The National Civic League has announced that the City of West Hollywood is a finalist for its 2019 All-America City Award (AAC). Considered the nation’s most prestigious community award, the 2019 All-America City Award is focused on celebrating examples of civic engagement practices that advance health equity in local communities.
“Being named a finalist for an All-America City Award is an incredible honor,” said West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico. “Our city prides itself on its trailblazing community engagement efforts and forward-thinking policies that work to advance health and well-being for everyone in our community. I’m proud that our city is being recognized among other extraordinary communities for its policies and programs that help make West Hollywood a truly amazing city for our residents and community members.”
West Hollywood is one of 20 finalist cities that share a common bond of working to create healthy communities through civic engagement. The finalist cities represent the diversity of American communities from the largest cities in the nation (such as Houston, Tex.) to the smallest towns, from east to west and north to south (such as Gothenburg, Neb., with a population of 3,500 people).
From June 21 to June 23 West Hollywood and the other finalist cities will be represented at the National Civic League’s 125th anniversary celebration in Denver, Colo.. Finalist cities will assemble delegations of local residents, nonprofit leaders, business representatives, government officials and young people to participate in National Civic League presentations and workshops focused on inclusive engagement practices that create healthy communities. Each of the finalist cities will make presentations that demonstrate the positive effects of using equitable engagement strategies to address issues that support health and well-being and build strong neighborhoods.
In 2015, the City of West Hollywood completed its communications and community engagement strategic plan, which provides a framework for establishing greater public awareness and boosting public participation. The plan works to identify communication channels that foster awareness, increase understanding, and gather support for community goals, projects and initiatives. The plan emphasizes transparent and consistent dialogue between City Hall and the community, which encourages diverse perspectives and leads to greater civic satisfaction.
“The City of West Hollywood has a deep commitment to providing social services, health education, and information to community members in-need and to improve quality of life,” says a city announcement of the finalist postion. “During its nearly 35-year history, the city has provided millions of dollars to fund programs that include services for seniors; people living with HIV and AIDS; members of the LGBT community; families with children; people with disabilities; alcohol and drug use recovery programs; support programs for Russian-speaking and other immigrants; services for people who are homeless; food programs; and health care services for people who are uninsured through contracts with local nonprofit organizations and in-house programs. “
For 125 years, the National Civic League has worked to promote civic engagement using community assistance programs, including tools, trainings and facilitation services, award and recognition programs, and nationally recognized research and publications. The National Civic League’s All-America City Award (AAC) is celebrating its 70th year of recognizing communities that leverage civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation to successfully address local issues.
West Hollywood has been active in encouraging citizen participation in its city life. Congratulations to West Hollywood for this achievement. Wow, for once, John Duran couldn’t ruin this one.
While this is great news, we literally FAIL when it comes to smoking. West Hollywood scores an “F” from the American Lung Association. Retractable roof/tenting loopholes, exemptions, weak laws, and poor enforcement justify that grade. Not to mention all the littered cigarette butts that go down the drains and to the beach. (We ban straws but not the greatest source of ocean trash.) Secondhand smoke kills over 38,000 Americans each year and the Surgeon General warns that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke yet Weho just doesn’t care. Ignoring this problem is no different than ignoring… Read more »