The former Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board has a new name, and it’s being handed more power.
What is now the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board will next year become the LGBTQ+ Commission, an upgrade in ability and influence. As the city describes it: “Several of the Commissions are quasi-judicial bodies that have the authority to adopt resolutions, conduct public hearings, and promulgate policies, rules, forms, or regulations found necessary to effectuate, implement and enforce the provision of the City’s Municipal Code under the Commission’s purview.”
The progress of this reboot will set the pace for a top-down evolution of the other 13 advisory boards and commissions in a plan to be unveiled at Monday’s City Council meeting.
At their own meeting last night, the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board’s members got a chance to talk about what the city proposes to be their duties as commissioners, as listed in the staff report:
- Evaluate and make recommendations to the City Council on service needs and potential service gaps impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
- Review and recommend to the City Council legislation, policies, programs, procedures, or administrative actions that advance social, economic, and political equality for the LGBTQ+ community.
- Serve as an available resource to City staff, City commissions, Advisory Boards and the City Council to provide guidance on ensuring LGBTQ+ community inclusivity in significant community programs and events, such as but not limited to West Hollywood Pride events.
- Review and provide recommendations to the City staff and/or City Council on the City’s annual Pride celebration.
- Promote citizen participation in the decision-making process and bring the governmental process closer to the residents of West Hollywood in regards to LGBTQ+ programming
Sparks flew earlier this summer when City Council gave the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board its new name and they began discussing a transition to commission. Councilmember Lindsey Horvath worried about setting precedent with the move, and now-Public Safety Commissioner Jackie Steele took to the podium to voice her visceral disagreement.
“To say ‘Why do we have boards and commissions? Why even do this?’ Lindsey Horvath, I am so shocked, I’m appalled, I am absolutely disgusted,” Steele said.
The move to renovate the rest of the boards and commissions is coming from Mayor Lauren Meister and Councilmember John Erickson. Their proposal includes this as its rationale:
“Many of the current Commissions’ purviews have not been updated or reviewed in several years. Some of the information in the purviews is outdated and has not been amended as City structure or Department functions have changed over time. In addition, there are some City programs that do not have Commission oversight and could benefit from having more community input and guidance.”
The Public Facilities Commission may be first to get an expanded purview. As imagined in the proposal, it would be in charge of the “public right-of-way,” such as roads, sidewalks, parkways — and likely the “OUTzones,” those controversial and lucrative spaces that the city opened up to adjacent businesses during the pandemic and now means to make permanent.
The “public right-of-way,” which might include infrastructure projects like electric charging stations or streetscape upgrades, apparently isn’t any of the commission’s responsibility at present.
Neither are the city’s parks, the activities they host or the facilities within them. The proposal pitches the idea of a new Parks and Recreation Commission, leaving the door open for other new groups to be established.
As boardmembers become commissioners, the City Councilmembers who appointed them gain stauncher political allies and, perhaps, a reliably sympathetic vote when any of those “quasi-judicial” cases pique their interest. In turn, commissioners get one step closer to having the respect, the resume and the name recognition needed to run for City Council, should that be their ambition. At least four of the candidates running this cycle are current or past boardmembers/commissioners.
Hi Larry, Sure hope you run this year! I said it before and I’ll say it again, I support the LGBTQ+ Commission that got passed. I watched that city council meeting from June. I do not support the way Mayor Meister and Council Member Horvath disrespected our LGBTQ+ community during that meeting. Andres G. left a post below that really speaks to me. Hope more people read it because he was right on in his observations of what went down. Anyways, my neighbor watched the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board meeting you talk about in this column. He told me that they… Read more »
Thank you, Gay Elder for your support of the commission. While these particular meetings don’t have footage online (perhaps a good suggestion to council for future!), you can request any and all footage here: https://westhollywoodca.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(waprrw0h2naa0znb3aen0lf2))/SupportHome.aspx. Also, all these meetings are noticed here: https://www.weho.org/city-government/calendar/meetings-this-month (under calendar – city meetings) please tune in to any and all and let your voice be heard. We need your voice in these conversations. Reach out anytime. Best – JS
The vast majority of the so-called LGbTWA nonsense are gay men in West Hollywood. Time to have Gay Men United! Instead of lumping us into a so-called community inspired by angry and jealous misandrists Lesbians. There are very few LT’s around gay men in bars, parties, etc. Gay men have contributed far more to the entire culture of the USA than LTQ blah blah blah.
Gay Maga and his misogyny, clearly demonstrate why there is a need for a diverse and inclusive LGBTQ+ Commission in West Hollywood.
Hi Cedric, this is Larry, there’s a new board monitor so thought to help out here We try to limit multiple replies to one person over and over,..it dominates the flow, and gets out of control sometimes. So wanted to point out something. There has always been the LGAB, Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board, they just changed their name. The question about the name change was rejected by Horvath and Meister who respected the differences between boards and Commissions or that the change should equally to all the boards such the Disability Advisory Board, the Transgender Advisory Board, the Womens… Read more »
Excellent comment Larry! Perhaps if you have time to expand this in an Opinion Piece, more readers will be savvy to the explanation.
Hi Larry. I know the difference between an advisory board and a commission. I watched that meeting like many others who have commented here. I disagree with how you’ve explained it. It’s not a simple name change, and the way you’ve explained it makes it appear that way. An advisory board can only do that – give out advice. A commission can affect contracts, RFP, and other legislative matters and that, Mr. Block, is why D’Amico brought this to City Council. I looked into this matter further and it looks like this has been an ongoing issue for awhile now… Read more »
thanks Cedric. I’ll note that as far as I know, neither Larry nor Brandon reached out to the folks on the board for context/information on this. As former Co-Chair who was a part of building the new name & purview and commission structure, I can tell you there were months of work put into this. There was so much detail that was not included the evening this went to council (which was part of my admittedly pointed frustration). What you are pointing out is absolutely correct, across the board. Thank you Brandon & Larry for covering this and getting folks… Read more »
With all due respect Jackie, you have high expectation from a volunteer local magazine with one part time editor. We have Limited resources, nobody makes any money here, its a side project we do for love of city, overcoming things like your letters to at least one advertiser to stop them from supporting us, so no resources..submit your op-ed and thats what this platform is for. Maybe even you might one day appreciate the effort that goes into keeping this alive.
Larry, there are many of us who value what you are doing and the way in which you are doing it. This is a community treasure where people can engage in legitimate and often lively civic discourse. Shocking that multiple city officials have lobbied advertisers in attempt to shut you down. You might want to check out the applicability of unreasonable restraint of free trade statutes. They clearly fear informed and engaged residents.
Maybe, Jackie, you could explain your leveraging of your public position to suppress local press freedoms since you are now rightfully engaging with constituents on the very platform you suppressed.
Thank you, Larry, for pointing out again that the only issue here is whether a body is constituted as a board or a commission. There are clear distinctions between the two, and Meister and Horvath were simply, and correctly, distinguishing between the two and seemingly questioning the rationale for converting a board to a commission. That question still hasn’t been answered, but such half-baked action is an increasingly standard way of legislating–pass a motion and fill in the blanks later. I applaud Meister and Horvath for asking questions on this matter–we should encourage more sincere and intelligent questions and less… Read more »
LGQ etc claptrap needs? For what? To be schleppers for supercilious political hacks like the dreadful Sepi Shyne and John Erickson? Pitching their ridiculous Woke equity freaky left wing propaganda? What this city needs is better policing, better lights, streets fixed, etc. Not a bunch of busy bodies interfering with our lives. Like that ridiculous daughter of the Los Angeles Times publisher. So now we are stuck with the block by block farce. Headed by a convicted robber murderer. 🧐
Besides adding more commissions to represent everyone including ALL races, I think that we should change the Flag again & plan on changing it every year so that we don’t discriminate against anybody!
LGBTQQIP2SAA | An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit (2S), androgynous, and asexual.
I like Mayor Meister. I voted for her and will maybe vote for her this year but agree with comments that her actions are offensive to the LGBTQ community. I understand why they feel this way. I’m not gay but I’m a Latino man living in West Hollywood that is mostly white so I know what it feels like for candidates to want my vote but not support my identity in other ways. I went online and watched that council meeting. It wasn’t good for our mayor to be defiant in not supporting a LGBTQ Commission. But Council Member Horvath… Read more »
Identify politics is divisive. One can choose to be offended or extend the hand of reason and respect. Having rules and regulations for every subset fills folks with hate and aggression ultimately becoming counterproductive.
So that everyone is happy, content, & feels represented, let’s separate all of the genders & make commissions for ALL of them so ALL will be represented, therefore keeping the Identity Politics alive, well, & thriving in West Hollywood! I look forward to the City Council meetings going on for 10-15 hours so that they can hear everyone’s feelings & grievances.
Hmmm … the commenter Alan Strasburg inaccurately described the below (reader comments) regarding Lauren Meister and Lindsey Horvath) as us readers labeling Meister and Horvath as homophobic. That was never said.
I misread the headline as “Robot Advisory Board,” and I was like, “Yes! About time!” Then I realized the error and was disappointed.
Robots deserve representation, too! I want to vote for the first-ever robot to serve on council! #firsts
Those doing the bashing of Mayor Meister are hiding behind made up names. My guess is one of the city council candidates stirring the pot. Hello Chelsea? Hello Robert?
There’s a rush to label Meister and Horvath as homophobic for their comments regarding elevating an advisory board to commission status. Theirs were thoughtful and fair comments on a matter that was and remains an exercise in pandering. I am a gay man who feels it’s time to start advocating for the 60% of West Hollywood residents who are not LGBT-ad nauseum. Let’s keep identity politics out of commission status. Cue the hate and ignorant intolerance.
If you don’t like the LGBT+-affirmative focus of the City of West Hollywood, then GTFO. Ours is the ONE CITY that was literally founded on challenging homophobia and oppression in its establishment as a City. If you point out that “straights are the majority”, then the progressive, beacon of justice that the City of West Hollywood is to LGBT+ people worldwide, then maybe this isn’t the place for you. Go somewhere else where LGBT+ citizens are second-class, at best You’l fit right in. Let your Bigot Flag fly, there, dude. But not here. GET OUT.
Right on cue, Ken.
Thank you, Enough is Enough! I agree with you. Thank you again for saying what we’re all thinking about Alan Strasburg’s comments.
PREACH!!!
I think you made his point. Your attitude….is causing people who otherwise would be totally disinterested in WH government……to get involved.
‘the progressive beacon of justice that the City of West Hollywood is to the LGBTQ+ worldwide”? It seems that one of the objectives of the City was welcoming LGBTQ+ to the mix, not the implied takeover ot segregation as when Jackie Steele stated that evening “West Hollywood is a Gay City”. “Tit for Tat” in a never ending argument when folks can simple accept other folks with respect.
I’m an old queen and live in West Hollywood for 30 years. I agree that Meister and Horvath did not supporting the LGBTQ commission. I was at that meeting and these two straight women were so determined to not let our LGBTQ community have some progress that someone in the audience told them off real good! Even D’Amico acknowledged it. There were also calls from people who felt that Horvath and Meister were deliberately trying to block our community from having a voice in contracts, the Pride festival and a few other things. Meister is only nice to us gays… Read more »
@ Be Accepted – you are full of something – and it’s not the facts! For starters, if you tuned in, you would know the CORRECT name of that board which is LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. In your FALSE REPORTING of what occurred last night – you know damn well that their board was creating the duties of their future commission. Stop spreading fake news just because you are ignorant of city procedure. You’re also uninformed of what they were asked to do by the city council. If you were current in your politics, you would know that the commission is… Read more »
Unfortunately with the exception of the typo and failure to include Advisory Board in the title, you are quite incorrect. Am quite familiar with procedure for various commissions and CC. There was nothing fake or ignorant about it. You appear to be overly vehiment in your suppositions. Familiarity with the previously mentioned meetings was what drove the stark contrast with last evening’s meeting. Striking was its absence of knowledgeable discourse however you seem to have missed the main point of unnecessary divisiveness.
Tuned in to the LGBTQIA+ Meeting last evening to hear the members banter between themselves attempting to be correct in city meeting speak terminology accomplishing very little other than a desire to be seen flexing their muscles. The true value of every resident can be demonstrated as a place at the table, one not fenced off with a sign indicating LGBTQIA + ONLY. Be acceptable and respectful in order to be accepted. Integrating into the whole is a path to acceptance without fences otherwise, it seems another weird form of segregation. After all are we not the United States of… Read more »