Westside council. (Politics).

Westside cities long have been at each other's throats, attacking other cities' project approvals, road works and the like.

But collaboration now seems to be the name of the game. Recently, this column reported on economic development officials and businesses in the four Westside cities of Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Culver City and Beverly Hills getting together to form the Westside Economic Development Collaborative.

Now comes word that officials from those same cities are considering a Council of Governments, which would take regional approaches to thorny problems like transportation and housing. The group of councilmembers from all four cities -- and possibly the city of L.A. itself -- also would lobby as a unit for federal or state funding for infrastructure projects.

Other areas of L.A. County, such as the San Gabriel Valley and the South Bay, already have COGs. The Westside is one of the last holdouts.

Staff reporter Howard Fine can be reached by phone at [phone], ext. 227, or by email at [e-mail].