When you think about the heartbeat of a neighborhood, it’s not just the streets or the shops—it’s the people who come together to shape the place they call home. The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council plays a crucial role in this process. It’s a platform where residents, businesses, and community stakeholders can voice their concerns, collaborate on solutions, and influence decisions that affect daily life. This council is more than just a meeting place; it’s a vital link betwe

Silver Lake is a vibrant neighborhood with a unique blend of culture, creativity, and community spirit. But like any urban area, it faces challenges that require thoughtful solutions. Local policy plays a crucial role in shaping the future of Silver Lake, and the impact of community councils cannot be overstated. In this post, I want to explore how local governance structures empower neighborhoods like Silver Lake, ensuring that residents and businesses have a voice in decisi

"Ask Silver Lake” is dedicated to exploring the history and insights of our community. If you have questions or ideas you’d like us to consider, please drop a comment or send them to  outreach@silverlakenc.org . On 10 October 2025, the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom , better known, perhaps, as SB 79 . Although the bill was opposed by Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass – it was supported by Silver Lake ’s City

his month’s “Ask Silver Lake” is about bungalow courts, which several readers requested as a topic. Bungalow courts are a type of multi-dwelling housing development that were a very popular construction design in the 1920s and ‘30s. A bungalow court consists of multiple dwellings on a single lot.

his month’s “Ask Silver Lake” is about bungalow courts, which several readers requested as a topic. Bungalow courts are a type of multi-dwelling housing development that were a very popular construction design in the 1920s and ‘30s. A bungalow court consists of multiple dwellings on a single lot.

“Ask Silver Lake” is dedicated to exploring the history and insights of our community. If you have questions or ideas you’d like us to consider, please drop a comment or send them to  outreach@silverlakenc.org . The Silver Lake Branch Library, temporarily closed All the best Silver Lakers know and love the Silver Lake Branch Library . As library lovers, though, we sadly have to find other outlets for our affections for the time being because the library was closed on 28 July

"Ask Silver Lake” is dedicated to exploring the history and insights of our community. If you have questions or ideas you’d like us to consider, please drop a comment or send them to outreach@silverlakenc.org . When you think of Los Angeles communities known for their famous music venues, you likely first think of Downtown and Hollywood . If you're willing to include other Los Angeles County cities, West Hollywood 's Sunset Strip surely comes to mind. If you're really in

Summer is here. As we now embrace (or brace ourselves for — depending on your orientation) months of unrelenting sunshine and heat, many of us will, no doubt, dream of cooling off in a pool or at the beach. Of course, Silver Lake has neither public pools nor beaches… but it does, rather famously, have a certain reservoir for which it’s both  well-known and named. Morning Tribue, 1912 Everyone who visits the Silver Lake Reservoir knows that there is no access to the water toda

his month’s “Ask Silver Lake” is about bungalow courts, which several readers requested as a topic. Bungalow courts are a type of multi-dwelling housing development that were a very popular construction design in the 1920s and ‘30s. A bungalow court consists of multiple dwellings on a single lot.

Today Silver Lake is, by most accounts, moderately well served by mass transit. The website, Walk Score, gives Silver Lake a transit...

On 5 February 2014, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council considered a motion introduced by councilmembers Anne-Marie Johnson and Dorit Dowler-Guerrero, and stakeholder Al Guerrero, Jr. The motion called for the addition to the Standing Rules a clarification stating that “Silver Lake is not located in the ‘East Side’ of Los Angeles nor is it accurate to refer to Silver Lake as a [sic] ‘East Side’ neighborhood or community.”

Silver Lake‘s connection to music runs almost as deep as its well-known ties to film. There are live music venues, like El Cid, which hosted its first performances in 1962. There are studios, like Pulse, which opened as Soundcastle in the ‘70s.

Silver Lake is widely known, among other things, for its residential architecture. There are many fine examples of California Craftsman, Streamline Moderne, and all sorts of revival styles. Perhaps no style is more celebrated and more closely associated with the neighborhood, though, than Modernism.

The Silver Lake skyline is punctuated by several striking hill-top homes, such as Crestmount, Silvertop, Villa Capistrano, Villa del Lago, and Villa Monaco. Perhaps the most striking is the gargantuan Garbutt House, a hulking citadel built in the 1920s by and for wealthy capitalist, Frank Garbutt.