| Western Los Angeles County Council (#051) | |
| Type: | council |
| Owner: | Boy Scouts of America |
| Headquarters: | Van Nuys, California |
| Country: | United States |
| F-Date: | 1917 |
| Chiefscouttitle: | President |
| Chiefscouttitle2: | Council Commissioner |
| Chiefscouttitle3: | Scout Executive |
| Website: | bsa-la.org |
The Western Los Angeles County Council (WLACC) (#051) is one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California. Headquartered in Van Nuys, the council services over 30,000 youth spanning six districts including the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, Malibu, and much of West Los Angeles.
The Western Los Angeles County Council was formed in 1972 with the merger of the Crescent Bay Council (#026) and the San Fernando Valley Council (#050) to form the Great Western Council. The Great Western Council was renamed Western Los Angeles County Council in 1985.[1]
On May 7, 2013, the Western Los Angeles County Council of the Boy Scouts issued a declaration calling for a "true and authentic inclusion policy" that would allow gay adults to work as troop leaders or staff members.[2] The Council's campaign "Inclusion Now for All Gay Boy Scouts and Leaders: Western LA County Council Sends Clear Message" in conjunction with Olmstead Williams Communications won a 2013 PRism Award from PRSA-Los Angeles.[3]
The Western Los Angeles County Council is divided into six districts.
The land on which Camp Josepho now lies was originally donated to the Crescent Bay Council in 1941 by Anatol Josepho and his wife Ganna. The camp quickly rose to the forefront of Scouting camps, becoming known as the West Point of Scouting.[4] [5] The focal point of the camp is its large old western style lodge now named the Malibu Lodge after the Malibu Lodge #566 of the Order of the Arrow.
In January 2005, a flood washed out the main road into Camp Josepho. The camp remained closed for less than a month, reopening (to backpacking) in February 2005. The camp remained inaccessible to vehicular traffic while the road was studied by civil engineers. As of July 2007, the road was open once again.
The Malibu Lodge #566,[7] chartered in 1972, serves 755 Arrowmen as of 2004. The lodge totem is a Pacific blue shark, and the name translates to "From the Mountains to the Sea" in the Chumash language. Malibu Lodge was created in 1972 from the merger of Tamet Lodge 225 and Walika Lodge 228.