Meet the Neighborhood Council Candidates: Mike Stajura

Editor’s note: This is one of several articles in a series of profiles on Westwood Neighborhood Council candidates. Profiles will be published in the days leading up to the Oct. 28 election. Click here for more Patch election coverage.

Westwood Neighborhood Council candidate Mike Stajura is running for a Rental Residential Group seat on the 19-seat board.

Westwood-Century City Patch: What issues have you prioritized during your time on the Westwood Neighborhood Council, and what will you focus on if re-elected?

Mike Stajura: For my first time on the neighborhood council, I have prioritized and acted upon three main issues: public safety and disaster preparedness, UCLA-Westwood relations, and VA-Westwood relations. While we have acted together on many important issues, such as traffic or parking, these are the three areas where I have brought something new to the table.

I'd spend the next two years building upon the foundation built in the first two. As it was our council's first two years of existence, we spent a great deal of time working on procedures, learning to work together, and laying the foundation for future success. Even so, we still accomplished a great deal, but in the next two years we'll be able to do even more. One specific initiative I have in mind is to further develop Neighborhood Emergency Teams and Neighborhood Watch Groups in Westwood.

Patch: Are you involved with any local organizations? Which one(s)?

Stajura: I am involved with many relationships and causes -- not just because I care about them, but because the key to community leadership lies in relationships. Here is a list of my primary organizational memberships:

• American Red Cross (Disaster Services Instructor and Volunteer, Community Disaster Educator)
• Coordinator, LAFD Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
• Advisor, American Red Cross at UCLA and CERT at UCLA
• Member, West L.A. Community-Police Advisory Board
• Delegate to Westside Regional Alliance of Councils
• Veterans Administration Stakeholder
• Bruin Guardian Scholars
• California Youth Connection
• L.A. County Community Disaster Resilience Work Group
• Earthquake Country Alliance

Patch: What local issue is most important to you and what’s your position on it?

Stajura: I highlight three issues regarding our community: vacant store fronts, UCLA-Westwood relations, and public safety/disaster resilience.

While our power as a board is limited, the Westwood NC can do more to foster a more vibrant and welcoming environment to attract more businesses (in partnership with other community partners).

UCLA-Westwood relations always require careful attention. We need to focus on what we can do together. Frankly, we need each other, but there have been many issues where we've been in opposition to one another. As a UCLA student myself, I know that we can do better.

Public safety and disaster resilience are issues I bring to the table. Westwood is an area of shared jurisdictions (City of L.A. and UCLA police and fire), and I've been the community's voice regarding issues surrounding these topics.

Patch: List one or two things you accomplished or contributed to in your last term on the Westwood Neighborhood Council. Is there anything other issue you would have approached differently?

Stajura: I created the Westwood NC's Public Safety Committee. I've organized our disaster preparedness fair for two years. I am our council's delegate to the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils. I was also a member of the Westwood Homeless Task Force.

Along with the rest of our board, I've taken votes to protect parking in Westwood, to support local business, to provide grants to our schools and other community organizations, to call for smart development, etc.

Again, I've learned the value of relationships. While every issue or topic that I've acted on is something that I stand by, I've also spent two years learning how to do things better through effective relationships.

Patch: What's one thing most constituents don't know about you?

Stajura: I am a doctoral student, a U.S. Army Veteran who has received medical care at the West L.A. VA hospital, and a former foster child. While a child, I spent time in both the foster care system and homeless, eventually making it to and graduating from West Point. While I have only lived in Westwood since 2003, I've never lived in one place for this long in my life. I've earned two master's degrees and should be earning my Ph.D. this June.

Thanks for considering me for re-election!

Click here to read more candidate profiles.

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