DEAR WEHO: Vegan vexed, rainbow lanterns, Sunset Strip cruising

Letters submitted to City Council ahead of their Dec. 16, 2024, meeting.

A lightbulb moment

Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Councilmembers,

I am writing with concern, as I did last year, with approving a calendar of special lighting requests when the lanterns aren’t able to program correctly. This has been an ongoing issue that hasn’t been repaired since installation. I would ask for a report on what/why the issue hasn’t been resolved and if there isn’t a clear answer then this consent item shouldn’t be approved until the lanterns are able to function correctly. This past year the approved special lighting wasn’t observed for at least 6 months of the calendar year.

I know Steve Campbell was looking into resolving the issue. I do appreciate his efforts but the issue still remains ongoing. I would also point out that many people have no idea what the color changes represent. With that said I hope there would be a better way to inform the public of what the colors represent.

Sincerely,
David Eckert
West Hollywood resident 90046

Leaf my diet alone

Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Councilmembers,

While I commend anyone who would like to support Veganuary on their own initiative, I do not believe everyone supports the government telling its staff, businesses, and residents to participate in a choice-based lifestyle. These are decisions that one can make without elected officials deciding what one should or shouldn’t eat. I oppose this resolution and any city funds used to promote this cause. One can freely decide what is best by researching the program on their own.

Sincerely,
David Eckert
West Hollywood resident
90046

Hush Hour 

Dear WEHO City Council,

Please be advised that I fully support and urge you to terminate the processing of this zoning change for hotel rooftop structures.

Our building, close to 100 units, although it’s on Fountain Ave., sits directly below the One Hotel, The Ziggy, and the Mondrian. We continually call code compliance at all hours — afternoon, evening, and after 1 a.m. — to report the excessive noise, which includes people screaming and music playing at very loud levels. We can’t keep our windows open to get fresh air, sit on our patios, or use our pool courtyard. We have to turn up our televisions to drown out the noise from the rooftops.

If you care about the quality of life for the residents of WEHO, you will vote to terminate this zoning change and prevent hotel rooftop structures from continuing to disturb our peace of mind, our sleep, and our quality of life.

Thank you.

Susan Markheim

The Strip needs cruise control

Esteemed Council Members,

My name is Chris Panagakis, and I have lived just north of Sunset Boulevard on Larrabee Street since 1999. I write to the council today to request that the city consider reinstating the “no cruising” zone on Sunset Boulevard.

When I first moved to West Hollywood, the noise from folks cruising down Sunset, especially on the weekends, was out of control. It felt like there was a nightly competition for who could have the loudest stereo system. It was impossible to get a good night’s sleep on Friday or Saturday nights without using earplugs. Once the city decided to enforce the no cruising zone, however, the situation improved almost immediately.

Similarly, over the past four years, the competition among certain drivers on Sunset seems to be who can have the loudest exhaust system. Instead of being mostly contained to weekend nights, the excessive vehicle noise is now a 24/7 problem. The “shotgun fired at a close range” nature of all of the backfiring makes it feel like I’m living in a war zone.

The City of West Hollywood successfully tackled the problem of the excessive traffic noise on Sunset Boulevard with “no cruising” zones before. They can, and should, do it again!