The Hillside Federation: What It Is, Why It Matters, and Why Outpost Neighborhood Association Is a Member
Map of hillside neighborhoods in the Hollywood Hills and Santa Monica Mountains. Outpost Estates is one of roughly four dozen neighborhood associations represented by the Federation of Hillside and Canyon Associations. Source: Hillsidefederation.org
If you live in Outpost Estates, you are part of a broader coalition of hillside communities that have been working together to protect the character, safety, and quality of life in the Santa Monica Mountains for more than 70 years. That coalition is the Federation of Hillside and Canyon Associations — commonly known as the Hillside Federation — and Outpost Neighborhood Association (ONA) has renewed its membership for 2026.
Here is what neighbors should know about the Hillside Federation, what it does, why its work matters now more than ever, and how you can get involved.
🏔️ What Is the Hillside Federation?
The Federation of Hillside and Canyon Associations, Inc. was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest and most influential community advocacy organizations in Los Angeles. Its mission is straightforward: to protect the property and quality of life of residents in the Santa Monica Mountains and other hillside areas of Los Angeles, and to encourage policies that preserve the natural topography and wildlife of the mountains and hillsides for the benefit of all Angelenos.
The Hillside Federation represents roughly four dozen homeowner and resident associations across the Santa Monica Mountains — from Pacific Palisades and Bel-Air to Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Heights, Los Feliz, and Outpost Estates. Together, these associations represent thousands of hillside residents who share common concerns about traffic, fire safety, overdevelopment, views, wildlife, and infrastructure.
Current officers include President Charley Mims, Chairman Marian Dodge, and Vice President Jamie Hall, who also serves as the attorney representing the Hillside Federation in its recent legal action against the City (more on that below).
A full list of member associations is available at hillsidefederation.org/about.html — and yes, Outpost Neighborhood Assn. is on the list.
🤝 What Does the Hillside Federation Do?
The Hillside Federation serves as a watchdog and advocate on issues that affect hillside neighborhoods across Los Angeles. Its work includes:
Monitoring development and land use. The Federation tracks proposed developments, zoning changes, and building permits across the hillsides — particularly projects that may violate existing hillside protections, the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan, or state fire safety regulations.
Advocating for fire safety. The Federation has been a leading voice on wildfire preparedness, evacuation planning, and enforcement of state fire safety regulations in hillside communities — including the "minimum firesafe regulations" that require adequate road widths, fuel breaks, and structure spacing in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
Fighting overdevelopment. When proposed projects threaten the character, safety, or environmental integrity of hillside neighborhoods, the Federation engages with City agencies, testifies at hearings, files appeals, and — when necessary — takes legal action.
Connecting neighborhoods. By bringing together dozens of associations, the Federation creates a unified voice that carries far more weight with City Council, the Department of Building and Safety, the Department of City Planning, and other agencies than any single neighborhood association could on its own.
⚖️ The Lawsuit: Hillside Federation Sues the City Over Unsafe Hillside Development
“L.A. Accused of Ignoring State Fire Safety Rules" — Los Angeles Times, December 31, 2025. The Hillside Federation and the State Alliance for Firesafe Road Regulations filed suit alleging the City permitted development in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in violation of state law. Read the full article
In December 2025, the Hillside Federation — along with the State Alliance for Firesafe Road Regulations — filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court alleging that the City of Los Angeles has been systematically ignoring state wildfire safety regulations as it permits new development in areas with severe fire hazards.
The lawsuit identified 75 examples of building permits and other plans approved by the City that allegedly violate the state's "minimum firesafe regulations." These regulations — expanded by the Legislature in 2021 to cover Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones within cities like Los Angeles — require:
Wide, flat roads with only short dead-end offshoots to ensure safe evacuation and fire crew access
Strategic fuel breaks to slow the progression of flames
Standardized fire hydrants and water sources
When practical, at least 30 feet between buildings and property lines to limit fire spread between homes
The Hillside Federation had previously challenged the City on a particularly concerning permit — a new single-family home on a vacant lot between Bel-Air and Beverly Crest that the Federation argued was too far down a dead-end road that was too steep and narrow for fire trucks. The City's Board of Building and Safety Commissioners denied the appeal, prompting the broader lawsuit.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the attorney representing the plaintiffs stated that the City was allowing developments to proceed in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones without following the law — and questioned why the City had to be sued to comply with regulations that are already on the books.
This matters for Outpost Estates because our entire neighborhood sits within the City's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The same narrow, steep, winding streets that define our hillside character also create the exact conditions — limited evacuation routes, difficult fire truck access, homes close to wildland vegetation — that these state regulations are designed to address. Any weakening of enforcement in hillside areas affects communities like ours directly.
🗺️ The Outpost Estates Connection: The Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan
The Hillside Federation's advocacy work is directly relevant to Outpost Estates in another important way. A significant portion of our neighborhood falls under the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan — a set of City rules designed to preserve the scenic beauty of Mulholland Drive, protect viewsheds, and ensure that hillside development is sensitive to its surroundings.
The Mulholland Plan affects what you can build, how you can paint, what you can plant, and what architectural styles are likely to be approved for homes that are visible from or sit along the Mulholland Drive corridor. The Mulholland Design Review Board reviews major remodels and new construction within the plan area.
The Hillside Federation has been a key advocate for maintaining and enforcing the Mulholland Specific Plan over the years — and ensuring that new development along the corridor respects the scenic and environmental values the plan was designed to protect. For more on how the Mulholland Plan affects Outpost Estates, read our full post: Outpost Estates & the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan: What Neighbors Should Know.
Mulholland Drive, which runs directly above Outpost Estates. The Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan regulates development along this corridor to protect viewsheds and hillside character.
📅 How to Get Involved
The Hillside Federation meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm via Zoom. Meetings are open to the public and are a great way to stay informed about development proposals, fire safety advocacy, and other issues affecting hillside neighborhoods across Los Angeles.
Visit hillsidefederation.org for Zoom links and agendas. If you have a specific concern about a development project or other issue affecting Outpost Estates that you believe the Hillside Federation should be aware of, you can submit a Request for Action form at least 10 days before the next meeting.
The Hillside Federation also accepts donations to support its Legal Fund, which helps fund lawsuits like the one described above. Donations can be mailed to: Hillside Federation, P.O. Box 27404, Los Angeles, CA 90027, or made online via PayPal at hillsidefederation.org.
🌿 Why Outpost Neighborhood Association’s (ONA's) Membership Matters
ONA renewed its Hillside Federation membership for 2026 because the issues the Federation advocates for — fire safety, responsible development, enforcement of hillside protections, and preservation of neighborhood character — are the same issues that matter most to Outpost Estates residents.
Being part of the Federation means Outpost Estates has a seat at the table when citywide hillside policies are being discussed, challenged, or defended. It means our neighborhood's concerns are amplified by a coalition of nearly 50 associations that share our values. And it means that when the City fails to follow its own rules — as the current lawsuit alleges — there is an organization with the legal standing and institutional knowledge to hold them accountable.
