JORDAN COCKERAM: West Hollywood’s ‘Slug Problem’

My MRI results are in – I luckily didn’t damage any cartilage! I’m glad I don’t have to have surgery, but I was sort of hoping I would get Iron Man knees so in the future when I’m canvassing for myself or other candidates, I could just jump right up to the third floor straight from the ground. Oh well, boyhood (ok, adulthood…) dreams…

As the mail-in ballots came in, the top three vote-getters kept changing. It was a nail biter for almost a month there, but we finally got our results. Congratulations to Lauren Meister, Chelsea Byers, and John Heilman. I look forward to doing everything I can to support them on whatever help they need to make our great city even greater.

I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but the goal of my campaign was always to help the people of West Hollywood. To represent them, to advocate for them, to help solve the problems that affect their lives. I love this city, and improving it and making it better makes the people who live and work here happy, and that makes me happy

That being said, I wanted to share two things with you.

Firstly, I’m exploring all options at applying for one of our city’s commissions. We have so many great ways to help the community without being a councilmember, and a commission is one of them. If you’ve ever wanted to get involved in the city, check out the application here to apply for a commission or board. We have 15 of them, each council member gets a direct appointee, and then there are two at-large appointees (who get voted on by the council members together). Right now, we need people who are more passionate than ever about our city, and who want to help to continue making this the best city on earth. A great example is the Business License Commission. On their December 6th meeting, for one of the items brought forth, the commission could’ve just looked at the paperwork they were given and the recommendations by city staff, and made the decision to deny the operator a license. They didn’t do that do that. They looked at the situation, they evaluated the circumstances, and they unanimously voted to approve the business license. I want to thank the entire Business License Commission for going above and beyond, especially Cathering Eng and Danny Hang. These are the types of people we need on commissions. Not people who were top donors of council member’s campaigns and people who want power, but people who CARE about West Hollywood. Bravo.

Secondly, if you haven’t seen Parks and Recreation, you should. There’s an episode where a resident is having issues with slugs in the gardens in front of her gate. Leslie (the main character, the director of the Park and Recreation Department in their city) comes up with a way to harmlessly deter the slugs from the woman’s garden. Of course, this is a sit-com, so the woman is upset because “I said I wanted SOME of the slugs gone, not ALL of them”! and she’s not grateful at all. I don’t know of anyone that has a slug problem in West Hollywood, but that’s

what I want to do. Is there a pot hole near you? A tree branch blocking your eyeline when you’re trying to drive? A dangerous crack in a sidewalk that you’ve tripped on? Running for office gave me the opportunity to meet with, and form relationships with people at city hall. I’m not an elected official, nor am I an employee of City Hall, so I can’t promise you that I can help you with all of your issues, but I can promise you that I’m going to try. I’m here to help you with your slug problem. My goal when running was to help the people of West Hollywood, and that goal hasn’t changed.

Another thing I’m happy to do (I may actually make a video about this, since I’ve been asked by a lot of people) is explain how a city council meeting actually works. So many people told me they were embarrassed because they didn’t know the process, and let me tell you right now -there’s no reason to be embarrassed for not knowing the way. When I first moved to West Hollywood, I didn’t know what a consent calendar was. I had no idea how an ordinance got brought to a vote. I didn’t know how to make public comment, in person or online. If there’s an issue that’s important to you and you want to voice your opinion on it, it would be my honor to come to a city council meeting with you and stand by your side while you go up to the podium. The process works because people speak up, and if you have something to say, you better speak up!

My number is (323) 250-0992, and my email is [email protected]. If there’s anything I can help with you: guidance on what to do for something, walk you through something at City Hall, explain a rule or ordinance to you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I WANT to help you!

Thank you, as always, for just being you. You’re what make West Hollywood great.

Jordan