Mayor Lauren Meister joined returning Councilmember John Heilman and new Councilmember Chelsea Byers on Monday night in a swearing-in ceremony that marked the beginning of the four-year terms on West Hollywood City Council they won in November’s election.
The mood in Council chambers was light and celebratory as community members and fellow politicians gathered to congratulate the new line-up on the dais.
“The energy I’m feeling in this room is truly radiating and I know the viewers at home can feel it, too,” said Byers on her first day as an elected official. A native of Arizona, Byers overcame being a relative newcomer to the city by knocking on “thousands” of doors and garnering the support of labor unions and political movers and shakers. Byers is a protege of former Councilmember Lindsey Horvath, now our County Supervisor, and her boyfriend is Austin Cyr, who was part of Horvath’s campaign team. She thanked him and her supporters during her opening comments.
“I have endless gratitude for my partner, Austin,” she said “More than 10 years with you and I’m more in love and grateful for you every day. And a huge thank you to all who held a vision for our community and our city. You are the ones who make it exciting and worth the effort every single day to engage in this work. And I’m so thrilled for the opportunity to co-create our future with you all.”
John Heilman, returning to Council after a two-year absence, struck a conciliatory tone during his address to the audience.
“I wanted to start by thanking the voters of the city of West Hollywood for giving me another opportunity to serve this community that I love so very much,” said Heilman, one of the city’s founders and a fixture on the dais for decades. He narrowly lost re-election in 2020 and narrowly won a comeback last month. This will be his third and last term.
“Whether you supported me or you supported other candidates, I pledge that I’m going to do everything in my power to serve everyone in this community,” he said. “The residents, the businesses, all of our visitors here — I’m going to do my best to serve everyone to the best of my ability for the next four years.”
Meister, far and away the top vote-getter in the election, also expressed hope for a more harmonious relationship among the councilmembers, and between the council and residents.
“At our previous meeting, one of my colleagues talked about working with me as long as it didn’t conflict with her core values,” Meister said. “Thinking about that, I decided it’s important for me to begin my third and final term on this Council by clearly expressing my core values, not only to my colleagues but to the residents I’m here to represent.”
She said those core values — “Listening to one another, respecting one another, celebrating both our differences and our commonality, standing up for each other, caring about each other, working together to find solutions to make all our lives not only more livable, but more enjoyable” — inform all her decisions as a member of City Council.
“The ‘ends justify the means’ mentality truly has no place in our city,” Meister said. “This does not reflect our City’s core values.”
WHEN Byers starts her anti-Jewish hate speech, I hope all diverse religious citizens in West Hollywood let her know, she is not welcomed. Did she ever visit Israel? Does she understand the equality between for all citizens of Israel, Muslim, Christian, Jewish? No. Baruch HaShem there is another uniformed child on Council.
I love that Erickson has PhD next to his name. His BA was in Women’s Studies and his PhD in Religious Studies. LOL what a clown.
He has all the right degrees to be a manager at Starbucks.
Remember when he attempted to get recognition when he scheduled the Reading of the Mueller Report in CC Chambers? Moronic!!!!! Women’s Studies and Religious Studies not exactly preparation for life. Then he gets a job with Planned Parenthood where he herds women around.
Folks, you can’t make this up.
What person with a brain would vote for this Erickson person that only has a career from charity or the government or a charity that steals money from taxpayers? Planned Parenthood had to close the San Vicente building and why ? Does he have a comment about this? He has no understanding of what it requires to run a business….capitalism. NOPE. Capitalism pays for everything. I wish he learned to flip burgers at In and Out. Maybe he would understand what work is. I’ve flipped burgers, waited tables, and sold shoes, it’s real work and I am a happy capitalist.
Hear, Hear!!! Glad to see John Heilman back on the dais with the only seasoned comments and adult perspective. 🏆🏆👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
At last night’s council meeting, Lauren Meister showed once again that her primary concerns are for the safety of the people of West Hollywood. She begged the city Council not to lower the amount of sheriffs police on January 1. But her pleas fell on deaf ears because it seems like Sepi Shyne and John Erickson have an agenda, and they’re dragging the willing Chelsea Byers along with them!
Buckle up WeHo… It’s gonna be a bumpy ride!
Byers! God help us.
Sepi Shyne’s viatribes during Councilmember Comments are completely inappropriate. She appears to be playing to a much larger stage pretending to be the great humanitarian while her vengefulness seeps out.
She’s not a public servant. She’s self serving.
Shyne actually told me she was going to be a congresswoman. I knew then she was totally untrustworthy, self-promoting and needed to take a close look at Lindsay Horvath. Because if anybody wanted to be a congress person from this district to replace the current drag, would be Lindsay horvath. Not this ludicrously boring dreary woman who cannot shut up about nothing and realize that 99% of the people living in the city are not Iranians. And have basically no interest in that country. Most likely considering the educational level in the United States 95% could even find where it… Read more »
Sepi is going to ride the Iranian Persecution Strategy go all it is worth.
Interesting comment by Ms. Byers. During the election season she said she identified as queer. Post election she’s sounding like she’s returned to identifying as a heterosexual.
funny how that happens.
While its possible to be queer and still have a heterosexual partner, just doesn’t seem plausible in her case. Time will soon tell if she has worked her way in under a disguise
Sepi evidently gave up her crown as the only lesbian member of the council or is that a term possibly interchangeable just as “woman of color”?
How has Sepi managed to brand herself as a person of color? Seems she thrives on being the victim.
Victimhood and martyrdom are Sepi’s oxygen. She doesn’t exist without them.
Sigh. Seriously?
Never came across an Iranian that identified as a person of color. Go next door to BH, try find one that does….you wont.
Shyne is a person of color like a snowman is black. Hitler picked up the idea of the Aryan race from Caucasian Iran. Where she is from. Ask for last night’s City council meeting, watch the public comments. You don’t have to go to a drag show there was one last night at the city council meeting that was scarier than a horror movie. Of course Sepi slopped on and on and on about her boring dreary woke life. Like anyone really cares.
Last night seemed like a drag show held at a homeless shelter with a crazies and other disruptions. Too many angry people 😱that feel as though disruption is a pathway to success. Few people of dignity 🦅who were looking on at the mess likely thinking….what had god wrought upon us? Shocking and sad🙄🙄
Yup. Without her victimhood, she has nothing.
As a Jewish woman, I reject Chelsea Byers as a council member. Her antisemitic activities disqualify her for any leadership position in America.
Agree with you 100%.
100%. Sad that Abbe Land doesn’t see that.