On December 19, 2022, City Council adopted eleven CSWB Strategic Priorities. These priorities were validated through an extensive  community feedback process. Download the final CSWB Strategy report here.

Issue-Based Priorities

The priorities below are issues requiring close attention or immediate action.

• Crime: Increase focus on preventative and situation-based measures to address crime and curb reliance on enforcement-led incident response.
• Emergency Preparedness: Protect community members from natural and human-made emergencies through robust emergency planning and mitigation initiatives.
• Homelessness: Provide integrated individualized supports to unhoused community members with complex needs; emphasize and center the dignity and humanity of unhoused individuals in all supports and programs; work to ensure that appropriate shelter is provided and that public spaces are available for all constituents to use as intended.
• Housing Insecurity: Keep individuals at risk of losing their homes housed and healthy by focusing on services and interventions related to income/rental support, housing affordability, access to affordable housing, food insecurity, transit, and other upstream community development supports.
• Mental Health and Substance Use: Respond to the acute mental health and substance use challenges of both housed and unhoused individuals by maintaining seamless access to comprehensive service offerings (counselling, psychiatry assessments, safe shelter, substance use treatment, etc.).
• Pedestrian & Cyclist Safety: Create safe and convenient mobility options for pedestrians and cyclists of all ages and abilities through enhancements to infrastructure, education, and enforcement.
• Poverty and Food Insecurity: Provide targeted supports for individuals experiencing poverty and food insecurity to combat the effects of stagnating wages and the increased cost of living.
• Older Adult Care and Isolation: Support community members with wraparound services tailored to the needs of older adults (health care, food delivery, transportation, socialization, etc.)

Integrated System Priorities

The priorities below are focused on the process of community-building and interaction.

• Law Enforcement Trust, Transparency, and Accountability: Define what the desired future state of law enforcement looks like (i.e., setting clear expectations), and what models best support that vision. Improve trust between local law enforcement and priority populations (e.g., BIPOC and LGBTQ+).
• System Capacity and Innovation: Harness data to bolster system efficiency – do more with the existing resources and make informed decisions about where to provide funding for the greatest impact.
• System Connectivity: Update existing, and create new, mechanisms to foster public awareness of City-led safety and well-being initiatives; improve digital, physical, and cultural accessibility for a range of groups (i.e., those who are marginalized, older, immigrant, or with disabilities); increase communication, collaboration, and cooperation between the City’s stakeholder groups as well as with neighboring municipalities and the County.

• City of West Hollywood: David Wilson, Christine Safriet, Danny Rivas, Joshua Schare, Christof Schroeder, Corri Planck, & Leslie Isenberg

• StrategyCorp: Sabine Matheson, Matt Torigian, Emily White, Lauren Wyman, Rajesh Sankat, & Daniel Blazekovic

The CSWB Strategy was developed in response to the emergence of social justice movements surrounding anti-racism and policing equity in 2020, particularly in response to requests for greater accountability and transparency from the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department and an interest in improving the efficacy and efficiency of programs aimed at public safety. The West Hollywood City Council directed City staff to develop a strategic plan addressing Community Safety and Well-Being in the Fall of 2021. The initial strategy was developed with input from elected and appointed officials, public safety partners, City staff, and social service partners and was approved by Council in August 2022. A series of engagement activities were used to gather additional community feedback on the Initial CSWB Strategy from residents, businesses, local social services agencies, first responders, and other key civic groups and participants. The final CSWB Strategy was approved by the City Council in December 2022.  It included additions reflecting community feedback on the strategic priorities identified in the initial draft. The City's final CSWB Strategy was approved by the City Council in December 2022 as agenda item 5.E.  

 (in order from Newest to Oldest)

Winter/Spring 2023: Implementation Planning

• January - March, 2023: The City is developing an implementation framework and key performance indicators to guide, track, and measure progress of the CSWB Strategy. 

Fall 2022: Community Engagement and Final CSWB Strategy

• September to November, 2022: The City kicked off a series of community engagements in late September 2022 to seek feedback on the Initial Strategy from residents, businesses, neighboring government partners, first responders, local social services agencies, and other key local groups. 
• Through a series of community meetings, pop-ups at other City events, interviews, focus groups, and an online survey, the City gathered feedback from community members on the proposed initial strategy, including potential gaps in stated priorities.  
• On December 19, 2022, the City Council adopted the final CSWB Strategy.
• Download the adopted CSWB Strategy Report.

Spring/Summer 2022: Initial CSWB Strategy Development

• The first phase of this process began in early 2022 and aimed to define what Community Safety and Well-Being means for West Hollywood, how the City and its community partners have worked together over the years to address CSWB challenges, and how the City can enhance its current approaches to reducing crime to ensure resources are being targeted where and when they are needed most.
• Input on the Initial Strategy was provided by members of the City Council; staff from City Departments and Divisions; City Officials and residents from Commissions and Advisory Boards; representatives from neighborhood watch and residential association groups, the business community; contracted safety and social services agencies; as well as the participation of a consultant specializing in CSWB strategic planning.
• On August 15, 2022, City Council adopted ten initial CSWB Strategic Priorities and related initiatives and is now seeking feedback from the community to shape the final Strategy.

What is the purpose of the CSWB Strategy?

• The purpose of this Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy is to work collectively towards a community where everyone is safe, has a sense of belonging, and can meet their needs for education, health care, food, housing, income, and social and cultural expression. 

How does the CSWB Strategy relate to law enforcement?

• The CSWB Strategy is not intended to replace law enforcement response. The CSWB approach emphasizes collaboration and crime prevention. This allows law enforcement to focus on responding to more serious crimes while it empowers other trained staff, such as security ambassadors, mental health professionals, and outreach workers to address the broader social components of community safety and security.The CSWB strategy does not make any recommendations about staffing levels in the City’s law enforcement program, nor does it replace law enforcement response.
• The CSWB approach emphasizes collaboration and crime prevention. This allows law enforcement to focus on responding to more serious crimes while it empowers other trained staff, such as security ambassadors, mental health professionals, and outreach workers to address the broader social components of community safety and security.
• Reducing crime will always be a key component of community safety and well-being in West Hollywood; crime is one of the priority areas included in the CSWB Strategy.
• The strategy will bring three broad service areas together in support of West Hollywood community members: Law Enforcement and Emergency Response; Neighborhood Livability; and Health and Human Services. The plan will focus on longer-term investments in prevention on issues important to our community, like homelessness, mental health, substance use, and social isolation.
• While many community groups and organizations recognize that West Hollywood and its partners have worked hard over the years to promote public safety and well-being, stakeholders noted that many services and programs are difficult to access and have little interconnectivity despite the variety offered by the City. However, the process has also already identified several ways West Hollywood can work to address crime, including ways to better share data and measure program and budget efficacy.

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Updates are intermittent and may provide information about progress on the CSWB Strategy, dates for community meetings or reports to the City Council, and other related topics  

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