City of West Hollywood : News : 25 Years: Facts About Our City

News Review

25 Years: Facts About Our City

Posted Date: 5/25/2010

The City of West Hollywood was officially incorporated as an independent City on November 29, 1984. Previously, West Hollywood had been an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yarolslavsky represents West Hollywood and has served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors since 1994.
The campaign to establish an independent City of West Hollywood was spearheaded by a coalition of LGBT activists, Seniors and renters who wanted to create strong renters rights protections, progressive civil rights and human rights policies and local control of land use policies. Today, the City of West Hollywood is one of the most progressive and innovative cities in the country.
The first City Council included three openly-gay City Councilmembers which established West Hollywood as the first City in the country to have an openly-gay majority governing body. This was a landmark development in LGBT rights in the United States as well as globally. The election of an openly-gay City Council majority resulted in unprecedented national and international media coverage of the City of West Hollywood which continues to this day.
The first ordinances adopted by the City Council within the first year of Cityhood included such landmark legislation as the City’s comprehensive Rent Stabilization Ordinance (which upon its adoption was one of the strictest rent control laws in the country); Ordinance Prohibiting Discrimination Against People with HIV and AIDS; Domestic Partnership Ordinance and the Ordinance Prohibiting Discrimination in Employment based on Sexual Orientation. Many of the City’s landmark ordinances have been duplicated throughout the United States and other countries. In the early days of Cityhood, the West Hollywood City Council faced a barrage of controversy and criticism for its unapologetic progressive public policy agenda. Today, many of these policies are mainstream and commonplace policies nationally and globally.
The City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance continues to protect nearly 17,000 West Hollywood residential units today.
The City of West Hollywood was one of the first cities in the United States to adopt an ordinance establishing restrictions on investments and contracting with companies and persons doing business with the Republic of South Africa and Namibia. In the 1980’s, the Republic of South Africa was the subject of international economic sanctions and boycotts for its deplorable treatment of its Black citizens through its inhumane apartheid system of racial segregation.
In 1985, the City Council established its much-admired Social Services program to provide much needed social services to residents. Since that time, the City has provided millions of dollars in grants to fund programs for people in need. These services have included services for Seniors; people with HIV and/or AIDS; members of the LGBT community; people with disabilities; alcohol and drug use recovery programs; support programs for Russian-speaking immigrants; services for people who are homeless; food programs and health care services for the uninsured. The City’s social services funding is among the highest per capita in the nation and have provided critical support to thousands of persons in need in West Hollywood.
The onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic had a significant impact on the young City of West Hollywood due to the disease’s devastating infection rate among Gay men. The City of West Hollywood was the first government entity to provide social services grants to AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, Aid for AIDS, Being Alive, and Project Angel Food. The City sponsored one of the first AIDS Awareness campaigns in the country in October 1985. The City’s response to the AIDS crisis has been largely recognized as a model for other cities both nationally and globally.
In 1985, the City of West Hollywood was one of the first cities in the country to adopt a Domestic Partnership Ordinance which provided equal rights for domestic partners and married couples in the City. The City of West Hollywood has been one of the most ardent advocates for the legal rights of same-sex couples and the right to marry. It was one of the first cities in the country to pass a resolution in support of same-sex marriage. From June 2008 through November 4, 2008, the City of West Hollywood issued more than 1,000 marriage licenses and performed more than 600 marriage ceremonies.
The City Council adopted a General Plan and Zoning Ordinance through a comprehensive community participation process which created a land-use scheme that protects the unique urban character of the City while being sensitive to the needs of the surrounding residential neighborhoods. The City is currently undergoing a comprehensive update of its General Plan.
In 1986, the City helped to establish a non-profit housing development corporation, the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (WHCHC), which owns and operates twelve (12) buildings for a total of 286 low-income and moderate-income housing units in West Hollywood.
In 1986, the West Hollywood Marketing and Visitor Bureau was established to promote and market West Hollywood as a premier global travel destination.
In 1995, the City Council adopted the Sunset Specific Plan (SSP) [PDF] to protect one of the City’s most valuable assets, Sunset Boulevard. The primary purpose of the SSP was to control growth and ensure development consistent with protecting the landmark street’s legacy. This document has led to the current economic revitalization of one of the most famous streets in the world. In recent years, the Sunset Strip (as its commonly referred) has been reinvigorated with private sector investments along this dynamic commercial corridor. The SSP as well as the establishment of the Sunset Strip Business Association and it’s creation of the annual Sunset Strip Music Festival have made the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood a “white hot” entertainment destination for celebrities and celebrity-wanna-be’s. The iconic street is currently undergoing a beautification project which will be completed in the Summer of 2010.
In the late 1980’s, the warming of relations between the former Soviet Union and the United States resulted in the immigration of Russian-speaking persons to the City of West Hollywood many of whom had suffered religion persecution. Today, the City’s Russian-speaking residents are a vital part of the West Hollywood community.
For 25 years, due to prudent fiscal management, the City’s Operating and Capital Improvement budget has been balanced and has contributed to a strong capital reserve. The City of West Hollywood has been assigned an ‘AAA’ for the City’s credit rating, which is the highest attainable rating possible and an ‘AA+’ rating for lease bonds by Standard & Poor’s (S&P).
Creating more residential and commercial parking opportunities throughout West Hollywood has been a major priority for 25 years. The City of West Hollywood is a leader in successfully launching innovative and cutting-edge parking-related technology such as the solar-power Flex Pay parking meters. Plans are underway to construct one of the first fully-automated parking facilities in the country at West Hollywood City Hall. Automated parking facilities can hold two to three times the number of cars as traditional ramp-style parking garages of the same volume.
In 1992, the City created the Cityline Shuttle service which transports nearly 75,000 persons to a year. The City also provides a taxi coupon subsidy and bus pass subsidy program for Seniors and persons with disabilities of which more than 1,100 persons received taxi coupons and 700 persons received bus passes.
In 1997, the City Council established the East Side Redevelopment Agency.
In 2001, the City completed the Santa Monica Boulevard Reconstruction Project, a two-year roadway improvement and beautification plan for the 3-mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and Doheny Drive. The $34 million project was the City’s largest public works project undertaken prior to the 25th Anniversary Capital Project.
Public safety is a major priority of the City of West Hollywood. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides law enforcement services. The City’s annual National Night Out against crime, which is held in August each year.
The City of West Hollywood is home to some of the most popular special events in Southern California including the internationally-renowned West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval; Christopher Street West LGBT PRIDE Festival and Parade; West Hollywood Book Fair and the Sunset Strip Music Festival. Each year hundreds of thousands of people visit West Hollywood to attend special events.
In 2007, in an effort to develop earth-friendly land use policies, the City Council adopted the Green Building ordinance (Green Building Requirements and Incentives for Private Development Ordinance) for both residential and commercial development in West Hollywood. It was one of the first mandatory Green Building programs in the country.
In celebration of 25 years of Cityhood, the City of West Hollywood has begun construction of its 25th Anniversary Capital Project which is the largest capital improvement project in the City’s history. The major components of the Capital Project include the implementation of Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan (which includes the development of a new West Hollywood Library, 2.5 acre increase in parkland and green space, new tennis courts and more than 400 parking spaces); development of the West Hollywood Community Service Center and Parking Project; and the implementation of Phase I of the Plummer Park Master Plan.
In Summer 2011, the new West Hollywood Library will open upon the completion of Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan. The new West Hollywood Library will be the center piece of the West Hollywood community. It is designed to showcase the City’s rich intellectual, literary and cultural diversity and provide a landmark facility for the community’s passionate commitment to life long learning. With the completion of the new West Hollywood Library, the City of West Hollywood will begin the next 25 years of its remarkable legacy.