West Hollywood is a truly unique city that must continue to lead on the global stage. Our vibrant sense of place has made West Hollywood an international icon of civil rights and popular culture.
What makes West Hollywood special is not its geography, but that our caring, compassion and community are equaled only by our creativity, innovation and energy.
This is why I am running for City Council.
West Hollywood has the resources to tackle our greatest challenges – homelessness, housing affordability and mental health – yet, real work remains to address these issues with the kind of creativity and innovation for which our city is known.
West Hollywood is not an island, and we cannot solve regional issues independently.
We can, however, be an example of problem-solving, thinking outside the box, and innovation that drives meaningful progress on these persistent challenges. Just as West Hollywood has led the fight for LGBTQ+ rights globally, we should bring that same focus to neighborhood issues today.
We must attack our homelessness problem with overwhelming compassion. LGBTQ+ youth, veterans and others living on our streets should not be treated as a nuisance, but as human beings with dignity, who need and deserve our help. Our city must better address this humanitarian crisis.
West Hollywood cannot build our way out of a regional housing shortage alone. We can improve housing affordability, protect rent stabilization and expedite construction of a meaningful amount of affordable housing units. West Hollywood should also plan for transit-oriented development as we work to bring Metro Rail service to our city.
We should also better address the mental health and substance abuse challenges faced by too many of our friends and neighbors. While West Hollywood is celebrated across the globe for its nightlife and entertainment, we as a community have an obligation to provide services and support to nightlife employees, patrons, residents and all those in need.
I have rented my home in West Hollywood for 23 years and served on several city advisory boards and committees. As a non-profit executive director, I work to empower LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and small businesses every day. I regularly advocate for progressive political change at the state and local government levels and I am prepared to continue this work on the West Hollywood City Council.
West Hollywood can no longer afford to let the tribalism tearing apart the nation divide our community. Our city deserves creative leadership, informed by diverse backgrounds and professional expertise. Our city needs a strong and independent voice on the Council, now more than ever.
As your city council member, my priority will be to harness West Hollywood’s caring, compassion, creativity and innovation to address these issues and lead us into the next chapter of our shared history. These are my core values and I hope you share them too. If you do, I am asking for your vote on March 5th.
Join Marquita Thomas on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Abbey (692 N. Robertson Blvd.) to learn more about her campaign or visit MarquitaforWestHollywood.com for more information.
What a load of crap from her. This is the same Thomas who shut down someone who tried to criticize the Christopher Street West (CSW) Board organization when they botched (yet again) Pride? And she mis-cited the Brown Act in total incompetence and then issued a memo (aka gag order) threatening the entire CSW Board against speaking about the issues or any in way “criticizing” the organization as “conduct unbecoming”. She is NO way qualified to be on the City Council. She ought to be a fertilizer distributor for all the crap she doles out. Read this article here for… Read more »
She never says hello to me and I’ve seen her at many a meeting. Her op-ed is inspirational ideals and very articulate but if your not a people person then city council might not be for you.
I think it is great that Ms. Thomas is using WeHoville for a platform to let us get to know her better. I wish other candidates would do the same. She has seen a lot of changes in our little City over 23 years so it will be interesting to hear Ms. Thomas talk about what we have done right and where we can do better.
Do you reside in Weho and if so for how long?
I believe only long term residents should be on the city council. Owning a home which you rent out (which I interpreted as your situation) would not qualify.
I will attach my real name to this and laud the author for beautifully expressing her values. If Ms. Thomas’ words are sincere, and I have no reason to believe they are not, she is more than qualified to take a seat on the city council. She speaks to many issues as regional issues, which they are. I think West Hollywood should addresses issues first as relates to local quality of life, second to be a regional leader in issues such as homelessness and transit, and third to be an icon of civil rights without resorting to the grandstanding buffoonery… Read more »
Here, here! Look forward to the specifics and plan-of-action to her platform.
Agreed. Sitting on Boards means very little if you can’t list everything YOU personally have done on those boards which has directly affected the cause for which you represent. Sitting on a board, but not causing an effect is like sitting in the audience at the board meetings. We can all do that. “Board Sitting” is highly over rated and improperly used as experience.
All the term limits folks must be having second thoughts after reading this. Where are the real qualified candidates?!
Who ? I’ve never seen her at a council meeting……
I enjoyed reading your POV for the future of West Hollywood, I thank you for wanting to improve our city and wish you all the best!
A lot of emptiness and naiveté in this opinion piece. Although I understand it’s difficult to come out of nowhere and sound like a viable and relevant choice.