ACTIVIST SPOTLIGHT: ANDREW DAVID LEWIS BUILDING A WEST LA THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE

Andrew Lewis talking to students about the importance of housing access and supply in Los Angeles.

My name is Andrew (David) Lewis, and I live on the Westside of Los Angeles in the College Community of Westwood Village. Although a neighborhood known for housing the nation’s top Public University (UCLA) - it is also very much a tale of two towns. Surrounded by affluence, and some of the most expensive homes in the world in nearby Bel Air & Brentwood, in the neighborhood itself UCLA students (often of first-generation and working-class backgrounds) struggle to afford the soaring local rental market prices, where the average price of a two-bedroom apartment can fetch above $4k/mo.

This creates cycles of student homelessness, and an all too familiar sight of students sleeping in cars, and couch-surfing as they finish their studies. 

I’m glad to work tirelessly with my Neighborhood Council and Student groups to address this issue, and bring housing equity to this incredibly housing-strained area. We are also in the process of drumming up support for a high speed train that will connect the West San Fernando Valley to the UCLA campus, where thousands travel in and out daily for class and work. We are working with the student governments to push the UCLA Administration to demand the fastest routes available, to ensure we can move the most amount of local students and workers in the most efficient way possible. 

The Workers Circle has been an incredibly important place for me to hone my skills as a local organizer, and connect with other Jewish activists in the area to strive towards a more just West LA.