City Council is devoting its meeting on Monday to the topics of public safety and well-being. A recent survey, publicly derided by city officials, found public safety and homelessness to be the greatest concerns of WeHo residents by huge margins. Here’s how they’ll attempt to tackle some of the myriad problems:
PROBLEM: Spiked drinks and rapes in the Rainbow District
SOLUTION: A new training manual and mandatory signage for bar/restaurants. The signs offer simple tips on how to stay safe while out drinking.
PROGNOSIS: Thoughts, ladies? Will these signs help you avoid blacking out and getting sexually assaulted? How about a “Don’t Spike Her Drink” sign? The city seems to be placing a lot of the burden of keeping safe on the victim. Why not use the signage to warn perpetrators of what happens when they commit these sick crimes?
PROBLEM: Crime on the East Side
SOLUTION: Staff a safety kiosk with Security Ambassadors.
COST: $140,000
PROGNOSIS: Even Public Safety commissioners think the kiosk “won’t do shit” to stem the enduring crime problem east of Fairfax. Why not just fund the foot patrols everybody wants?
PROBLEM: Homeless people committing crimes
SOLUTION: A new emergency service called the Crisis Response Unit that will will act as a 9-1-1 for lesser emergencies. Instead of law enforcement officers, consultants, quasi-medical personnel and social workers will be deployed to deal with WeHo’s #1 problem.
COST: As much as $2 million to get started and $4 million annually.
PROGNOSIS: The Public Safety Commission foresaw the nightmare this presents to dispatchers, who will have to make the call on whether your emergency needs police or not. You remember the new phone number, right? (It’s 9-8-8.)
PROBLEM: Rampant pickpocketing and armed robberies on commercial streets
SOLUTION: Give rebates to businesses that install cameras and security systems, improve outdoor lighting and/or trim hedges.
COST: Up to $2,500 for every participating business
PROGNOSIS: Several recent armed robberies were captured in glorious detail on private security cameras. Do they actually do anything to deter future crimes? Will the people of WeHo even participate? They didn’t when the city tried this idea with homeowners.
FROM THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD:
The upcoming regular meeting of the City Council of the City of West Hollywood will take place on Monday, November 15, 2021 at 6 p.m. as a teleconference meeting and will focus on community safety and well-being. The meeting agenda includes items for the West Hollywood City Council to discuss and define goals regarding community safety and well-being and to facilitate feedback from community members through public comment. This will assist in the development of policies, programs, and funding strategies that are aligned with priorities. The City Council will consider items related to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, security services, alternative crisis response and mental health services, and more.
Details about this meeting, including a link to the agenda packet, viewing information, and are posted at www.weho.org/councilagendas. The meeting agenda contains information about how to view the meeting, how to provide written correspondence or e-comments, and how to provide public comment by phone.
All community members may view City Council meetings by livestream by visiting the City’s website at www.weho.org/wehotv. City Council meetings are also livestreamed as a courtesy on the City’s YouTube channel; on streaming services such as AndroidTV, AppleTV, FireTV, and Roku; and through broadcast on Spectrum Channel 10 in the City of West Hollywood.
Members of the public wishing to provide public comment on City Council meeting agenda items are encouraged to do so in the following ways:
- To participate by providing an e-Comment: Members of the public who wish to comment on matters before the City Council should visit www.weho.org/wehotv, scroll down to the November 15, 2021 City Council Agenda, click “E-Comment”, and select the agenda items that they wish to provide E-Comments.
- To participate by phone: Members of the public are encouraged to email Melissa Crowder, City of West Hollywood City Clerk, at [email protected] in advance of the City Council meeting to which you wish to be added to the public speaker list. Please include your name, the phone number from which you will be calling, and which item you would like to speak on. Dial-in instructions for each meeting will be provided in the Council Agenda for that meeting, posted at www.weho.org/councilagendas. Comments from members of the public are typically limited to two minutes per speaker, unless otherwise indicated by the Mayor or City Clerk.
How to make West Hollywood a safer place: Start issuing Concealed Carry Permits.
WHOA! No, No, No, Keep your hostilities un check. A wise person avoids trouble. One who is a “legend in his own mind” finds multiple opportunities to display aggression.
WHOA!!!No, No, No. Keep your hostilities in check. A wise person avoids trouble. One who is a “legend in their own mind”. funds multiple opportunities to display aggression. Not productive.
Couldn’t organize a dinner party for 2.
Watching a city council meeting of West Hollywood is a very uncomfortable ordeal.
Because you realize, as a resident or businesses owner, many aspects of life is in the hands of this ludicrous, talentless, and opinionated little cabal of elected officials aka pay-for-play political hacks. They arr the lowest form of humanity in the United States.
The only solution is critical ERASE theory or vote them out of office.
They are a sad bunch. Who knew a PhD in women studies wouldn’t prepare one for a real profession????
Critical Thinkers
This is a joke. Literally like a high school student council putting together ideas on how to make their school safer. People are being attacked and killed all over this city – install video cameras all over the damn city and increase patrol. It also wouldn’t hurt if the police force got out of their damn cars and started interacting with the population in non-intimidating ways. This is a small town and it’s pretty easy to know your citizens if you make the effort.
And they STILL resist developing WHPD, might take away from those fat salaries and rainbow cross walks.
yup.
Look at how much it would cost to have a WHPD. Not gonna happen.
https://weho.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=&event_id=1318&meta_id=219119
Do you know how much goes into developing a police department? I’m over the LASD and wish they would contract with the LAPD. LASD is too high and mighty to have foot patrols. But what comes along with a major police department is not just jails, but highly-trained detectives, and many other things. I’m all for flipping the switch from LASD to LAPD, even though both are corrupt, and have problems. WeHo creating its own police department would cost tens of millions. And they are running through that surplus very fast.
COPS on the streets. An energetic, active WATCH program. Citizen involvement. COPS on the streets. Etc.,
YUP. Cops on the street..visible. And SUPPORTED by the Council and the law-abiding citizens!
The $4 million for the homeless “Crisis Response Team” would be better spent putting every one of the 100 or so homeless people in the City into hotels. Four million a year would probably finance a 30 unit building to house homeless people. Anybody can throw money at a problem; the point is to do so effectively. I think City Hall’s issue with deputies on bike or foot patrols is that it it is not a glamorous gimmick that would attract headlines.
Good suggestion. The city is not interested in non glamorous problem solving and successful outcomes. Rather than critical thinking, they seem to prefer award ceremonies orchestrated by Director of Public Relations/Public Safety genuflecting to the SD.
No, Steve. The city will continue to kick the can down the road, by funding the food line at Romaine and La Brea (outside the city limits), and having their outreach program try to move people into shelters, in places like Tarzana. No NIMBYs will accept homeless services within the city limits, even if its just a day-time thing, like food service, toilets, showers, etc.. Meanwhile the lot at Crescent Heights and SMB just sits there and sits there, dormant. Owned by the city. For a city with constituents who seem to have “liberal values,” a lot of us should… Read more »
Almost all of the homeless are severely mentally ill. They need mental health services and medication. Housing them together in a hotel, or subjecting other residents to their degraded behavior would be so harmful to everyone.
Yup. Sticking them in a tax-payer hotel room is not the answer. The money would be better spent in building mental health facilities and changing the law so that they can be placed in those facilities when they are found mentally ill.
And what do you suggest if the homeless refuses this housing? Forcing them? Drugging them to accept housing (ok Ed Buck)? Prefrontal lobotomies? Like addicts and alcoholics you can’t force them into something they don’t desire.
Absolutely, Steve. It is one of the most complicated of issues. Trickle-down economics is what created this crisis. But I wish the City would do more. Offer homeless services, inside the city limits. Once again, all of the NIMBYs will oppose it. Just like they have everywhere else, including the shelter the City of LA wants to build near Griffith Park. People are more concerned about their property values, and their “safety,” than human life.
Change the laws so that when they are found mentally ill or drugged up out of their mind that they are forcibly placed into a facility. This was the case years ago before the laws were changed. If they get clarity at least they have a chance then to decide about a path. Doing what we have been doing has been a total disaster for them and for society.
I guess I would draw the line at lobotomies.
But if we offered hotel housing a number of people may get off the streets before they become addicts or, if but in a stable environment, some of those with mental health issues may be able to get back on their meds. I’m just saying $4 million for an emergency hot line seems like a lot of money for very little result.
The unfortunate reality is that we can’t MAKE unhoused folks accept an apt. We also can’t force an unhoused person into mental health services, unless they are a danger to themselves or others. This is not something that is easy to fix. I know, Steve, as a former councilmember, that you realize this is a highly complex problem. The money spent on a street team will hopefully guide some folks with mental illness into services. Also, unless the unhoused folks are committing crimes (and yes I know some are) we cant arrest them. Being unhoused is not a crime. I… Read more »
How much $$$ is wasted on the loud helicopter rides above Weho on the daily? Maybe cut those out of the budget.
Childish messages created by the city staff that do not live in West Hollywood literally or figuratively. Ensconced in City Hall with no real life relationship with the actual city landscape or residents. Next are we going to see a jingle delivered by Mr. Robinson, no disrespect to him personally, but is he playing to adults or children? Will we see clowns doing pantomime on street corners surrounded by cheering Sheriff deputies. How does this nonsense happen? When there are no serious problem solvers to craft old time reliable solutions the city sinks into chaos. City Manager would be wise… Read more »
Seems like the City Council twits are just putting more lipstick on the pig. What will the silly youngster ambassadors do in a kiosk, just sit and call 911? How about instead of a 12”z12” sign inside a bar installing a big beautiful neon billboard above SR2 and Robertson promoting self responsibility on protecting one’s drink and self? Oink Oink Oink says the new dressed up trans pig.
Ugh. That poster! Just like the wordy scooter posters, NO ONE READS THAT STUFF! They’re too busy drinkin and smokin in crowed OutZones and jammed like sardines on what’s left of the sidewalk. When there’s no room to move chaos erupts…..Fix that and we’ll all be safer.
Come on Manny you known that “sassy” posters laced with middle school sexual innuendo are the City’s signature approach to dealing with serious problems.
The first step should be a hiring freeze at City Hall. The workers and managers are obscenely overpaid. Then use the money to protect residents and hire more police. We clearly need foot patrols on Santa Monica Blvd. It’s an asylum for the criminally insane at this point.
YES
YESSSS!