City: Repairs underway after Sunset Strip water main break; hotels, parking relief provided to displaced residents

City Manager Jackie Rocco updated the West Hollywood City Council on repairs following a major water main break on the Sunset Strip on July 16. Rocco said crews from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power completed a critical repair and had begun repressurizing the transmission line, but safety testing and final inspections must be finished before the line can be returned to service.

"LADWP has secured nearly 80 hotel rooms in nearby hotels for displaced residents," City Manager Jackie Rocco said, and the city extended suspension of residential parking enforcement in the affected area through 7 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22. She urged residents and businesses to visit the city's information page for updates and to contact safety@weho.org or business@weho.org for assistance.

Dimitri Khirmani, an owner of an affected commercial building at Holloway and Sunset, praised the city's on-the-ground response and thanked council members for their daily engagement. "You came up. You gave me a hug, asked what it is you could do," Khirmani said, noting staff and elected officials had been coordinating tenant outreach and resources on site.

Rocco said the city hosted a virtual community meeting over the weekend with LADWP, Athens Services and county agencies to connect residents to claims processes, temporary housing and other resources. She also noted increased security patrols and printed information cards distributed at city facilities.

Council members pressed for follow-up details about restoration timelines and support for affected households and businesses. Rocco said the next technical steps are repressurization, chlorination and safety testing; those stages typically take at least 16 hours for water quality testing after pressurization before the line is returned to service and the street is backfilled and repaved.

The city also described parallel recovery measures: temporary housing, claims assistance and coordination with hotels that had offered discounted rates to affected residents. Council members and city staff said they would provide ongoing updates to residents via weho.org and the city's outreach channels.

The council did not take a formal vote on additional funding during the meeting; staff said they will return with any requests or additional information if needed. The city continues to post repair and assistance updates at weho.org/watermainbreak.