About Us
What is a neighborhood council?
P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council is an all-volunteer organization of neighbors, business owners, educators and non-profit leaders empowered by the City of LA to make our neighborhood stronger.
The primary purpose of a Neighborhood Council is to provide access to those City and Municipal processes that affect us all. A Neighborhood Council can actively involve and inform residents, business owners or other stakeholders in their community. While the City of Los Angeles remains committed to its constituents’ feed-back (including the well-used 311 system), Neighborhood Councils can go further, discussing far more specific concerns that may be City Wide or just Local issues.
By being in closer touch with a portioned part of the city, these councils can disseminate a wealth of information that specifically affects your local community. Legislation passed or being considered by the City Council receives direct feedback from its 999-memberNeighborhood Councils and in turn provides information that you need to know and how it affects you. At General meetings the Neighborhood Councils regularly make officials from the LAPD, City Council Members, and others accessible to you individually through presentations and question and answer sessions.
The Neighborhood Councils also have committees, made up of Council members and the General Public to discuss a wide range of Local issues, including Housing and Development, Education, Sustainability, events, and much more. A Neighborhood Council is your tool to be informed and participate in those Councils recommendations to the city. They provide you a true real-time voice outside of General Elections. Take time to see what has happened, what may happen and how you can have a true say in what is at play in your neighborhood, or even on your block. A Neighborhood Council is an effective tool for you to improve or change your community. Get involved!
Our mission
- To provide an inclusive and open forum for public discussion to advise the City on issues of interest to the Council, including City governance, the needs of the Council, the delivery of City services to the Council area, and other matters of a City-wide nature.
- To advise the City on issues of interest to the Council, including City governance, the needs of the of the Council, the delivery of City services to the Council area, and other matters of a City-wide nature.
- To initiate, execute and support projects for the physical, social, and cultural improvement of the Council area; and
- To facilitate communication between the City and Stakeholders on issues of concern to the community and/or the Stakeholders.
History
The P.I.C.O. (People Involved in Community Organizing) neighborhood council was founded along with the City of Los Angeles 99 neighborhood councils in 2000. With twenty-two board seats, we represent eleven neighborhoods with over 30,000 constituents, and we comprise two council districts, CD 5 and CD 10.
PICO is proud to be part of a large community of single-family neighborhoods dating from the early 1920s and includes many historic preservation overlay (HPOZ) zones, including South Carthay, Carthay Circle, Wilshire Vista and Little Ethiopia.
PICO comprises many local businesses and religious institutions along the Pico corridor from La Cienega to La Brea including historic destinations like, The Mint, Perrodin gallery, formerly the Del Mar Theater and authentic Little Ethiopia on Fairfax between Pico and Olympic.
PICO has also seen an uptick in numerous apartment housing developments within our boundaries including a 100% supportive housing building at 5050 Pico.
Boundaries
Neighborhoods
Pico Neighborhood Council makes up eleven (11) areas along the Pico Corridor running east and west between La Brea and La Cienega. Each area is represented by an Area Representative, who lives or owns property in their respective neighborhoods. The Area Representative, along with our At Large members, are elected by their constituents every four (4) years over two (2) terms.
The following highlights the area’s rich architectural and diverse communities.
For information on contacting your neighborhood Area Representative, please contact, info@piconc.com
Carthay Square
Carthay Square developed in the 1920’s and 1930’s is one of three distinct neighborhoods along with Carthay Circle to the north and South Carthay to the west which make up the greater Carthay district. Originally known as Fairfax Park, the land was developed by real estate pioneer J. Harvey McCarthy. Carthay area became one of the first planned communities with pedestrian-friendly walkways and curved streets offering individually designed homes, resulting in unique custom details lending to its unique historic quality. In 2017, Carthay Square was designated an HPOZ to protect both the architectural and historical integrity of the neighborhoods. In 2022, along with its sister neighborhoods of Carthay Circle to the north and South Carthay to the west, was included in the Carthay Neighborhoods Historic District on the state’s National Register of Historic Places working with the L.A. Conservancy.
CHAPS
Is one of the smaller areas within the PICO neighborhood council which borders Pico Boulevard to the north, Crescent Heights to the east, La Cienega to the west and Airdrome to the south. Like many of these neighborhoods, this area contains many duplex and apartment buildings and is situated along the commercial corridors of Pico and La Cienega and is home to Crescent Heights Boulevard Elementary Language Arts/Social Justice Magnet school which borders Faircrest Heights.
Neighbors United
Neighbors United, the local neighborhood association including Faircrest Heights, was founded in 1981 by many local community leaders who were concerned with the growth of urban development including zoning, quality of life and community issues. The area borders Pico to the north and Venice and Cadillac to the south along the 10 Freeway and La Cienega to the west. It includes “The Faircrest” built in 2016 as a subdivision and this gated community is one of the only HOA (Homeowners Associations) in the Pico neighborhood council district. Developed primarily in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s Faircrest Heights area transitioned from a predominantly Jewish community in the 1960’s and now includes a broader demographic offering over 900 single family homes styled in Spanish Colonial Revival, English Revival and Minimal traditional architecture.
Picfair Village
Picfair Village developed in 1922 originally as “Pico Boulevard Heights” and later named after the historic and since demolished, Picfair Theater. Picfair Village borders Pico Boulevard on the north, Hauser on the east, Vence to the south and Fairfax to the west. Originally developed by the Santa Monica Land and Water Co. the area was primarily marketed as “the New Wilshire” and was one of the first neighborhoods to enforce strict housing covenants, attracting diverse Jewish and African American communities. Opened in 1941, the Picfair Theater was located on the corner of West Pico Boulevard and Fairfax as a beautiful Art Deco cinema with unusual amenities like a soundproof, “crying room” for its patrons with small children. Ultimately the theater was closed in 1983 and was ultimately destroyed in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots.
Pico Del Mar
Pico Del Mar is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the PICO neighborhood council which began development in 1914 along the Venice Short Line railway. Annexed by the City of Los Angeles in 1915, the area features a mix of single-family cottages and small multi-unit apartment buildings. Pico Del Mar borders the PICO corridor between Hauser and La Brea and is considered one of the city’s most diverse areas and is considered a walkable community near transit and businesses. Pico Del Mar is home to the historic Art Deco Del Mar Theater a 600-seat neighborhood theater opened in 1939. The theater shuttered in the 1980’s and most recently became home to the Perrotin contemporary art gallery in 2024 and still maintains its Art Deco style marquis.
Pico Park
Pico Park much like its neighbors of Pico Del Mar and Picfair Village is a subdivision which borders Hauser to the east and Cochran to the west and Venice to the south and Pico Boulevard to the north. Like its neighbors, it boasts single and mixed-use residences along commercial corridors surrounding the neighborhood. This area is considered within the mid-city boundaries and is often confused with Pico Park in Pico Rivera, but it is decidedly not! This area has seen a surge of new development both commercial and residential and makes it one of the more transformative areas in the district.
Redondo Sycamore
Like many of the neighborhoods within the PICO neighborhood council, Redondo Sycamore was established in the 1920’s- 1930’s as a subdivision of the Los Angeles Miracle Mile district where development was initiated by the convenience to public transit, shops and commercial buildings and was one of the first areas with a growing “mixed-use” development which would set the tone for future development in the coming decades. This area boasts a mix of Spanish Colonial Revival, and single and duplex Tudor and Art Deco properties. . The neighborhood has seen new development by way of more modern structures and residents enjoy access to cultural institutions such as the Los Angeles Museum of Art (LACMA), The Petersen Automotive Museum, The Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum (AMPAS) and The La Brea Tar Pits.
South Carthay
The South Carthay area became a portion of the City of Los Angeles on February 28, 1922. Residential development in the area began during the early 1930s on land that previously grew produce for Ralphs markets. Greek developer Spyros George Ponty worked with architect Alan Ruoff to design 147 modest Mediterranean-style homes in the area depict South Carthay’s Spanish Colonial Revival homes represents one of his earliest legacies. All the 147 homes designed by Ponty share red-tiled roofs and stucco exterior walls, wrought iron and glazed-tile detailing. Yet each home was built slightly differently from the next, with flipped floor plans and doors and windows in different places South Carthay remains an architecturally cohesive community, with few intrusions from the succeeding decades and was designated a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone in 1984, the second neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles to receive such a designation. As a result, in 2010, the city approved one of the strictest preservation plans in the city ensuring continuity and architectural integrity. The HPOZ boundaries exclude the commercial corridor of Pico Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard. In 2022, along with its sister neighborhoods of Carthay Circle to the north and Carthay Square to the east, was included in the Carthay Neighborhoods Historic District on the state’s National Register of Historic Places and works with the L.A. Conservancy.
Wilshire Highlands
Like its neighbors Wilshire Vista and Wilshire Vista Heights, Wilshire Highlands border the PICO NC and the Mid-City area and was established in 1922 as a subdivision. Developed by David Barry & Company bounded by Pico Boulevard to the South and Highland Avenue to the east and is nearby Fremont Place which boundaries Wilshire & Hancock Park area, the area boasts 1920’s Period Revival architecture with a mix of single-family and historic duplexes making it one of the neighborhoods anticipating early commuter living.
Wilshire Vista
Wilshire Vista Heights
Founded in the 1920’s and 1930’s, Wilshire Vista Heights is just to the east of Wilshire Vista running between Ridgeley Drive and Cochran Avenue. One of the more recognized architectural buildings is The Dunsmuir Flats, designed in 1937 by renowned modernist architect Gregory Ain, this block is an example of modern architectural duplex design. This building was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument and is known for its international style of “machine-in-garden” combining privacy with outdoor access. Wilshire Vista Heights, like its neighboring Wilshire Vista is a diverse residential neighborhood with a variety of combined architecture from the period who in 2002 formed its own neighborhood association.
