Normally at this time of year, I would be excited to share with you all the wonderful outdoor events and happenings for our residents in beautiful Westlake Village. But not this year.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our city, our region and our nation are facing a challenge unlike any of us have experienced before. We have added new terms to our vocabulary like physical distancing and self-quarantine. Our children are attending school online, and we are working from home. Our social lives have totally changed, we have taken financial hits with lost jobs and revenue, and we face daily uncertainties for even the simplest of tasks. And through it all, the people of Westlake Village have diligently shown strength through their kind and caring actions toward others and adherence to County Health Orders.
Although our City Hall doors are closed, your city leaders and staff are still working for you. We recognize how difficult these past few weeks have been for everyone and share your burden of a drastically altered lifestyle. But our city and its community partners are figuring out ways to meet each new challenge. We are working remotely while still maintaining our local government and will continue to devise new ways to provide the services our community needs.
The City Council is holding regular meetings via the Internet that anyone can access on Zoom or through the city’s website, WLV.org.
We are meeting remotely with our state and federal legislators and partners regularly to assure that our city receives its fair share of funding from county, state and federal levels of government.
We stepped up our communication with you by adding a new dedicated emergency information website, (ReadyWLV.org), which provides up to date information on health, business and community information to help keep our residents informed, and we have videotaped a series of messages from the City Council to provide you with up-to-date information.
We created a virtual recreation program that includes fitness and mindfulness, activities, games, recipes, the arts, culture, museums, reading and learning, plus several ways to stay connected. Check it out at: https://readywlv.org/services/.
We have also begun our “Right at Home in Westlake Village” campaign to share positive stories of hope and help on our Facebook page and in the city’s newsletter. These messages, whether they be art projects made by community members, acts of kindness done for neighbors, or humorous Zoom videos, showcase the unique and special city that we are all fortunate to call our home.
In the coming months, as we begin to resume at least some of our normal activities and slowly move about the community, I want to encourage you to continue to be safe, maintain distancing, wash your hands a lot and wear your face mask in public settings. Getting back to our new normal will take time and patience.
Signs of hope and a future for our community, our state and our nation are springing up. Businesses will start to re-open; our public spaces will be made available again; and the people of our community will continue to serve as a model for caring, with neighbors helping neighbors. Because of you, I could not be prouder to be your mayor and call Westlake Village my home.
Kelly Honig was elected to the Westlake Village City Council in November 2015. She is currently serving as the Mayor of the City of Westlake Village.