COMMISSIONER PROFILE | Catherine Eng

Catherine Eng was recently appointed to the Business License Commission. WEHOville spoke with her about crime, cannabis and the joys of the East Side.

Give us your introduction.

I have spent most of my life and career being BTS (behind the scenes) so I don’t consider myself known! I am a native of California and other than a short New York stint, a lifelong resident of Los Angeles with close to 25 of it living or owning a residence in WeHo.

I have largely worked as an independent contractor with a career as a casting director and advertising producer. I represent a large community of freelance workers that are now very common in our modern workplace.

I still do some work in casting. Three years ago I began working in cannabis media and producing events such as one of the first cannabis award shows in 2019 at the London Hotel.  I produce medical conferences for the leading cannabis doctors in the nation. I work with an agency that represents cannabis geneticists, breeders, and cultivators to prioritize the mission of promoting biodiversity of the plant, and the protection of breeder’s IP rights.  And I am a consultant for the Hemp based Wonderfull CBD Company.

Where did you grow up?

Monterey Park, California.

What are your passions?

Discovery and evolving.  I’ll become aware of something new to me — new findings and studies — and suddenly a whole world opens up! I love dogs and nature. I have two dogs and walk around the city with them for one or two hours every day.  I make a point to “earth” (be barefoot in nature).  And I love connecting with people — when you find common causes, goals, projects, a synergy happens that I find so magical.  

You live on the city’s East Side and are a big advocate for the area. What makes it special? What are its unique needs?

The East Side of WeHo is not strongly identified as our city’s tourist area — so it has more of a low-key, neighborhood feel. Because it’s walkable to Gardner Street school, I see many families on the street. It feels like a majority of the remaining Russian community in this city is here as well. You’ll still find mom-and-pop Russian grocers on our end of Santa Monica Blvd..  In the early 2000s, I had an office at Quixote Studios and now the eastside is also home to OWN (Oprah’s studio) and the Lot — it’s a small production district. It’s not uncommon to see studio/crew types on our streets, which has always felt familiar to me.  The “celebrities” coming to this side of WeHo are usually coming for work. 

And the East Side has been home to Studs/The Pussycat theater and I am guessing the only massage parlors still left in WeHo.  The East Side was/is the city’s red light district!   The east side has so much vibe and eclectic flavor.

We have Plummer Park as a historic landmark and yet still 100 percent a neighborhood park. It’s home to WeHo’s only farmers market, where I shop every Monday. The dispensary that is now LACPG has been in the city for decades serving the community and specifically AIDS patients. The Formosa Cafe has been here in some version since the 1920s and has been featured in numerous films + countless media – it’s iconic. It’s a CENTURY old!

Unique needs: well, it’s dense — that’s tricky because it feels like a higher concentration of people and such a diverse population at that. The Russian community is aging and their needs will evolve and increase.  And frankly I think the East Side could use a little more TLC  in terms of street cleanings and I do see the cleaning crews….   so people, stop throwing trash around! And maybe we need the city crews out twice a day!

What does the future of the cannabis industry in WeHo look like?

The Cannabis industry — in California in particular —  is a quagmire.  So inherently the conditions are stacked against regulated businesses and have fed the unregulated market.

Tourism seems to be an obvious opportunity here and needs to be handled with the understanding that we have some trepidation with some residents. Once federal legalization hits, everything could change also. It’s basically all transitory for the time being and that’s something to be aware of for our cannabis businesses in this city.

As the new locations open, it’s essential that we provide a bridge for the businesses, their unique clientele and the residents surrounding them . I went before the Public Safety Commission recently to advocate for greater health and relevant knowledge about consumption. I have proposed that the city adopt a training protocol similar to the alcohol industry’s ServSafe.  And I also suggested security ambassadors be designated to these areas surrounding all canna businesses which help the community feel looked after.

Many WeHo small business owners complain about the red tape and bureaucracy of City Hall. What does the city need to do to better support the business community?

The challenge for WeHo is that we strive to do it better and the city has more requirements. So the main goal is to simplify without losing efficacy. One simple thing we should do — and I heard the Mayor say something similar — is plan workshops and a video campaign on navigating the process in our city.  These forms, applications and understanding  requirements can be complicated and daunting. Helping people to understand the process would help enormously. I’d love to see something developed in time for November’s annual small business Saturday.

What types of businesses does WeHo need more of?

First I’d say:  healthy and thriving, whatever they are! I acknowledge that that likely means a mix of corporate and small business.  With so much commerce happening on line, you need to give people a reason to come out and one reason is experiential: Farm Cup, Tail O’ the Pup, The Artist Tree lounge, Pump/Catch/Bottega and the Abbey  (destination eateries)  are great examples. Our city is ideal for this. I also think the city could likely afford to sponsor some nonprofits with a facility.  Doing so would benefit the city by providing support to these organizations which serve us, and filling empty locations with community building entities. 

How is crime threatening the growth of small businesses in WeHo?

Crime threatens not just small businesses but every citizen, big business and even inanimate objects like buildings in our city.

Making the city safer is a community effort. Period. I didn’t want to absorb that reality for a long time, and crime was one of my motivating factors for engaging more in the community.  So many people are buried in their devices. I don’t use mine on the streets and “if I see something, I say something.”

So I have been relying on the Block by Block security ambassadors for years and largely in a preventative manner. As I say,  I call BBB if I think something might happen so they can investigate — it’s preemptive. I call the Sheriff’s Department if I know something went down!  That’s the best use for BBB. If I see someone suspicious hop over a fence into an empty property, I don’t stand around for 15 minutes to see if they start a fire — I call BBB and ask them to.  We need to utilize them more in this manner.

What is your favorite place to get a cocktail or coffee in WeHo?

I am a green tea girl and my regular meet-ups are Blackwood, Farm Cup and Conservatory.

Las Perlas is walkable and I’ve been there a few times, once with an aficionado who was impressed with the tequila selection and it’s nice to see the weekend crowds there. 

And the lounge at the Artist Tree is really fun. I’ve been a tourist guide to friends and family and been there a number of times. I’m looking forward to The Woods opening, which should be soon.