Shyne, Horvath propose Plummer Park fair, virtual wellness event hosted by Mayor Pro Tem’s wife
West Hollywood is looking to celebrate Black History Month by co-sponsoring two proposed events in February.
The first, called “Sacred Space,” is a virtual wellness event hosted by Still Bisexual, a 501(c)(3) organization that educates and advocates on behalf of individuals who identify as bisexual, pansexual, fluid or queer, or those prefer no label at all.
Still Bisexual rose to prominence in 2015 through a viral video posted by founder Nicole Kristal describing her experience being discriminated against by both the straight and gay communities. The video spawned a successful #stillbisexual series, inspiring Kristal to found the organization.
“Sacred Space” will feature a meditation practitioner and a sound bath practitioner leading participants in breathwork, self-massage and other therapeutic exercises via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9. The event will be hosted by Still Bisexual boardmember and events coordinator Ashlei Shyne, the wife of Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shyne.
Ashlei Shyne is a comedy writer, actress, filmmaker and bisexual awareness advocate who has worked with #Out4MentalHealth and the Human Rights Campaign. She created the “Sacred Space” event series and “brought the world’s first city-sponsored Bi Pride to the city of West Hollywood,” according to her website bio. She is also a massage therapist and reiki master, as well as the owner of Buddha’s Bungalow, a mobile massage company.
The second event, a community fair highlighting Black-owned businesses and nonprofit organizations, is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 19 at Plummer Park. Hosted by Black Women Lead, the event will feature vendor booths, a speaker stage, panel discussions, and live entertainment.
Black Women Lead was formed two years ago by Shannon Morton, a member of WeHo’s Social Justice Task Force, in the wake of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor killings. The nonprofit organization amplifies Black Women’s and other underrepresented voices and leadership abilities within their own communities in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
Morton, appointed to the task force by Mayor Lauren Meister, began her activism with a public celebration of Breonna Taylor’s birthday at Pan Pacific Park which drew thousands of people in the midst of the pandemic.
The proposal, authored by Mayor Pro Tem Shyne and Councilmember Lindsey Horvath, requests $850 in city funds for Still Bisexual’s event and $9,350 for Black Women Lead’s event, as well as $2,050 in waived permit fees.
The funding for Still Bisexual’s event would cover the cost of the practitioners plus supplies and a gift for the attendees. Ashlei Shyne is hosting the event free of charge.
The funding for Black Women Lead would pay for supplies, marketing, planning, production, and entertainment.
The proposal is item 5c on the January 18 agenda.
[…] Council member Shyne brought forward an item proposing an event involving Ashlei. The event — “Sacred Space,” a wellness-themed Zoom conference featuring meditation and breathing exercises — was hosted by Ashlei, the event’s creator and a […]
[…] Council member Shyne brought forward an item proposing an event involving Ashlei. The event — “Sacred Space,” a wellness-themed Zoom conference featuring meditation and breathing exercises — was hosted by Ashlei, the event’s creator […]
Many aspects of this event appear disingenuous and simply cringeworthy. Ms. Ashlei could have sponsored her own ad in Wehoville for her business and or produced her own event without improper tangential ties to Councilmember Shyne and the City. Painting herself as a quasi health guru/philanthropist is convenient for her but also bizarre and no one is interested in her sexual proclivities.
It would be refreshing if people would be people first without all the descriptives and hopefully conduct themselves with dignity.
There’s a really good reason you don’t append your name to this comment.
It reeks of white male supremacy and you utterly denigrate a woman’s career choice in the healing arts.
You are one of the reasons I left Whites Hollywood, bigot.
I sure wish I knew your name.
Ryan G. You were evicted and thrown out of weho after your mental transgressions and attacks on your neighbors. Your very good at re-writing history. You and your boyfriend were awful neighbors and he left you too we were tired of hearing the fights.
Interesting point, anonymous snipe.
First of all, you might man up and tell us all who you are.
Second of all:
Who throws people out of a city? Which agency, organization or group is responsible for that? Please do tell. 😉
Also, I don’t re-write history. I write it. 🎉
You can find my history of West Hollywood on the shelves of the County libraries 8n the LA Basin or for sale through the publisher, Arcadia.
God bless you and yours, Mr. Too Ashamed to Name.
There was no presumed or accidental supremacy of any kind in this comment, white, male or female simply a remark about common sense, authenticity and dignity. As for Ms. Ashlei’s career choice one could ask which one? Comedy writer, actress, filmmaker, massage therapist, reiki master unless one also considers bisexual awareness advocate as a career. Bottom line with all the inference of human rights, justice and so forth apparently she clearly endorses nepotism or tangential nepotism by using her personal connection to Ms. Shyne to advance her platform whether or not she receives direct monetary compensation. It all comes back… Read more »
People in our city, county, state and world are dying every day from COVID-19 and you are all on here attacking a queer woman of color city councilwoman (soon to be mayor) and her bi-sexual (black) wife? If this were a white cis gender man, none of you would even be criticizing.The gaslighting, mysogyny, discriminatory and hateful comments here go right to the heart of what WEHOville has become – the Fox News of West Hollywood – the nastiness on here says everything about the toxicity in this city – her wife is not making a penny off this –… Read more »
Gee, it sounds like what you’re saying is that if you throw enough identities up that should make someone immune to criticism. Then top it off with the ultimate lazy insult of comparing WEHOville to Fox News.
It’s not lazy. I save lives for a living as a first responder- so now you’re insulting me by calling me lazy? I stated facts, not opinions. What are you doing to help your community? I didn’t say anyone was immune to criticism, it’s the misogyny and gas lighting that reeks all over these comments – a current theme on this site. You’ve trolled me before so I see nothing has changed with entitled men on here.
I think you’re missing the point of the comments. Many of us, of many different intersectional identities, are actually working hard, like you say you do, to help make everyone’s life better in these stressful times. Events like this give false hope and confusing information to those who need real, professional help. These events are frequently a way for the organizers to feel relevant and heard, but someone else shouldn’t pay the price for that. You should also remind yourself that white, cisgender men are also frequently criticized for the same reasons. Remember Nxivm, and all the other schemes out… Read more »
Why do you automatically assume that people who oppose this are misogynists? Is Mayor Meister a misogynist? I believe that Mayor Meister did the right thing. And this has nothing to do with race or gender. I’ve been following City politics for over the two decades I’ve lived here, and shade has been thrown at both John Duran and John Heilman for setting up deals with their non-profits (Duran, with the Gay Men’s Chorus). Abbe Land, as well (I think). And I agree that they should be thrown shade. As a gay white male, am I automatically a misogynist for… Read more »
I did not know Norma does for a living, nor do I care, nor is it relevant to the debate at hand. Throwing this out there, along with a bunch of other meaningless buzzwords, is simply the stock in trade of performative wokeness. I did indeed refer to the comment as lazy, and I will expand on that by saying the attempt to victimize themselves is another lazy shot.
Indeed, it isn’t relevant.
You sound like a Weho Trump trying to turn the tables of the reality. We are voters and are simply calling out unethical behavior brought up by counsel members. What scares people is how much worse it can get. Elected officials have standards to abide by. Perception is everything here.
Why are there no articles on Brianna Kupfer?
Out of every story on WEHOVILLE, your question caught my eye. Of all the ranting I see in EVERY issue, your question stands out.
It’s the best question I’ve read so far: important & valid
I can’t wait to read the rants.
nobody cares anymore. Sorry. We just don’t. We’re kinda sick of getting called “racist” all the time in the most neighborhood in the most liberal city in the most liberal state of America.
Yes, we are. It almost makes me say WTF to even caring about being a liberal ally anymore. Being a white, cisgender, gay man seems to make us the existential enemy. Too many drink the Robin DiAngelo Kool-Aid without the John McWhorter sidecar.
100%. We are not racist in West Hollywood. Just a SJW trope. Easy to smear.
White people have denied racism for roughly 450 years now.
West Hollywoos is known as Whites Hollywood to Blacks.
Did you know that?
If West Hollywood isn’t racist why don’t more black people live there? Blacks makeup about 3% of this tolerant and non-racist population. Why not more???
sounds like black people are homophobic and not as open-minded. No rule that says they can’t live there, is there? See what i did? You accused Weho of racism, so I accused right right back.
How then do you explain the gay black people who try to live in West Hollywood and feel driven out by the racism?
A person that presumes to be a credible journalist would likely not make broad sweeping statements such as “White people have denied racism for roughly 450 years now.” Do you have incontrovertible proof or is that simply a wild claim?
Additionally, West Hollywood has a tolerant population? Many like to think of themselves as tolerant when convenient while selectively advancing victimhood perpetrated by claims of myriad descriptions.
An infinitely strange city. Frequently shocked but never surprised.
what a strange city
Sepi Shyne is nothing if not self-promoting and this conflict of interest is blatant.
On the other hand, WeHo has nicely ignored the few black residents who live here – for years, so this is a good thing.
god help us
Ham…you mean good grief?! Love you
There is nothing but multiple levels of conflict of interest and allocating city funds for personal gain. This whole thing needs to be tossed out of the city agenda period and canceled.
And that Councilperson Shyne is sponsoring the city’s reparations initiative – JUST WRONG.
Shyne is certainly an opportunist with no boundaries or ethics. Recall. Vote Shyne Out.
“Shyne is certainly an opportunist with no boundaries or ethics.”
You said it quite well!
Sepi Shyne doesn’t seem to understand our city at all. Her ideas and values are just bizarre to me. She’s a “dingbat with issues,” as someone once said.
It doesn’t matter if Ashlei Shyne is hosting the event free of charge this is still a conflict of interest and the city attorney should not have allowed this item on the agenda. On taking office, every public servant, elected or appointed, enters into a covenant with the people that as a public official they will seek to promote the public interest in all political processes and ensure that policy adoption occur without favoritism or discrimination. A public official must not use her/his position for personal gain and should avoid even the appearance of having a conflict of interest. Councilmembers… Read more »
Does Wehoville do anything other than print articles bashing the women in WeHo government? This paper is a hot mess and has become the Fox News of WeHo!
Horvath and Shyne are despised by the people of West Hollywood because they keep promoting their pet projects for their own self advancement–not because they are women. There are mostly positive comments on Wehoville about the wonderful Lauren Meister.
yup
Not true. It is exactly the opposite. Shyne and Horvath have continually broken protocol, ethical guidelines and put their political interests before those of the City of West Hollywood. You can include Erickman here as well. If it wasn’t for Wehoville, no one would be reporting all of the crap that has to occurred behind the closed doors of the city hall and closed city council meetings. Change didn’t come to Weho, Weho was hijacked by Horvath, Shyne and Erickson.
Which women are you talking about? Shyne, Horvath or Erickson?
Is this junior high? Are you really calling Erickson a “woman,” because he’s gay? Or because he wears nail polish? What city do I live in, again? Unbelievable.