Anyone who has tried to turn left onto or off of Glen Holly knows the wait. You look up the hill, then down it, and you hope the next driver treats the stop sign as a rule. The Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association described that turn in its September 2026 newsletter as "challenging—and sometimes dangerous," especially "when drivers fail to stop or simply don't seem to think the signs apply to them." In the same issue, BCNA reported that an additional stop sign had been installed for southbound traffic at Glen Holly. That came after "numerous concerns from neighbors" and many follow-up requests from the association and its members, sent both individually and as a group.
That sequence of complaint, follow-up and a small installation explains Beachwood Canyon in 2026 better than any opening on Beachwood Drive. A look through recent local coverage turned up no new business opening or closing in Beachwood Village this summer or fall. What did change this year came mostly from neighbors who asked for it, often more than once, through BCNA and Council District 4.
The Stop Sign Came From Repeated Requests
Glen Holly shows how the process works. BCNA treats pedestrian safety as a running campaign. Its October newsletter says it "continues to make pedestrian safety one of our highest priorities" and acknowledges that "it isn't always easy—or inexpensive." The association says the slow pace comes from "limited City resources and funding." It describes its role as working "closely with City departments and representatives" so that the neighborhood and "the people who walk its streets" get attention.
The new sign at Glen Holly is one sign at one intersection. It still counts as a result. BCNA was candid that it took repeated asking, and that the asking came from residents as well as from the board. Anyone who has spotted a dangerous corner of their own now has a working example of how a request moves from a newsletter inbox to a pole in the ground.
The Traffic Circle at Lake Hollywood Has Been Years in the Making
The bigger change sits higher up. BCNA's October 2026 newsletter announces a "New Traffic Circle installed at the Top of Lake Hollywood!" The newsletter does not name the intersection or give an installation date. The city's planning record does point to one spot.
In 2023, a City Council motion proposed a roundabout at Mulholland Highway and Canyon Lake Drive. The motion described that spot as a Hollywood Sign viewpoint above the reservoir. It listed three problems for the roundabout to address: drivers making three-point turns, difficult vehicle circulation, and the safety of people walking to the viewpoints. It directed the Bureau of Engineering to work with LADOT and report back on a plan for installing it. By 2024, CD4's Hollywood Hills tourism page described the roundabout as being in planning and design. It said the goals were to cut down on three-point turns and congestion and to create accessible loading areas, and it said the office was seeking funding in the FY24-25 budget.
The city documents found so far describe a plan, not a finished build. They do not confirm that the circle BCNA reported this October is that same Mulholland and Canyon Lake project, who built it, or whether it is permanent. On the record so far, the canyon has a new circle near the top of Lake Hollywood and a city paper trail showing that a roundabout in that area was wanted for years.
That paper trail explains the circle. A roundabout at a sign viewpoint is built for drivers who arrive, take a photo and need to turn around. A three-point turn on a narrow hillside road is what happens when that turnaround is missing.
Summer Weekends Show the Pressure
The circle makes more sense next to what summer weekends at Lake Hollywood Park looked like this year. Ahead of the Fourth of July, CD4 Field Deputy Bernadette Cronley sent a message to residents through the BCNA newsletter. She said the office had requested extra LAPD and LADOT staffing at the park for July 3 through July 5. Staffing hours were set at 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. "to accommodate expected peak crowds," and similar requests covered Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the rest of July and August. The message describes requests, so it is not a record of how many officers or traffic staff actually showed up on a given weekend. It does show where the district office expected trouble. It named the priority as "safety and accessibility for residents, visitors, and emergency personnel."
The same July issue covered BCNA's pop-up members' gathering on Glen Green on June 11. Cronley spoke there about "a host of traffic and Hollywood sign issues," and the group had what the newsletter called "a lively discussion of traffic and street safety issues." Read in order, the June meeting, the July staffing request, the September stop sign and the October circle follow one thread. Traffic was the topic all summer, and each month brought another small change.
Still on the List
BCNA has been open about what isn't done yet. Its September newsletter announced the Glen Holly sign and then added: "And yes... we already know about the crosswalk at Beachwood & Westshire. We're working on that one!" The October issue ran its safety update under the heading "Keeping Our Streets Safe, Beachwood & Westshire."
Open items as of the October 2026 newsletter:
- A crosswalk at Beachwood Drive and Westshire Drive. BCNA says it is working on it. No city announcement or date was found.
- Little Free Libraries in the canyon. This plan came up at the June 11 Glen Green gathering.
- Other "trouble spots." BCNA asks neighbors to email its editor about any other location that needs attention.
The third item explains how the first two got started. Each fix on this year's list began with a neighbor reporting a problem spot.
The Same Neighbors, Away From the Street
The association that pushed for the stop sign also spent the year doing things that had nothing to do with traffic.
On August 24, BCNA members gathered as Field Deputy Cronley presented a CD4 certificate of recognition to Maurine Kornfeld, the canyon resident BCNA had featured on its August cover. The citation honors her as the first woman to set a World Aquatics Masters Record in the 105-109 age group. She set it in the women's 50m backstroke on June 7, 2026, and she has been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. BCNA's account of the visit says the group "spent a wonderful hour or so with Maurine reminiscing over her many adventures and life achievements." The full story on BCNA's site has more.
On September 25, Besant Lodge at 2560 N. Beachwood Drive held a free evening of Charlie Chaplin with live piano by William Zeitler. The program paired the 20-minute "The Immigrant" from 1917 with the 65-minute "The Kid" from 1921. The listing also warned that "parking is scarce, so walk or carpool, if possible." Parking is the same pressure that shows up in the street-safety items, this time at a film night.
Two days later, on September 27, Hollywood Orchard hosted a potluck dinner in Beachwood Canyon. The group runs a community orchard that teaches sustainable fruit growing. It shares the harvest at community events and with local food charities.
None of these events made news outside the canyon. All of them appear in the same newsletter that tracks the crosswalk.
Above the Canyon, Volunteers and the Sign
The hills above the canyon had their own volunteer news this year. Friends of Griffith Park took part in the kickoff of LA28's Volunteer Program. The event included speeches from local officials and from people who volunteered at the 1984 Olympics, along with remarks from Carl Lewis, the program's spokesperson. Afterward, Friends of Griffith Park talked about native plants and sent volunteers to Fern Canyon to start removing invasive plants. BCNA reported that "many are also eager to come back for more volunteer activities." A Spectrum News report from July covered the nonprofit's work.
The Hollywood Sign Trust added a trustee this summer. On June 17, 2026, it announced that Brigid LaBonge had joined its Board of Trustees. She founded and directs the Tom LaBonge Civic Project.
Hollywood Sign Day is observed on October 31. The latest specific word on a sign visitor center comes from Beverly Press in October 2025. At that time, plans were still being worked out, and Trust chair Jeff Zarrinnam hoped it could open in time for the 2028 Olympic Games. That was a hope, not a schedule, and no newer timeline turned up.
For anyone living below the viewpoints, these items connect to the street fixes. A visitor center, an Olympic volunteer push and a busy summer at Lake Hollywood Park all point to more visitors. The circle, the Glen Holly sign and the crosswalk BCNA is still pursuing were all built or requested to handle that traffic.
The next item to watch is Beachwood and Westshire. BCNA has said publicly that it is working on the crosswalk, and the October newsletter repeats its standing request for neighbors to send in their own trouble spots.
Joanna Steinberg follows Beachwood Canyon block by block, from Glen Holly to the top of Lake Hollywood, and knows how a new stop sign or a pending crosswalk changes daily life on a particular street. If you're thinking about your own place in the canyon, Work With JoJo.
