March Meeting Minutes 3-4-25

WILSHIRE-MONTANA NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION
Monthly Board Meeting Minutes
March 4, 2025 (via ZOOM)
 
Board members in attendance:  John C. Smith, Elizabeth Vandenburg, Elizabeth Brooks, Manju Raman, Betzi Richardson, Rosemary Sostarich, Stephen Martin, Lynette Kozdron, Susan Foxley
                                                                                       ***
 
7:00    Board member John C. Smith calls the meeting to order.
7:00    Local Updates:
-- City is financially “in the red”
            -- Council holding special budget meeting at Main Library
-- Council has declared public sites at 4th, 5th & Arizona and Bergamot “Surplus.”  -- Miles Playhouse at Reed Park “soft-opening” in late March
-- New security system at Reed Park
-- Stronger police presence helping curtail drug use at park.
-- LA County is giving city $95,000 grant for Reed Park events
-- Wilmont’s Summer Music and Movie events helped!
-- Council to allow sleeping bags in parks again.
-- Vice-Chair Manju Raman encourages members to attend Public Safety and Reform Oversite Commission meetings urges community to be more involved.
 
7:15    SM Transportation Director Anuj Gupta and staff highlights Transportation Annual Report. Ridership UP after Covid declines. Big Blue Bus upgrades and future initiatives will be undertaken in preparation for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. City staff’s Kyle Kozar discusses Wilshire Boulevard projects to improve safety for pedestrians, drivers and all other roadway users. Q&A: No plans to add more street lights, copper wire thefts continue to be a problem. Chair Elizabeth VanDenburgh raises the issue of Gelson’s project at Ocean Park and Lincoln Boulevard as highest number of injury crashes of any intersection in Santa Monica. Kozar discusses improvements at the intersection and on Lincoln. Smith cites study showing fatal and injury events rose markedly this past year.
 
7:45    Recreation and Parks Master Plan discussion with Santa Monica Senior Park Planner Tony Lopez. Three questions posted on website, www.Wilmont.org and sent in newsletter to members.
 
8:15    Chair Elizabeth Vandenburgh begins process for nominations and selection of Wilmont Executive Board, with results as follows:
Chair              Elizabeth Vandenburg 
Vice Chair:    Manju Raman                 
Treasurer:     Rosemary Sostarech 
Secretary:     Elizabeth Brooks          
Membership: John C. Smith                
 
The vote is 8-0 in favor of all above nominees.
 
8:30    Adjournment. 
 
Submitted by Elizabeth Brooks, Wednesday, March 19, 2025