it: The Mobility and Environmental Committee (agenda).
• What happened: The motion failed 4-5-2. Jay Handal moved and Walton Chiu seconded. Yes: Chiu, Malcolm Ray, Handal and Vic Pacheco. No: James Altuner, Tascha Folsoi, David Swartz, Adriane Ransom and Vince Peagler III. Pierre Tecon and Monica Mejia-Lambert abstained (minutes).

17.5. Lighted crosswalks at Iowa and Barrington avenues

• What it asks: Ask CD 11 to have LADOT study lighted crosswalks at Iowa Ave. and Barrington Ave. and provide a year of traffic crash and pedestrian collision history (agenda).
• Who brought it: The Public Safety and Homelessness Committee (agenda).
• What happened: The minutes say motions under item 17 were bundled, on a motion by James Altuner seconded by Jay Handal, and give no vote result (minutes).

18.1. Complaint over New West School traffic

• What it asks: File a complaint with City Planning, Building and Safety code enforcement and CD 11 about the school’s conditional use permit and traffic management plan, propose a vanpool, parking enforcement, a daily traffic guide and pickup-hour parking limits, and file a Community Impact Statement (agenda).
• Who brought it: The PLUM Committee, 4-0-1 (agenda).
• What happened: The board first bundled items 18.1 and 18.2, then unbundled them after a resident’s comment on the school traffic. It postponed this motion to the October meeting, unanimously, on a motion by Jay Handal, seconded by David Swartz (minutes).

18.2. Opposing the end of the Area Planning Commissions

• What it asks: Oppose the Charter proposal on the November 2026 ballot to consolidate the Area Planning Commissions, including the West LA APC, into a single Neighborhood Appeals Board, and file a Community Impact Statement (agenda).
• Who brought it: The PLUM Committee, 5-0-0 (agenda).
• What happened: Approved 10-0-1 on a motion by Jay Handal, seconded by Pierre Tecon. Monica Mejia-Lambert abstained (minutes).

18.3. Opposing AB 2005

• What it asks: Ask the City to tell the state it opposes AB 2005, which changes owner-occupancy rules for SB 9 lot splits, and file a Community Impact Statement (agenda).
• Who brought it: The PLUM Committee, 6-0 (agenda).
• History: These three bill motions (18.3 to 18.5) were items 19.7 to 19.9 on the Aug. 26 agenda. The board postponed them 15-0-0 that night (Aug. 26 minutes).
• What happened: Postponed again, with items 18.4 and 18.5, on a motion by Jay Handal, seconded by James Altuner. Six voted to postpone: Handal, Walton Chiu, Monica Mejia-Lambert, Malcolm Ray, Altuner and Vic Pacheco. Five voted against: David Swartz, Tascha Folsoi, Vince Peagler III, Adriane Ransom and Pierre Tecon (minutes).

18.4. Opposing SB 1116

• What it asks: Ask CD 11 and the City Council to oppose SB 1116, which the motion says allows 10 units on any vacant single-family lot, and file a Community Impact Statement (agenda).
• Who brought it: The PLUM Committee, 4-0-0 (agenda).
• What happened: Postponed 6-5 in the vote on items 18.3 to 18.5 (minutes).

18.5. Opposing AB 1751

• What it asks: Ask CD 11 and the City Council to oppose AB 1751, which the motion says allows row townhouses on any single-family lot without public input, and request for Los Angeles the exemption granted to San Francisco, and file a Community Impact Statement (agenda).
• Who brought it: The PLUM Committee, 4-0-0 (agenda).
• What happened: Postponed 6-5 in the vote on items 18.3 to 18.5 (minutes).

Previous meeting: September 15, 2026 · All meetings