West Hills Property Owners Association

About our association

West Hills History

The community of West Hills was formalized in 1987 as a result of a grass roots effort on the part of citizens in the western reaches of Canoga Park. Led by Joel Schiffman Esq, a group of residents canvassed the neighborhood and prevailed upon Councilwoman Joy Picus to be amenable to the formation of the community boundaries. As discussions progressed, the boundaries went farther north across Roscoe Boulevard and eastward to Shoup and Farralone Avenues. That brought in Twelfth District Councilman Hal Bernson. Both Councilpersons — Picus and Bernson — approved the plan and current boundaries after a plebiscite of the property owners. Thus, in February of 1987, West Hills became a new community of Los Angeles.

In order to maintain the good character of West Hills, The West Hills Property Owners Association(WHPOA) was formed concurrent with the activity to define the community. WHPOA has from the beginning kept the neighborhood of West Hills a beautiful place to live. The Board of Directors (BOD) has held
many community events, including nature walks in the then Chatsworth Reservoir, 10K runs, Halloween booths at the West Hills Hospital, and Saturday cleanup campaigns. The BOD of WHPOA is active in trying to keep
our streets safe from crime with its sponsorship of a Neighborhood Watch News Letter and they have assisted in getting traffic problems solved such as a four-way stop at Keswick and Saticoy and the traffic light at Woodlake and Cohasset. The SMART SHUTTLE, and its predecessor the WEST HILLS SHUTTLE, were the result of the efforts of two of the WHPOA board members. The WHPOA was (and is now) heavily involved in changing the Chatsworth Reservoir to a Nature Preserve, thus maintaining the space in an open country condition for years to come; and the Board has devoted many hours to zoning and planning of the area, helping to assure that developments such as the DeVry Institute, the 911 facility, and the West Hills Corporate Village closely followed the wishes of the surrounding community.

The WHPOA BOD has also participated in the development of the framework for developing policies for waste-water to integrate water quality and supply to Los Angeles on a city-wide basis; participated in the founding of the Valley's first city-certified Neighborhood Council, and sponsored a successful debate amongst all the candidates for the Third District City Council Office in 2001, fashioned after the one it held in 1992.

Currently, the Board is taking actions to help mitigate billboard blight and is involved in expanding WHPOA membership through marketing activities.