Iranians in Westwood
The following is an independent student report, not directly produced by The Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles.
May 1, 2003
Nima Ardabili
Iranians in Westwood
THROUGHOUT CENTURIES many different ethnic groups have come to the United States in hope of having freedom and a better life. Most of the immigrants who came to the United States were instantly discouraged once they had come to America, because they often struggled with money and jobs. Though the United States is considered the land of the free and opportunities, for many immigrants it is hard to make it without an education and a pretty strong financial foundation. For others who were able to immigrate to the United States with a strong educational background and financial foundation, life in the United States was much easier for them. These individuals would be able to be part of the competitive workforce, or even create their own business, and live a normal middle class to upper class life without the struggles that many other immigrants face. When the Iranians migrated in the late seventies, early eighties they fortunately came educated with a good financial basis, which would allow them to enter into society with ease and become a well established part of society.
Around the mid nineteen seventies the United States began to see an influx of Iranians migrating to the United States from Iran. Many of the immigrants from the nineteen seventies were male students from wealthy families who were sent to study in the United States because they had the opportunity for an excellent as well, it was essential for them to have an education in Iran because of it was rapidly expanding. But, as the deterioration of the Shah seemed to progress more rapidly many Iranian families began to flee from Iran and put their money into Swiss banks and move their families to the United States. Many of the Iranians migrating to the United States often chose to relocate in Southern California. The majority of the Iranians that migrated to Southern California in the late seventies and early eighties were Iranians who came from upper and middle class Iran.
The Iranians who settled in Southern California were quite a mixed enclave of several different religions from Iran. The different social and religious groups that came from Iran were: Muslims, Jews, Baha’is, Armenians, Assyrians, and Zoroastrians. Because of the tremendous melting pot of Iranians that settled in Southern Californian, they often settled in areas where others from their same social and religious groups had settled. But, the center of the Iranian cultural activities, businesses, and housing were located in Westwood, in an area named Little Teheran. This area stretched from Westwood Blvd to south of Santa Monica Blvd, Little Teheran is filled with many restaurants, businesses, stores, religious and community centers owned and operated by Iranians. In this little area we are able to see a diverse group of Iranians, but to really see the diversity of Iranians one must look at their settlement patterns and where often each religious and social group tended to migrate to.
To begin most must understand that Iranians had a tendency to settle in Southern California, but settled not in just one special area designated for Iranians, but select areas for each religious group coming out of Iran. First, it is necessary to understand that most Iranians do not call themselves Iranian. They often use their religious orientation to describe their background, for example Muslims classify themselves as Iranians, while Armenian Iranians describe themselves as Armenians. This unique identification allowed the different subgroups from Iran to pick certain areas in Southern California to settle. "The strongest residential concentrations are in Beverly Hills, Westwood, and Brentwood. Iranians are also apt to live in the southern San Fernando Valley, particularly Encino and Tarzana, and in the Santa Monica Mountains. Lesser Iranian concentrations also occur in more affluent outlying areas from eastern Ventura County to Palos Verdes Peninsula, Laguna Niguel, and Newport Beach in Orange County" (Allen and Turner 75). The areas stated above depict the great divide among Iranian individuals depending on their religious and ethnic backgrounds. The Armenian Iranians often settled in Glendale, because this is where most of the Armenians from other countries had settled originally. Beverly Hills became and area known for many Iranian Jews to settle because in Iran the Jews were often very wealthy and by settling in Beverly Hills they could keep their status of having great wealth alive. Another highly populated area by Jewish Iranians was an area "along Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley, especially Encino and Tarzana, and established businesses in Downtown" (Allen and Turner 75). The majority of Muslims from Iran settled in the Westside, Santa Monica, and the Palms. For the Muslims who had a tremendous amount of wealth also moved to Beverly Hills, like the Iranian Jews had. Muslims were known for having grocery stores, restaurants, and business on Westwood Boulevard, unlike the Jewish Iranians who were known for being in the Jewelry business and textile business in Downtown, Los Angeles. As well Muslims settled in areas such as Palos Verdes Peninsula and Irvine, which were farther removed from Westwood and Little Tehran. The Baha’is tended to settle in Westwood, while the Zoroastrians settled in the area of Orange County called Westminster.
The majority of Iranians who migrated from Iran to Southern California were often highly educated and successful. Because, most of the original immigrants from Iran came to the United States to study, the majority of Iranian male immigrants obtained at least a bachelors degree, while some even went on to obtain a graduate degree, "Iranian immigrants in the United States are highly educated, with 40% in 1980 holding a bachelor’s or an advanced degree. This percentage is twice that among all other foreign-born immigrants arriving between 1970 and 1980 and two and a half times that among the native-born U.S. population" (Kelley 73). Though the majority of Iranians are highly educated, when broken down into the different Iranian subgroups the difference is quite great. Most of the Iranian Muslims in Los Angeles have a bachelor’s degree because most of the Muslims came here originally to study, "about 40% have graduate degrees" (Kelley 73). But, in the Armenian, Baha’is, and Jewish social circles only about one third of each religious group holds and Bachelors degree. As well, it is well known that the Armenian sector tends to be the group with the least amount of education. For many of the Iranians, being highly educated allowed them to enter into the demanding work force of the United States, especially in Southern California.
The education levels of Iranians has allowed them to become a part of a very competitive workforce, as well each level of education the individuals had obtained helped to dictate what area of work they would be entering in. "Iranian heads of household tend to be managers, executives, and professionals (doctors, dentists, lawyers, teachers, etc.) or to have technical, sales, or support jobs. Only one in ten hold a blue-collar job" (Kelley 73). As well, many Iranians tend to be self-employed, "The overall rate of self-employment among Iranians in Los Angeles is over 50 percent, or about six times that among native American born Americans. Iranian Jews have an 82 percent employment rate" (Kelley 74). The reason that many Iranians are self-employed is, because they are able to have a higher income, as well as create an ethnic economy and the idea of being able to advance into higher areas of the work force. The ability to self-employ oneself is aided by the fact that most were educated in the states and that many brought with them a major capital from Iran, which allowed them the availability of funding to build their own businesses. Most of the businesses that are run and owned by Iranians are not owned solely by one individual, but are often co-owned with friends and or other members in their family. This idea of self-employment has allowed the majority of Iranian Jews to have their own businesses in Downtown, Los Angeles, because of their niche in the Jewelry business; while the Iranian Muslims ran there businesses out of West Los Angeles and the Armenians run their businesses out of Glendale. The configuration of the Iranian business locations is very similar to the settling patterns of the Iranian religious groups.
Though there are many Iranian subgroups when it came to the freedom of dress and consumption al Iranians shared this special characteristic no matter what subgroup they are related to. Many Iranians when they first came to Los Angeles were known for loving the trends of "Rodeo Drive" and living a life of luxurious cars and clothing and still are known for this. This is especially evident in the Iranian women, who like, "to display expensive and stylish clothes, automobiles, and jewelry may represent their attempt to retain, at least on the surface, the prosperity and elegance they had known in Iran". (Allen and Turner 74).
The tremendous migration of Iranians in the mid nineteen seventies through the eighties, allowed for a melting pot of many Iranian subgroups to settle in Los Angeles and create a community and lifestyle in such a diverse city.
Westwood, California is an area well known for its Iranian population. Most of the Iranian population conducts business in Little Tehran an area on Westwood Blvd., while many Iranians live in the neighborhoods of Westwood. But, Westwood is not only a area largely populated by Iranian businesses and housing, but also many other ethnic groups such as; Arabic’s, Indonesians, Indians, and Greeks. The integration of these groups identifies the Westwood community as having quite an extensive ethnic enclave.
The commercial area of Westwood is not very widely spread, but rather located on one street called Westwood Blvd. This street runs north and south of Santa Monica Blvd and Wilshire Blvd. On both sides of the street there is quite and extensive mix of businesses. The main businesses on this street are run by the members of the Iranian community. There are a tremendous amount of beauty salons and nail salons, as well as a lot of video and photo shops, little community markets that cater to the Iranian community, which are scattered among the many businesses on Westwood Blvd, such as the International Market. Another thriving business in the commercial area of Westwood, is the imported rug business, where many stores offer authentic Persian rugs. Bakery’s are also quite abundant on Westwood Blvd as well as bookstores and restaurants. One is able to find many tailor and dry cleaning shops as. One of the well known tailor shops is Ada’s Tailor, owned and operated by Danny Balasamo for almost twenty-five years.
The commercial area of Westwood, on Westwood Blvd, is fairly clean for a business community. When walking down Westwood blvd., one gets a strong aroma of herbs and spice coming from many of the restaurants on the street. The streets are maintained nicely, with little garbage lining the streets. Some of the business spaces are newer buildings while others are older buildings that have been maintained quite nicely. There are brightly colored signs all over the street, with English, Persian, Arabic, Indian and Greek writing as well. While walking down the street, one can hear the sound of children’s voices while they are running down the street after school. As well, you can hear different languages being spoken while others are walking next to you on the street. Because Westwood Blvd is such a busy street the sound of cars whistling past individuals on the sidewalks is often quite loud, and is a constant distraction in the area. As well, there are many billboard signs towering over the streets advertising different movies, business and slogans. The streets are lined with trees in every open spot and bus stops are plentiful all over the street. The streets are heavily populated by business people as well as pedestrians walking up and down the streets.
The people who walk around the commercial area of Westwood are Iranians, Arabic’s, Indians, Greeks, Caucasians, Hispanics, and Asians. In reality when one walks up and down Westwood Blvd., they will see a vast spread of all different races and ethnicities. They will see young children who are waiting for the bus on their way home from school, as well as students from UCLA. One will also see business men and women, some homeless and elderly people. These people are who make up the tremendous ethnic enclave in the commercial area of Westwood.
UCLA is another important factor in the Westwood community. This is because it covers most of the area of Westwood by being one of the largest, or in fact the largest college in the Los Angeles area. Thus, by being the largest college in the Los Angeles area, it creates an abundant amount of business for all of the surrounding business. The community caters to a majority of the college students because of the tremendous amount of business they deliver to the community. Not only are they delivering to the commercial industry, but they are also delivering business to the residential community.
The residential area of Westwood is quite compact and filled with a tremendous amount of Iranians and students, as well many other ethnic groups. The types of residences in this community are mainly apartments and houses. The apartments cater mostly to the college students, as well as some non-college students, though the closer to campus one travels the majority of apartments are filled with college students. The houses are occupied mostly by people of the community and not really by the college community. The houses are not only nice, but very well maintained for being older structures. The streets all are lined with nice clean side walks, well kept lawns, and fresh gardens, as well as beautiful tall trees that align the clean streets.
The Westwood commercial areas, as well as residential areas are well maintained and facilitate to a wide spread of ethnicities and races.
It is necessary to look at the 2000 census tracts to understand and analyze the ethnic, housing, and social class indicators in the Westwood and Los Angeles area and compare it with the United States as a whole. In order to get a complete comparison, five census tracts had to be analyzed in regards to the Los Angeles area, which will be compared to the United States and County census.
In the year two-thousand the United States approximate population was 281,421,906 people. Of these people 69% of the population was white, 13% were Latinos, 12% Blacks, and 4% Asians. 89% of the citizens were native born and about 4% were naturalized citizens. And about 7% of the population are not citizens. Of the naturalized and not citizens about 70% entered between 1980 and 2000. The Census was able to find that there are three linguistically isolated types of speakers, of these; 2% are Spanish, .01% non-English speakers, and 1% Asian. Of the individuals who participated in the census 80% of males 25 and older had completed high school, and 21% had received a bachelor’s degree. Of the females who were 25 and older 81% had completed high school and 23% had received a bachelor’s degree. It was also determined that the median household income was $41,994. And it was concluded that 12% of the population was below the poverty level. Of the individuals 16 years of age and older about 66% of them commute to work within twenty-nine minutes of their home. About 24% commute to work within a distance of 30-59 minutes to their house, and about 6% commute at least sixty minutes away from home to work. Of the total population 105,480,101 Americans live in housing. Of these individuals 66% own their house. It has been determined that of the individuals who own their house 72% are White, 46% Latino, 7% Black, and 2% Asian. About 34% of the population lives in rented housing. Of the individuals who live in rented housing, 28% are White, 54% Latino, 18% Black, and 4% Asian. The median gross rent for individuals who rent their housing is $602.00, while the median value of owner-occupied housing is $111,800.
In comparison to the United States as a whole, the Los Angeles county census is somewhat different from that of the US census. In comparison to the US census Los Angeles County has a population of 9,519,338 people. The major difference in population percentages are in regards to the Latino community in Los Angeles, which shows that they are the majority of the population with 45% Latinos in Los Angeles. Compared to the 7% of individuals who are not citizens in the United States, 22% of those populating Los Angeles County are not citizens also. As well in Los Angeles County the linguistically isolated Spanish speakers are 10%, compared to 2% and for the Asians it is 4%, compared to 1%. The percentages are fairly similar to the US census with regards to males and females who have completed high school, but are about 10% below the US average of 80%. And the comparisons with males and females who hold bachelor’s degrees are almost exactly similar. Compared to the United States 12% of individuals below poverty level, Los Angeles percentage unfortunately has 18% of the population below the poverty level. The percentages of individuals who commute to work are almost identical of those in the US census. About 3,133,774 individuals in Los Angeles occupy housing units. Of these individuals 48% of them own their housing units. And about 52% of the population lives in rented housing compared to the 34% of the population in the US census. As well the cost of housing is much higher in Los Angeles County with about a median cost of $704 a month to rent, and $201,400 is the average cost of a owner occupied house.
The five census tracts that were determined in Los Angeles County were tract number: 2655.10, 2655.20, 2656, 2687, and 2671. These five tracts have tremendous differences in percentages and numbers compared to the US census tract.
Tract number 2655.10 has a population of 3,896 people. Of these people 32% are Asian, which is much higher than the 4% in the US census. 21% of the population are naturalized citizens, which is much different than the 4% of the population in the US census who are naturalized citizens. A major difference is that of the males and females twenty-five years of age and older, 98%men and 96%women have a high school diploma and 86%men and 72%women have a bachelor’s degree. The median household income is approximately $49,178 and only 17% of the population owns their housing units while 83% owns their housing units. The rent and cost of owned housing is much higher than that of the US census with an average median gross rent of $1,181 and median value of owned housing at $215,600.
Tract number 2655.20 has a population of 4,243 people. 78% of this population is white and about 12% of the population are not citizens. And 0% of the population are Linguistically isolated Spanish speakers, as well as 0% are linguistically isolated other non-English isolated speakers. In this population almost all men and women twenty-five years of age and older have a high school diploma and 86%males and 70þmales have a bachelor’s degree. The median household income is much greater in this tract with an average of $67,476 per year compared to the $41,974 in the US census. Only about 9% of the population is below poverty level and 32% of the population owns their housing. And a surprising 27% black population owns housing compared to 7% in the US census. The median gross rent of housing doubles that of the US census with a cost of $1,366 and the average cost of owned housing triples that of the US census with a cost of $352,900.
Tract number 2656 has a population of 5,763. In this population only 1% of it is black, which is much lower than the 12% of the US census. About almost all of the men and women twenty-five years of age and older have not only a high school diploma, but also a bachelor’s degree. The average income of this area is $66, 202. Of the individuals who own housing, 0% of the black population owns housing. In this area the average cost of rent is $1,533 and average cost to own a home is about $553,400 which is much higher than the averages in the US census. This allows us understand that this area must be a much wealthier community than most.
Tracts 2687 and 2671 are pretty similar in numbers and percentages. They have a total population of 4,653 and 5,573 people. The area is predominantly white, with percentages of 85 and 81%. For both of these communities, almost all males and females of twenty-five years of age and older have a high school diploma and bachelor’s degree. The average household incomes for the two communities are $65,341 and $70,638 which is much higher than the US census average of about $41,974. The commuting percentages are almost similar to those of the US census, showing us that most individuals commute about the same amount throughout the United States. As well, about half of these communities own housing, where the average cost of owned housing is $662,600 and $457,700. These numbers are six and four times the cost of the average cost of owned housing in the US census. And the costs of renting housing in these communities are $1,286 and $1,025, which still doubles the amount in the US census.
From the findings in these five different census tracts it is evident to see that these communities around the Westwood area are above the median in comparison to the US census tract with regards to average income, cost of housing, and cost of rent. As well it is very evident that these communities are predominantly white communities that are highly educated. Most of the individuals own their homes in these communities and all have pretty high incomes in comparison to the United States and the greater Los Angeles County. This area is a very nice area that has a good amount of wealth, which allows it to be a desirable area.
A major controversy that has come about in recent months in the city of Westwood has to do with the Westwood Village merchants and its parking situation. This issue mainly involves the merchants of Westwood Village and Council man Jack Weiss who is the 5th district councilman.
In January the merchants and Councilman Weiss met to discuss, "the controversial business improvement district of the Westwood Village Community Alliance" (Yournorthvillage.com 1), which Weiss decided against renewing in the fall of 2002.
One of the topics that will be addressed with this controversial issue is the recent closer of businesses in the Village in the past months and weeks. Most recently Wherehouse records store, located at 1100 Westwood Blvd., had to close because of what many feel was a lack of parking. In February Pug’z the village’s record store was schedule to close. Pug’z was an "independent area of Tower Records" (1), which replaced Tower in the summer of 2002. Other stores that have closed are: Breadsticks, GC Optick, and the Shell Gas Station. Copland Sports at the time of the meeting was scheduling its closer date, while Copland’s will be replaced with CVS Drugs. As well, several other stores had announced that they would be closing after the council meeting, such as, Robocat Shoes and Leather Goods, Zone d’ Erotica. Many of these stores unfortunately have been part of the Westwood community for years, but because of the lack of business and support have been forced to close.
Another issue on the agenda is the closure of five of the Villages restaurants. The restaurants are Westwood Brewing Company, Golden Gate Indian Cuisine, Sandbags, Giussepe(a land mark restaurant in Westwood), and Madison’s Neighborhood Grill. Besides these major closures, many of the other merchants in the area feel that sales are slow because of the lack of parking and fear closing.
The biggest complaint is that the parking situation in the Village is so limited that clients are going to other shopping centers where they are able to find more parking which is readily accessible to their shopping needs. Steve Sann a local businessman says, "a recent night at The Grove at Farmers Market only reinforced his belief that parking is the reason why Westwood Village, a retail district slumped in recent years" (1-2). He goes on to say that the atmosphere of the Grove was busy and there was plenty of parking available for the customers, adding that the parking is free for the first two hours, as well he adds that most of the larger retail areas such as Third Street Promenade, The Beverly Center, Westside Pavilion and a slew of other retail market places also offer this amenity as well.
Most of the retailers in Westwood Village are now begging for the cities help to aid in this major decline that has occurred in recent years to the Westwood Village. Many believe that the lack of parking in the village and helping to solve the problem is going to take a full time job, but until it is actually done the situation is only going to get worse. Many believe that it is almost impossible to get anyone to come and shop in the Village anymore because of the undesirable parking situation, as well as because of another main issue, "Redundant Retail".
Redundant Retail is a term used when describing areas that have a tremendous amount of the same stores in the same vicinity. For example in the Village many can see that there is an overflow of Cell phone stores, drug stores, nail salons, video stores, and many others. The retailers blame the landlords for this problem because their leasing decisions have only inhibited the revitalization of Westwood village.
Another concern with this shopping area is the lack of a major Department store. The major department store that attracted many customers, Bullock’s, closed in 1998 and since its closure no other store has come in to fill its void. For many of the retailers they feel that if another lucrative department store would come in it would help in increasing sales in the Village. As well the movie theatre which used to be a major attraction in the area is no longer. This is because like most recent movie theatres have updated their technology, the theatre in the village remains to stay the same and has not yet been updated which has caused movie goers to go elsewhere.
It is necessary to understand that most of the merchants in the village are from Iranian decent, because in the eighties when they first came from Iran they had settled in the area. In doing so they also started their businesses in the area, and now they are dealing with the devastating fact of having to shut their doors and move their businesses elsewhere. It is a devastating thought that all you have worked for and have put your dreams into could suddenly be destroyed because of such a simple problem as "parking". The Iranian merchants whose businesses are being affected are fighting for the parking situation to be dissolved, immediately.
Though the most important issue to be solved in the matter of the Westwood Village is the parking situation, many must still remember that there are some very favorable attractions that still set the Village out apart from other areas. These attractions are the Wilshire High rise buildings, Hammer Museum, UCLA’s Royce Hall, and the excellent freeway access. The one problem that still persists with the Hammer Museum and UCLA’s Royce hall though is the lack of parking. As well a major turn off to not only these special attractions and the village is the increasing homeless population that is continuously loitering in the streets and wandering aimlessly in the Westwood area.
The main issue of parking is one that still needs to be resolved. But, it has come apparently evident without the support of the city council and the city this issue will not be cleared. Not only does the parking need to be redesigned, but new attractions and venues must be brought into the area to attract individuals back to the Village. The merchants hope that with the constant demands that they are putting fourth on the city that they will eventually get the support and funding needed to revitalize this once flourishing community.
Many communities often have a hard time dealing with integration of different ethnicities into there established area. Westwood is a community that has experienced a major settling of Iranians in their community since the nineteen eighties. In order to really get an idea of how members of the community feel about the integration and settling of the Iranian community it was necessary to go out in the community and get individuals actual thoughts on the emergence of this ethnic group.
Richard a Jewish man, who owns Star Tickets on Santa Monica Blvd., has had his establishment in the community since the early eighties. When asked how he felt about the emergence of this ethnic group in his community, he said, "They really have not affected my business and in general really keep to themselves and their business". Just recently, Richard said he has noticed a number of Persian Restaurants opening. He claims that these restaurants have received excellent reviews and the community is actually thrilled that there are some new restaurants opening in their community. Richard claims that when he originally opened up his business he rented in the Westwood area because the price of business space was really inexpensive and it was close to the freeway. He never really chose his location because of the people in the community and really enjoys working in an area that is such a melting pot of different ethnic communities.
The next individual interviewed was Danny Balsamo of Ada’s Tailor at 1379 Westwood Blvd., Westwood California. He is a Hispanic tailor who has conducted business in the area for many years. When asked how he felt about Persians in his community and he said that he really did not feel anything for them, "They really don’t bother me". He feels that they are like everyone else in the community and that there is really no difference between him and Iranian people. Danny stated because of the location of his store most of his customers in fact are Iranian and he really appreciates their business. Danny’s tailoring business has been at 1379 Westwood Blvd. for twenty-four years. When he first rented his space he rented not because of the people in the community, but because he felt that, that was not a concern, but because the cost of real estate in the area was very affordable. This allowed him to have his business in a safe and affordable place. The only real change he has seen in the community over the years is the deterioration of the area by the developing homeless community and not by the Iranian community. He stated that he remembered during the eighties the influx of Iranian immigrants, but he never felt that they impacted the community in a negative way and that they actually brought a resurgence of business to the community when they immigrated. When asked how the inner ethnic relations between the Persian community and others were? Danny said, he really believed that there was a really good relationship between all members of the community, from what he was able to sense. He believes that the overall community of Westwood is a very friendly community that accepts individuals of all races.
Bobby Awdalla was the last individual to be interviewed. He is a half Arab and half Greek student at UCLA, who will graduate this spring. He lives at 606 Levering Avenue, Westwood California. When asked how he felt about the Iranian community in Westwood he said that he enjoys having them in his community because they are part of the Middle Eastern community. He said that he has been to several Persian functions and said that from his experience Persian people are fun, lively, and extremely friendly individuals. He believes that they have a really great spirit and add to the community in a very positive way. Though he has only been a member of the Westwood community for four years, since he started UCLA he thinks that the Iranian influence adds to the culture of the community and that they seem to embrace all other ethnicities in the community. When asked if there were any land issue concerns that impacted him, he said that the land issues in the community did not really impact him, except for the deterioration and decline in Westwood Village. He said that a lot of the business owners in the village are from Iranian decent and unfortunately because of the lack of support from the city in helping to revitalize the Village they have had to close there doors and start their businesses over again in new locations.
Through these interviews it is evident that the Iranian community has been embraced by the other ethnic groups in the community.
The Iranians came to the United States and most accurately Southern California originally to study, but after such government chaos many fled to the United States for freedom. When they settled in California, the majority decided that Westwood would be they area of their choice. Once they settled they were able to begin establishing businesses and business connections with the tremendous amount of wealth they had brought with them from their country. By bringing in these businesses they were able to create a booming and revitalized business force to the community, and the community gladly welcomed them with open arms. They have been embraced by the community and are very powerful in the Westwood community, which in recent years has declined. The Iranians have made it very obvious that something needs to be done to get a resurgence of the community and a revitalization of the area. This is there niche in society and to see it fall apart after helping it build for so many years would be devastating.