Westside Urban Forum

12/08/2025

Thursday at Sorry Not Sorry in West LA. Join us! Talk about land use! Bring friends!

https://www.westsideurbanforum.com/upcomingevents/summer2025happyhour

25/01/2025

Our friends at Village Well Books are extending an offer to folks who lost their personal libraries in the fires.

https://www.facebook.com/villagewellcc/posts/pfbid0fyPKsus9YKQhot5ymNdLp6eCbRDGUNq1pApkPXmVzsFmNaj8pRMUMke4MesXbsK1l

Thinking about all the ways we can help our community members who have lost their homes in the wildfires, we’ve been touched by the people we’ve met in the shop who have lost everything. Many have shared that visiting here lightened their spirits because of the social connections people can make in this positive, wholesome environment. We’d like to encourage and facilitate this, so we’re offering gift cards to people who are in that circumstance. If that’s you, look for the link in our bio and let us know. ❤️‍🩹📚☕️

24/12/2024

Enjoy an extensive segment on LAist 's AirTalk with Wally Marks, owner of the Helms Bakery District and venue sponsor of WUF. He discusses the fascinating history of the bakery and his efforts to maintain it as a vibrant part of the community -- which it most certainly is!

https://laist.com/shows/airtalk/biden-commutes-federal-death-sentences-before-trump-takes-office

22/10/2024

If you mist last week's breakfast on new California legislation, here's a nice (unrelated) summary from Planetizen....

Whether you’re a TikTok enthusiast or a Substack reader, you can find plenty of valuable and engaging urban planning content in the new media landscape.

22/08/2024

WUF Board Member Tara Barauskas quoted in LAist's deep dive into proposed housing reforms, a topic near and dear to most WUF members:

“It really does limit where we can build....If there's this policy emphasis on really trying to make serious change for building more affordable housing, but these big blanket exclusions are still in place, it's a contradiction,” Barauskas said. “We're not going to be able to make the big shift we need.”

The city has a lot of work to do to meet state housing goals, including rezoning. But officials don’t want to touch single-family neighborhoods.

08/02/2024

The largest, and longest-awaited, development on the Westside is breaking ground. Perhaps fertile ground for discussion at WUF's annual Mayors Panel on Thursday, Feb. 16?

In Beverly Hills, construction is underway on a long-awaited condo and hotel complex valued at nearly $5 billion called One Beverly Hills

07/11/2023

Fun times this Wednesday! We're celebrating the winners of the 2023 Westside Urban Forum Design Awards with an informal happy hour, featuring 20+ of the most distinguished built and in-progress projects in L.A.

Wednesday 8 November, 6pm - 8pm, at Santa Monica Brew Works. For info and and registration....

Providing a platform for debate about land use issues that affect livability on the westside of Los Angeles.

17/03/2023

Los Angeles voted for Measure ULA, the so-called "mansion tax," in November to fund affordable housing. The city's need for housing is dire, but some developers say the tax could, ironically, discourage development.

On Thursday, March 23rd, 2023 at the Helms Design Center (7:45 am - 9:30 am PST) the Westside Urban Forum is holding a discussion regarding the measure's "Intended Taxes & Unintended Consequences."

WUF is pleased bring together an exciting slate of speakers – join me to hear from Jason Ward ( RAND Corporation), Tara Barauskas (Community Corporation of Santa Monica), Corey Joseph Hébert (Ethos Real Estate), Mott Smith (Amped Kitchens and City of LA Small Business Commission) in a conversation moderated by Victor De la Cruz (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP)

Visit the events page at WestsideUrbanForum.com for more information:

https://www.westsideurbanforum.com/events

25/02/2023

“I was invited by fellow Brentwood resident Josh Stephens to moderate a recent panel conversation conducted by the Westside Urban Forum, a group that meets regularly to talk about housing, transportation and infrastructure issues,” writes Jeff Hall in the latest Brentwood beat. “There was a notable difference between listening to these mayors of smaller cities and City of Los Angeles officials… these smaller cities have a lot more leeway when it comes to trying new things. Small can be good.”

https://brentwoodnewsla.com/brentwood-beat-westside-urban-forum-small-can-be-good/

25/02/2023

Jeff Hall wasn't just a great moderator for our Mayors Panel -- he's also a journalist! Here's his first-person account of the issues facing the Westside in Brentwood News L.A.

I was invited by fellow Brentwood resident Josh Stephens to moderate a recent panel conversation conducted by the Westside Urban...

18/02/2023

WUF presents its annual Westside Mayors Forum on Thursday, February 23 at Helms Bakery District!

Featuring mayors of Culver City - Local Government City Of Champions INGLEWOOD City of Santa Monica - Government and City of West Hollywood Government, moderated by Jeff Hall of Westside L.A. Today. Join us for a lively discussion of housing, homelessness, transportation, development, and much more.

To register, visit:
https://www.westsideurbanforum.com/events

18/01/2023

Great background info for our panel tomorrow, Thursday 19 January...

New policies in California demonstrate that people are finally recognizing the impact of cheap parking on housing affordability, urban sprawl and climate change.