We will work to make our community an even better place to live, work, pray or play.

After a difficult year, I believe it's time to take advantage of this moment of action and participation to work together to bring about accountable, lasting change that will better the lives of our neighbors. Your local government is the key to that change. Our city faces many challenges in the coming term. Issues like homelessness, social and racial equity, transportation and public safety, impact us all. I'm running to be your Representative because I want the solutions to these issues to represent the diverse voices and needs of our community. As a native Angeleno and prior member of the MCW Neighborhood Purpose Grant Comm., I helped the Board support our local schools and nonprofits in their efforts to improve our shared spaces. I share their commitment to the neighborhood, and to you. As a lawyer, I've advocated on behalf of those suffering from housing insecurity and those seeking to immigrate to our city. If elected, I will work to ensure that all of our neighbors count.

Hi, I'm a screenwriter and playwright and I've been living in Mid City West for the past 30 years. I've seen some wonderful additions to the neighborhood, but I've also seen the strains the neighborhood has undergone, from homelessness to affordability, from transportation to health. We need a new transportation infrastructure for the 21st century. More bike lanes, safe streets and crossings for pedestrians, more transit options — fewer cars. We need to support our unhoused neighbors, and we need to balance the wonderful character of our neighborhood with the density necessary to support our growing city and state. I see these challenges in a holistic way. Meeting them will enrich our neighborhood, and it will enrich our lives. I got involved in MidCity West as a way of supporting my community and hearing what people had to say about the issues they cared about — issues we could all affect personally. If elected, this will be my third term on the board. Thanks for your support.

I have served on the Mid City West Community Council for several years and enjoy the involvement in community affairs. My other volunteer activities are as a docent at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. On the Community Council I have served on the Public Policy, Communications & Outreach Committees, with current involvement in our Arts, Recreation & Youth Committee. I have also worked on our newsletter. At Council meetings I always try to simply listen to the discussion of issues and reach what seems a logical conclusion without a preconceived bias towards any side of any issue. I grew up in the area and went to area public schools, as did my children. I graduated from Wilshire Crest, John Burroughs, Los Angeles High School, and then Occidental College. I later went back to school and graduated from the UCLA Executive MBA Program.

My name is Adam Gerber and I am a current Mid City West board member and Planning & Land Use Committee member. I am also a 4th generation Mid City West resident and father of two rising 5th-generation Mid City West daughters. I believe that our neighborhood, with it’s beautiful buildings and unique economic and cultural diversity, is the true residential heart of Los Angeles. As a board member I care, first and foremost, about protecting that heart by ensuring that our commercial districts remain vibrant and residential streets remain friendly. In my day job, I am a group director at Horizon Media, running the social media programs for Petco and CBS. I have a BA from UC Davis and an MBA from the George Washington University in DC. My wife, Dr. Abby Lane, recently completed her PhD in public policy from the University of Texas in Austin where she works (remotely) on policy issues related to access to childcare and early childhood education.

As a fifth generation Southern Californian, I am deeply invested in the past, present and future of this community. My professional background includes community organization and activism on behalf of the 2008 Obama Campaign, the Affordable Care Act, and housing advocacy. I have a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in environmental planning and design. In my first term on the Mid City West Community Council, I found our work to be both educational and rewarding. It has provided me with the opportunity to combine my professional and educational background to tackle issues in our community related to transportation and housing with the interests of social equity, environmentalism, and economic development in mind. I am passionate about the future of our vibrant city and am enthusiastic to continue on a path that allows for me to contribute to improving the fabric of our community in a more substantial manner.

I'm excited to be running for a second term on the MCWCC Board. A member of the Transportation Committee I've been active in pursuing alternative transportation improvements and livability improvements for the residents of MCW. I believe Los Angeles can be a model for the rest of the world of how to transform an auto-centric city into a model of sustainability and I'm excited to hopefully be able to continue that work in a second term.

My name is Lynda La Rose and I'm running for a Renters Representative seat at Mid City West Community Council. I've lived in Mid City West since 1995. What I love about Mid City West is the walkability of the area (the Grove and Farmers Market are within walking distance of my home) and the variety of restaurants and cultural places like LACMA and Petersen Museum. I felt a calling to give back to the city that has supported me all these years, so I volunteered and got appointed to be a Stakeholder for Mid City West Community Council, volunteering for the Homelessness, Refugees, and Renters' Rights Committee. I eventually got voted in as a Business Representative board member and now serve on the Social and Racial Equity Committee as well. I love volunteering for both committees and am committed to serving our unhoused and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) neighbors. My goal is simply to be of service to this community and help out in any way I can.

My name is Xander Wikstrom, and I am running for the Renter’s Representative position for Mid-City West Community Council. In this position, I aim to keep renters in Mid-City West in their homes. I’ve been a renter my entire adult life. Before moving here in 2017, I was working in a restaurant where my wages did not keep pace with the cost of living. I was spending more than half my monthly income on rent. I want to advocate for renters feeling this burden right now. As Renter’s Representative, I will help preserve our existing rent-controlled housing and advocate for more affordable housing in our neighborhoods. I will also work to make our neighborhoods safe for everyone, whether they're driving, walking, biking or rolling. I want to continue the work MCWCC has done on connecting our unhoused neighbors with service, shelter, and housing they need. I want to make our neighborhoods even more walkable, stronger, and healthier.

Living in Mid City West for more than three decades, I have experienced the full spectrum of change. I know that it is through our passion, tenacity, and sense of community that we are able to continue advancing our shared interests. My involvement with the neighborhood includes my current role on the boards of MCWCC, the Melrose BID and Hancock Park Elementary, where my daughter attends school. I've learned that it is imperative to listen and to give everyone a platform. The issues dear to me include public education, local arts and culture, beautifying our streets and making them safer for everyone, and helping our local business communities. This is our home. And while it would be easy to take certain things for granted in LA, we should not - creating the environment we want to see is an ongoing process, and I will be honored, if elected, to serve a second term.

I am running for a second term on Mid City West Community Council. During my first two years, I have Chaired the Neighborhood Purpose Grant Committee, served as Secretary for Transportation Committee, participated as a member of the Social & Racial Equity Committee and became First Vice Chair. I am most proud of helping to get Slow Streets in our neighborhood, planting over a dozen new trees on our residential streets, and hosting the Annual Homeless Count. I believe that everyday people can change the world and as a member of this Board I will invite my neighbors to join me in co-creating a more vibrant, just, and safe community for everyone.

My engagement with the MCW community began when I produced ArtNightOut, an event connecting the museums and galleries in our area. This became the template for the Miracle Mile Art Walk when I joined MCW. I’m a big supporter of partnerships, and as such I brought the idea to the C and O Committee to produce an event in response to school shootings. It was produced in conjunction with the LA City Attorney’s Office, MCW, and Fairfax High School’s Greenway Court Theatre. Currently in the works is an event called M3: Movement on the Miracle Mile, which celebrates, through contemporary dance, the development of the art museums at Wilshire and Fairfax, with the dancers arriving to this corner on Metro’s subway for this one day art street faire. These Covid and political times call for new responses and engagement. The Arts have an important part to play in cultural and civic matters. I look forward to further engaging our community partners through programming and civic engagement events.

I’ve had roots in Miracle Mile near Olympic and Hauser since early childhood, and love its location and identity as a crossroads and hub of Los Angeles, within reach to so many parts of the greater LA area and with so many distinct residential and retail areas within its bounds. As much as there is to love there are many challenges as well. I want the neighborhood to work for its residents, prioritizing safety and right-sized development that works for the community and enhances the living experience. I want the neighborhood to make gains on homelessness. I want to see a continued increase in alternative transit, bike pathways and other mobility solutions. And I want the neighborhood to navigate the COVID pandemic intelligently, finding ways to mitigate fallout for its residents and commercial operators, emerging to maintain its position as one of the premier areas of the Los Angeles cityscape.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and growing up here I have seen how our city has changed over time. Los Angeles is a vibrant place to live, but for all of its benefits, we have yet to reach our common goals. I want our neighborhood to be the example of a community working together to create a livable environment for every resident. Together, we can take on the suffering that homelessness and housing unaffordability has caused, achieve meaningful gains in environmental sustainability, and make our streets a safer place. As a resident living near Kilkea and Rosewood, I will hear the concerns of all my neighbors and work to solve them in the most effective manner. Regarding the housing crisis, I will work to create affordable housing wherever possible. Regarding the climate crisis, I will implement neighborhood-scale solutions to promote sustainability. Regarding our streets, I will work to make them friendly for cyclists and pedestrians. We can achieve all our goals as a community!

Zone 2 is a community like no other. In the middle of one of the only walkable commercial streets in LA City lies a real neighborhood. That is why I settled here to have my children. However, anyone who lives here knows improvements are needed. I am running for Zone 2 Representatives in an effort to give our community a voice. I plan to utilize existing resources to find solutions to neighborhood concerns. I am action-oriented and will push to make sure there is movement to improve Melrose. I am running with three clear goals: 1) Create a website as a resource for the community to stay informed on projects that are impacting the neighborhood 2) Learn my neighbors’ goals for improving Zone 2 and use my position to create positive change 3) Focus my efforts first and foremost on public safety and the beautification of Zone 2. If you want Melrose District to look and feel cared for, then vote for me, Nasim Kablan, as your Zone 2 Representative.

A native Angeleno, I’ve been a renter in Zone 3 for 35+ years. I became involved in our Council as a stakeholder in 2017 looking for ways to bring healthy and inclusive change to our neighborhoods, starting out by attending a canvasing event asking residents to agree to have shade trees planted in their parkways. I was elected to the board in 2019. As a member the Sustainability Committee I facilitated events to continue the project of bringing shade to our streets. Our first event was on 1st St. in Zone 3, and that resulted in a dozen trees being planted. Of course, COVID brought a halt to our canvasing, but I want to continue to be a part of it when it’s safe again. On the Homelessness, Refugees, and Renters’ Rights Committee, I assisted on Connect Days engaging with our unhoused neighbors and volunteered for the annual Homeless Count at the MCW deployment site, something I’d done 2 previous times as a stakeholder. And, in the past year I’ve been the 2nd Vice Chair of the Executive Council. Most of my other involvement as a board member has been volunteering at outreach events meeting our residents and stakeholders engaging with our community: Tabling at CicLAvia, at National Night Out, the LAPD Open House, Movie Night at the Tar Pits, and Park(ing) Day. Looking forward to the time when these community building events can safely be back on the calendar. I walk than drive within Zone 3 borders, so I get a sidewalk view of the neighborhood. I’m able to talk to people when I’m out, notice streets that need more shade, sidewalks that need repairing, but I also notice the despair of our neighbors who need housing. I care about the needs and concerns of our immediate area and all its residents. I want everyone to feel safe traveling through our neighborhoods whether they’re on foot, on a bike or skateboard, using a walker or being pushed in a wheelchair, or driving a car, whether they live here, are visiting, or just passing through. I’m proud to have been a part of the work current board has accomplished. I show up, not just for meetings, but ready to work collaboratively with board members and stakeholders, to organize and help when it’s needed. As a Zone 3 Representative I hope to continue helping to make our neighborhood safer and welcoming for everyone, focusing on our current needs and planning for a vibrant and sustainable future.

I am running for my second term on the Mid CIty West Community Council, this time as a Zone 5 representative. I have loved living in the Mid City West area since 1990. I have raised two children in the area and have been the school nurse at many of the area LAUSD schools. As a board member I serve on the Public Safety and the Neighborhood Purpose Grant committee. I am invested in maintaining and improving the health, safety and connectivity or our neighborhood. As your Zone 5 rep I plan to improve our zones earthquake preparedness by facilitating block RYLAN ( Ready Your LA neighborhood ) planning meetings, continue to maintain and promote our Slow Streets program and provide virtual COVID 19 educational programs through our Department of Public Health Hollywood - Wilshire Wellness Community.

My name is Thao Tran and I am running for the Zone 7 board seat representing the historic neighborhoods of Miracle Mile and Carthay Circle. This beautiful community continues to inspire me to do my part to maintain and add to the quality of life for my fellow community members. Currently serving my 2nd term as a business rep on the MCWCC board, I chair the Public Safety committee, organize local business-sponsored trash cleanups in Miracle Mile, and sit on numerous other committees including the Arts and Recreation. Additionally, I am a member of LAPD’s Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB) and a Miracle Mile block captain. Lastly, I am personally overseeing the community outreach effort to gain support for a dedicated dog park as part of the redesign of the La Brea Tar Pits. Prior to my community involvement, I had the good fortune of attending two of LA’s finest schools, attaining a BA in Economics/Applied Mathematics from the USC and an MBA from UCLA.

I joined the Mid City West Community Council as an At-Large Representative after filling an open seat in August of 2020 and am serving on the Transportation Committee. I’m 29 years old, born in El Salvador, and came to the US when I was five years old. I grew up in Glendale and now my husband and I are renters in District 7 of Mid City West. I am interested in the people who make up our communities and how they move around the city. I think it’s important to understand the nexus between transportation, sustainability, and equity so we can make our streets safer for everyone who walks, bikes, rolls, takes the bus, and drives. As a young woman of color, I bring a unique perspective to the Board and add representation of the diverse people in our community. I love Los Angeles and Mid City West and I want to continue contributing to the group that's working to make our neighborhood a wonderful place to live.