Mayor Abbe Land
Mayor Abbe Land
A resident of West Hollywood since 1979, Mayor Abbe Land has had the privilege to play an instrumental role in West Hollywood since its inception, where she was part of the successful campaign to make West Hollywood an independent city in 1984.
Mayor Land was appointed to the City's first Planning Commission in 1985. In 1986, when a council seat was vacated mid-term, she was elected to the City Council for her first term. She served with distinction as a Councilmember and Mayor until 1997, when she did not seek another term. In 2003, Mayor Land returned to public service when she was once again elected to the City Council, and was re-elected in 2007. She has served three previous terms as Mayor of West Hollywood (1989-90, 1994-95, 2005-2006) and is the City's current Mayor.
In addition to her service as an elected official, Mayor Land serves as the co-chief executive officer of The Saban Free Clinic -- formerly known as the Los Angeles Free Clinic -- the oldest continuously operating free clinic in the nation. The Saban Free Clinic provides free medical and dental care, counseling, HIV testing, health education, prenatal care and wellness programs for thousands of uninsured men, women and children each year. A recognized leader in healthcare management, Mayor Land is one of the state's leading advocates for single-payer, universal health coverage, and initiated the City's "Well West Hollywood" program to encourage increased physical activity in order to help reduce the rates of disease and death from chronic illness.
Long a champion of affordable housing, Mayor Land is a dedicated guardian of the City's historic tenants' rights protections. She helped create the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation and our Affordable Housing Trust Fund to build and rehabilitate affordable housing for seniors, families and people living with disabilities.
Mayor Land has been strong and creative proponent of economic development, helping develop the "Shop West Hollywood" campaign to support the City's small businesses. She remains involved in the development of ongoing and innovative economic strategic plans to create an even stronger local economy.
An ardent supporter of arts and cultural affairs, Mayor Land co-sponsored the Art Galleries Task Force to reduce the declining number of art galleries in the city's renowned Avenues of Art and Design district, and strongly supported efforts to bring additional arts and cultural activities to the City.
For more than two decades, Mayor Land has influenced public policy at the local, county, state and federal level on a variety of issues ranging from gun and ammunition control to choice and the environment.
In 1996, she led West Hollywood to be the first California city to ban the sale of Saturday Night Specials handguns. After a campaign that led 31 other cities to pass similar legislation, the State of California eventually banned these junk guns. In 2007, Mayor Land co-authored ordinances requiring the mandatory reporting of the theft or loss of firearms, and an ordinance which requires firearm dealers to post warning signs where guns and ammunition are sold.
Mayor Land has taken the lead in guiding the City of West Hollywood's policies on the environment and sustainability. She has initiated several of the City's landmark environmental policies to cut our carbon emissions and plays a leadership role in creating local solutions to global warming. She initiated the City's Green Building Ordinance, the country's first mandatory program for commercial and residential buildings. She also led the effort to ensure that the new West Hollywood Library will be a certified LEED Silver building.
Her concern for the environment led to the development of the drought tolerant demonstration gardens on two central City corners (Crescent Heights and Santa Monica Boulevards). Additionally, Mayor Land co-sponsored a Heritage Tree Preservation Program to protect some old growth trees and increase the City's urban canopy. She also co-sponsored a Mixed-Use Task Force to examine mixed-use development for a more pedestrian-friendly, sustainable urban environment, and spearheaded the creation of the City's Environmental Task Force.
Widely known for her leadership on women's issues, LGBT rights and civil liberties, Mayor Land was instrumental in creating the City's Women's and Disability Advisory Boards. She was also active in the development of the City's pioneering domestic violence prevention program for same-sex couples. She has also played a leadership role in providing support to the Russian immigrant community by ensuring culturally competent City services and Russian-language materials and programming.
The City of West Hollywood has a long history of supporting women's reproductive rights, thanks in part to Mayor Land's efforts. In 1993 the City Council voted to become the first official pro-choice city in the nation, and she led a West Hollywood delegation to the 2004 March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC.
Mayor Land co-sponsored the model Families and Communities Task Force, which brought together public and private schools, children and family advocates and city resources to address the needs of the children of West Hollywood. She continues to advocate for quality and accessible programs, services and educational opportunities for children, youth and families in West Hollywood and beyond.
Mayor Land serves as one of the City of West Hollywood's representatives on the Westside Council of Governments (COG), and is co-chair of the Westside COG's Sustainability Committee. She is the Westside COG representative for the Southern California Association of Governments' Energy and Environment Committee. She also is a member of the Council of Advisors for the Westside Economic Collaborative.
She currently serves on the advisory board of Women Against Gun Violence and on the board of directors of the California Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County. In January of 2005, she was appointed to the L.A. County Department of Health Services' Women's Health Policy Council, where she still serves.
Previously, Mayor Land has served on the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities & the California League of Cities, the Southern California Association of Governments, the California Women Lead and she is a former President of Women in Municipal Government. Prior to her work for The Saban Free Clinic, she was the Director of Development for the Feminist Majority Foundation.
Awards and Recognitions
Mayor Land has been honored by numerous community organizations for her tireless work. Among the highlights, she was honored by the National Women's History Month Project as one of the "Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet" in 2009. She was featured in the 2008 inaugural National Women's Political Caucus/LA Westside chapter's Women Leaders Calendar.
She was one of the recipients of Big Thinking Women Unlimited's "50@50+ LA Award" in 2007, and that year was also recognized for her leadership on gun control policies with the "Courageous Leader Award" from Women Against Gun Violence. The Los Angeles Business Journal named Mayor Land as one of Los Angeles' "Women Making a Difference" in 2007, the same year she also received the President's Award from the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
In 2006, Mayor Land received the Sheldon W. Andelson Award from Alternative Living for the Aging for her commitment to affordable housing for seniors. She was named the 2005 "Woman of the Year" by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women.
She was honored with the 1999 George Moscone Award from Christopher Street West/LA Pride, and has also been the recipient of a Rainbow Key Award from the City of West Hollywood's Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board. In 1998, Mayor Land received the Women of Distinction Award from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and was honored with the Women in Leadership Award from the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the City's Women's Advisory Board.
You can contact Mayor Abbe Land at West Hollywood City Hall through her deputy, Corri Planck, at (323) 848-6460 or by e-mail at aland@weho.org.