Nancy Freedman Elected New Chair of Brentwood Community Council
Q&A with the Brentwood News
By Jeffrey S. Hall | February 15, 2011
Nancy Freedman, incoming chair of the BCC, gives outgoing chair Ray Klein a keepsake gavel.
Q: Nancy, for those three or four Brentwoodians who don’t know you, please tell those readers a little bit about yourself.
A: In the last 21/2 years, I became the proud grandmother of 4 grandchildren (3 boys and 1 girl.) So, right out of the gate, I am the luckiest person on the planet. I have been married 45 years to Gary Freedman who is a partner in Ervin, Cohen and Jessup in Beverly Hills. Gary, and I are “uprooted” from Highland Park, Illinois. When we moved to LA, Brentwood felt like home. Now, after 36 years here, it is our family’s roots. Our two sons, Zack and Eric grew up here, attended JTD and Brentwood School and life revolves west of the 405 for us.
Q: What is your relationship to Brentwood? What has been your involvement in the past?
A: I broke into the community scene when I saw injustice in an LA Times article about the sad state of condition of our Fire Station #19 and the slow response from the City to fix it. I decided the station could be helped by our community, and started a campaign to raise the funds. This was the first of many community projects undertaken by Brentwood.90049, a 501c3 nonprofit helping in a variety of ways to coordinate other nonprofits’ endeavors. Undertakings include “Chairs on Parade”, Centennial Year (2006) celebrations including a parade, community cookbook, a sell out dinner hosted by Henry Winkler, Adopt a Tree, The Sunday Farmers’ Market, WLA Police Station supplies, and starting in 2001, an endowment campaign to trim our Coral Trees as the City has NO funds set aside to do so. (Go to
www.BrentwoodCommunityCouncil.org to DONATE by credit card and to learn more about the care needed for Brentwood’s Coral Trees.)
Q: What is your vision, or agenda, for the year ahead? What can we expect out of your tenure as new chair of the BCC?
A: The BCC represents stakeholders in all facets of Brentwood life…homeowners’ associations, businesses, schools, religious groups, library, Rotary Club, green space, etc. The Board meets the first Tuesday of each month at the library and is an interesting mix of very bright and feisty participants who volunteer their time discussing diverse issues for the greater good of the community. The body is a voice to the local, state and federal officials for the entire Brentwood area which reaches from Mulholland to Wilshire, 405 to Santa Monica. Land Use issues draw a lot of attention and are probably the largest responsibility we have to assure that our residents have a good quality of life, that our business districts, which include the Country Mart, San Vicente and Brentwood Village , prosper, and, finally, that we can travel in Brentwood without gridlock. This is the agenda for 2011.
Q: What do you like best about Brentwood? If you could change anything, what would that be?
A: Brentwood is an urban area, yet has a small town feeling. I like running into people in restaurants and stores, seeing familiar faces at the Farmers’ Market and appreciate the beauty of the greenery that surrounds us. If I could change one thing in Brentwood…..I would put all overhead wires underground…..they seem to multiply each day!
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