Re “WeHo receives feedback on Willoughby/Gardner project,” May 23 issue

One of the salient points of this entire discussion does not appear in this article. The WeHo City Council majority, in a 3-2 vote, approved this project knowing full well that the community had NEVER been informed specifically that 56% of the residential street parking from Lexington Avenue to Fountain Avenue on Gardner Street – parking in front of their apartments – was being removed to install bike lanes. I urge readers to watch the beginning of Item 5.A at weho.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=22&clip_id=4050.

Right from the get-go, Mayor John Erickson says, “Do we want a staff report?” and then says, “Although I am sure the staff report is lovely but we don’t need one.” The problem is the COMMUNITY DID NEED ONE.

The staff was asked several times if the residents were notified specifically about the loss of parking and each time, staff told council that neighbors had NOT been notified, and yet Mayor Erickson, Vice Mayor Chelsea Byers and Councilmember Sepi Shyne voted in favor of the plan, with Byers stating that she would, “happily inconvenience motorists for the safety of cyclists.”

Fast forward to the May 21 meeting that was granted to the public. This time, the city DID send out a postcard but LEFT OFF any mention of the removal of parking. Not one of the three council members who voted to push through this plan attended the above referenced meeting. Staff members, who were in attendance, did not shed any specific light on the loss of residents’ parking.  The same thing is in the works for Fountain Avenue, to cut the traffic lanes down to one lane in each direction, with protected bike lanes installed, but no plan as to where the residents who park at night along Fountain Avenue from La Cienega to La Brea should go to park their cars which they rely on for travel to work, doctors’ offices, to take their children to school or to grocery shop, all things which could never be done on a bicycle.

Stephanie Harker

West Hollywood

Residents first! We have to live with the decisions made by the City Council, and they should always put the concerns and needs of residents above all else when making decisions which will impact us.

Not only was that not done when the council majority voted to take away 56% of the parking on Gardner, this meeting failed to address these issues and I fear it was by design. No mention was made of the loss of parking on the card they sent. No council member who voted to take away these spaces showed up to answer the questions of residents.

George Nickle

West Hollywood

I am a resident of West Hollywood for over 24 years. I live on one of the streets parallel to Lexington. I always drive through on Gardner. For safety reasons, I don’t want to name the street that I live on.

Parking in West Hollywood has always been a problem. However, since COVID lockdowns and the opening of new businesses like clubs and expensive condominiums without parking spaces, the parking issue has become worse.

As we all know, crime has increased in every neighborhood. I get the notifications from the Citizens App. There are stabbings, assaults with knives and other types of weapons happening every other hour within two miles. We need to keep our spaces because in the buildings surrounding me, roommates move in and they only have one parking space in the garage, or none. They are forced to park outside of the building. Since housing is already expensive and parking is not available, people move out after one or two years.

Not everyone can ride a bicycle or is willing to take Metro. As a single woman, I am scared to take Metro. There are also many groups that cannot ride bicycles, including pregnant women, senior citizens, disabled citizens and injured citizens.

We need our cars and we need our parking spaces.

Lara K.

West Hollywood

Speaking only in terms of the Gardner Street parking issue, this meeting was nothing more than an attempt at appeasement to residents rather than an actual conversation about losing much needed parking. None of us want bicyclists to be unsafe, but the neighborhood residents DIRECTLY impacted by these changes must be prioritized.

Our safety is just as relevant, and when there is no place to park near where people live, it is a safety issue. Other issues are impacted by this, such as where trash cans will have to be placed, where family members visiting can park, where gardeners and other service personnel can park. Too many issues to be addressed, and unfortunately the community meeting did none of that.

Lynne White

West Hollywood

This meeting represents the frustrations of a community that feels that City Hall has lost touch with the residents who have to live with the real-life experiences of decisions made in a bureaucratic vacuum.

Increasingly, it seems that policymaking is intentionally done through less-than-transparent communications and meetings. Clearly, West Hollywood residents have had enough and the push-back has just begun on this and several other important local issues. Congratulations to organizers Cathy Blaivas and Stephanie Harker for their selfless dedication to the city. Kudos too to community leaders like John Duran, Steve Martin and George Nickle for the fire in their bellies. We need to get back to the nuts and bolts of sound municipal governance.

Alan M. Strasburg

West Hollywood