John Duran will be sworn into office as West Hollywood’s mayor on May 21 at 1OAK, a nightclub at 9039 W. Sunset Blvd.
The swearing-in ceremony will replace the regular City Council meeting. It will begin at 6 p.m.
Duran will be serving his fourth term as mayor, a largely honorary one-year position that rotates each April. Councilmember John D’Amico will be sworn in as mayor pro tem and thus is most likely to be named mayor when Duran’s term expires.
As mayor, Duran will preside over City Council meetings. He also will be the signer on certain city checks and will be the official face of the city. Some have used that position to advance their political standing in the state and beyond.
The swearing-in ceremony will be followed by a reception close by at the Rainbow Bar and Grill, which is at 9015 W. Sunset Blvd. The events are free and open to the public.
In an email to WEHOville, Joshua Schare, the city’s communications manager, said the city is staging the swearing-in event on Sunset Boulevard because Duran has announced that the Sunset Strip is a priority of his during his tenure as mayor.
“His hope was that the city could find a space that embraces the musical legacy of the Strip,” Schare
said. “The Rainbow emerged as a primary spot to showcase the city’s heritage for a reception. But, due to scheduling and limited space, The Rainbow could not host the meeting. 1OAK emerged as a desirable location because it’s one of the premier destinations on the Sunset Strip.
“1OAK also has a long history, having been the Key Club and having been the space that was once the legendary Gazzarri’s, where many rock-n-roll legends performed. 1OAK also meets all of the logistical needs that the city has to consider in hosting a public meeting – it is accessible; it is nearby to the Rainbow, is it adjacent to convenient parking, and it has the physical space to set up a full-scale meeting. These were determining factors in selecting the locations.”
1OAK (an acronym for “1 of a kind”) is owned by Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva, who launched the brand in New York City and collaborated with Ronnie Madra and the Bartelier Group’s Darren Dzienciol bring 1OAK to Los Angeles.
The bar is known for attracting celebrities such as Kanye West, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Madonna, Katy Perry, Adam Levine, Fergie and Jessica Alba. Among those who follow gossip sites, it also is known as the place where Marion “Suge” Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, was shot multiple times in 2014 at a party hosted by Chris Brown and singer Pia Mia Perez.
Knight sued Brown, Perez and 1Oak in L.A. Superior Court, alleging “premises liability and negligence.”
1OAK also has been accused of racial discrimination and of discriminating against a transgender woman.
Last summer Shayan Siren, a transgender West Hollywood woman, said she was turned away from 1OAK when she went to an event celebrating Lana Del Rey’s birthday.
“He didn’t have any real excuse,” Siren said of the doorman who denied her entrance. “He said they have a lot of Middle Eastern clients that are high-profile clientele, and they don’t want to be around trans people.”
Siren said one of the security guards was upset by the way she was treated and explained that the club had a quota.
“They don’t allow too many African-American people. They don’t want too many gays,” Siren said he told her. The man also said that 1 OAK’s Middle Eastern customers want to be around blonde women. He said she would be more welcome on the club’s Friday gay nights.
What an utter embarrassment! How much longer do we have to endure this person representing us. WHERE are the ethics rules regarding our local politicians?
Title of article should be “John Duran Will Be Reluctantly Sworn in As WeHo’s Mayor on May 21”
Is it wise or is it foolish? Acknowledgment of that premise in seeking a location for a swearing in would have been an appropriate guide for the city. Supporting the city’s businesses and districts is understandable, but opening new grazing land for John Duran is yet another conundrum. ..Now things have been elevated to “events”. Durans quest for new revenue streams and the potential of celebrity support at a location of such controversy as 1OAK seems fitting as a new chapter opens following in the wreckage behind from the city council deputy antics. This is not a comment from a… Read more »
One council person in particular who is a constant voice for women’s rights said nothing when Duran was “nominated”.
So much for the me too movement.
Such hypocrisy in this city!
To quote Duran, this is BS.
While concerns over cost to taxpayers are valid and should not be overlooked, I also appreciate the City’s efforts to promote our local businesses and different business districts – in this case the Sunset Strip. I also find value in highlighting/celebrating the historical significance of our many local treasures and take pride in knowing that not only is my City known for its leadership on tenant protections and LGBT equality, but also the birthplace of some of the most successful rock and roll bands of all time. I expect our City to maintain a balanced budget and they’ve never let… Read more »
Agreed. I also appreciated D’Amico’s ceremony in Plummer Park, giving recognition to the east side.
That was a good thing. and the honorable thing to do. at a public park. not at two bars. Kudos to D’Amico for that.
wehoeric.com
Coat tailing for relevance. Perhaps Duran might have an opening as a personal assistant.
You make valid points and I agree that promoting business and history is a noble goal. However, this does not pass certain smell tests as it relates to a business gifting things of value (waived fees) to promote a party which will likely curry favor with governing bodies from which business might one day need a “favor”.
Waiving fees does not equate to free of costs to the taxpayers. This coronation gala could very well be done tastefully and with great style in the grand (ode to ego) council chambers and ante-rooms. What next, a parade? Our little hamlet’s council is out of control. The coming titular monarch continues to make a mockery of public service, and is surrounded by enabling court jesters who represent the 10% of registered voters that it takes to get elected. VOTE!
Thank you Darren. You have supported my suggestion that this is a “Pay for Play” Situation. Typically, Businesses do not give away services without expecting something in return. Why would 10AK waive its’ “fees”? What do they and their “Friends” expect in return? Plus, It is shameful to cancel a Council Meeting for something that should take place in the Chamber. The Ceremony for rotating the yearly Mayor should take ten minutes and then on to Business of the City. It is Dereliction of Duty for the Council to Cancel a Public Meeting to have two parties for something so… Read more »
Please keep at least one promise to readers on Wehoville
Why don’t you put your name or picture up? what are you afraid of when you sling insults? I sit in the front row at every Council Meeting, you are welcome to come up to me and talk to me. Or when I am one of your Council members, you can come to my office. I will keep regular business hours.
WEHO pays a settlement to a former employee for Duran’s sexual inproprieties and now he’ll be our Mayor…something so wrong with this picture.
That baffles me too.
Not just a settlement…a wopping HALF MILLION DOLLAR, settlement, plus attorneys’ fees.
Why is the city wasting all that money for something that should be handled at council chambers.? Another example of the city mis-using tax payer money. If the events are donated, it is a pay for play situation. It’s nothing more than a one year Mayor rotation not the Crowning of a Queen. What is worse, is to choose a venue with a history of discrimination. Again, current City Council being out-of-touch Elitists. Hopefully Voters will remember this next March
wehoeric.com
The city didnt have to spend a penny on this event. 1OAK waived all fees. Also 1OAK has never and will never discriminate against ANYONE. That is simply not true.
Hey Schmidt, I thought you weren’t going to comment on wehoville anymore? Looks like you can’t keep a promise.
You said we were not going to hear from you on Wehoville.
I’m back. It is interesting how you say “We” as though it’s a private little club. It’s not private, but it is a little club of haters whose Votes won’t make a difference. changing one’s mind as the environment changes is a cornerstone of a Progressive like me. The inability to listen to new ideas is a cornerstone of a regressive.
Well said.
I’ll vote for the naked guy who puts his name and face to his comments. This is a city in which it takes only 10% of registered voters to “win” a city council seat, and zero votes to become mayor. VOTE!
Thank you. But I am not just the “Naked Guy”. My nude performance art is only about 5% of who I am. Please read my website to learn about me. Since everyone knows about the other Candidates, It seems that a reasonable person would want to know more than a very small part of my life (no pun intended). On the page “about eric” you will learn everything about my life since I was a kid. Even my Mother approved of my nude art form. My platform is on the main page. I am a serious contender with serious concerns… Read more »
Well, what would give me pause in voting for Mr. Schmidt are issues of personal responsibility and integrity. In the comment section of the WEHOville article “Eric Schmidt’s ‘Transparent’ City Council Campaign Includes Sex Photos and Videos”, [Mon, Apr 02, 2018 at 7:07 am] Mr. Schmidt reveals that he is HIV positive, yet in the profile of a video site hosting his pictures and videos, he claims to be disease free. But most disconcerting, considering that revelation, is what is clearly demonstrated in the pictures and videos at the site referenced – the careless, inconsiderate practice of unprotected sex by… Read more »
Brock, you raise a good point about Eric’s untruthfulness. I asked him, more than once, why he would deny having a profile on a pornographic video site, reported here on WEHOville, after another commenter proved that he had linked to that video profile from his own DN page. He has yet to respond after two inquiries, even though it appears he was caught in a lie. He claimed that someone stole his computer and set up the phony profile, and then it was later proven through web.archive.org (a trustworthy site that snapshots web sites) that he had linked to it… Read more »