Councilmember-elect Yaroslavsky meets with Bel-Air Association Board of Directors

Bel-Air Association's Board of Directors had the opportunity to personally congratulate CD5 Councilmember-elect Katy Young Yaroslavsky on her election victory and to discuss a few key issues in the Bel-Air Community.

Ms. Yaroslavsky is a climate policymaker and an environmental attorney.  She is married and has three young children.  She attended Berkeley and then UCLA Law School.  She worked at Latham and Watkins and became the General Counsel to a climate change nonprofit.  She also spent six and a half years working at the County level with Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.  Her priorities are with homelessness and public safety.  Regarding homelessness, the newly-elected Councilmember plans to interface with the County and the Mayor’s team to act with urgency and compassion that includes having enough mental health and addiction beds, as well as building more housing.  With regard to public safety, her plan is to coordinate with the police department.  She will be focused on climate policies and sustainability to  ensure Los Angeles is climate resilient.

Ms. Yaroslavsky has chosen Gary Gero as her Chief of Staff and plans to focus on hiring a cross-section of staff and not just City Hall insiders.

The Board of Directors appreciated her passion and understanding of climate issues and agreed the increase in crime should be an issue of particular focus. The need for more police and community protection is both a safety and quality of life issue.

The difficulty of Bel-Air homeowners to secure affordable fire insurance is an issue the Board brought-up as well. Ms. Yaroslavsky understood the difficulty and knows working with the State Legislature is key to addressing this issue. The Board further emphasized the community’s strong opposition to any plans by Metro to drill beneath Bel-Air homes for the Sepulveda Corridor Transit Project.

The Councilmember-elect said she considers the most important part of a councilmember’s job is constituent service and, if she fails at providing excellent constituent service, then she is not doing her job.  

Bel-Air Association looks forward to creating a strong relationship with Councilmember-elect Yaroslavsky and her office. We have great hope for her success.

The community is invited to Councilmember-elect Yaroslavsky’s public swearing-in ceremony on Sunday, December 11, 2022, time TBD, at the Pan Pacific Park, 7600 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA  90036.  There will be music and food and everyone is welcome.