Harriet Miller, who served as president of the Westwood Hills Property Owners Association for 25 years, passed away on New Year’s Day 2022, just three months shy of her 102nd birthday. Harriet was a very special lady, and Westwood Hills is extremely fortunate to have had her as its president from 1976 to 2002, a pivotal period that saw rapid growth and urbanization in Los Angeles.
She loved our neighborhood, and we have all benefited from her caring and dedication, her acute intelligence, perceptiveness about people and politics, and gentle but nevertheless highly effective persistence in representing us with elected representatives and bureaucrats.
Upon learning of Harriet’s passing, Zev Yaroslavsky, who worked with Harriet in both his capacity as our City Councilman and as our LA County Supervisor, emailed us: “I am so sorry to hear this news. Harriet was one of a kind. A person of impeccable integrity and intelligence. I always felt that if I couldn’t convince Harriet of something, I probably needed to reconsider. She was very consequential in helping to preserve the Westwood Hills community and its quality of life. Harriet, at 103 years of age, was not cheated in longevity, and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with her for the 19 1/2 years I represented her on the City Council. Thanks for letting me know.” (emphasis added)
For those who are interested in making a charitable donation in Harriet’s name, two of her favorites were HIAS.org and the local radio station KCRW.
Below is an article that appeared in our Fall 2002 newsletter, upon Harriet’s retirement as president. From the perfect first paragraph to the last, Debbie Gendel captures Harriet’s wit, wisdom, and abundant contributions to our neighborhood, as well as the universal respect accorded her by the political and community leaders with whom she worked. Harriet’s commitment to our community continued well into her retirement, as those who had the good fortune of her friendship are well aware.
