Lynn Hoopingarner is about to make her comeback.
The former chairwoman of the Planning Commission — long distinguished by her encyclopedic knowledge of building and development procedure in West Hollywood, as well as her uncompromising attention to detail — is the sole applicant to fill a vacancy on the commission left by Commissioner Kimberly Copeland.
Councilmember Lauren Meister is set to announce her direct appointment to the seat at Monday night’s City Council meeting. Meister was the councilmember who originally appointed Hoopingarner to the commission, and she is all but certain to re-appoint her next week.
As head of the commission, Hoopingarner earned a reputation as a no-nonsense champion for residents and a stickler for the rules. She often went to bat against developers who tried to cut corners or get their projects approved under false pretenses.
“I love our village, and I want to do everything I can to keep it strong and vibrant and anything I can do to help that is my personal goal,” Hoopingarner said at her swearing-in in 2017.
She resigned from the Commission in May 2022 following an incident in which she casually described weddings in the area’s Persian community as being typically large and well attended. The comment was seized upon by detractors, including some with stakes in local development, who complained to City Council and labeled it racist, a sentiment reportedly shared by then-Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shyne, who is of Iranian descent.
In a statement, Hoopingarner apologized for her comment and explained her reasons for resigning.
Since her departure, she has continued to advocate for WeHo’s neighborhoods, raising public awareness about dubious development projects through opinion pieces published here on WEHOonline.com.
as I perused tonight’s council meeting agenda, I had to laugh at a public comment email on agenda item 6A, which is the appointment by councilmember Meister of a planning commissioner. The public comment strongly protests our wonderful Ms. Hoopingarner being nominated to return to the planning commission. It was funny because the letter of protest came from FARING developers….you know, that development company that is screwing up several of their huge projects here in West Hollywood, (including the french market place project,) leaving properties vacant and an eyesore on our community? Their stated reason was because of her insensitive… Read more »
Hoopingarner’s principles, honesty and decency will substantially contribute to the depth and breadth of Planning Commission decision-making once more.
She understands the possibilities within our small town which can “punch above it’s weight”, though the “creative” component has waned.
The improving Planning Department prep for the commissioners is also a welcome change.
In this time in one’s life, when most news is horrific and unsettling…. I am so grateful for this WONDERFUL news. We need Lynn’s knowledge and dedication and inquisitive mind!
Thank you Councilmember Meister for continuing your dedication to West Hollywood residents, and a giant thank you to Lynn for taking this on! YAY
A very special thank you, with gratitude to Kimberly Copeland for always questioning and doing the work while on Planning.
A great asset to our city.
Good news!
This is wonderful news for all of West Hollywood. We will continue to benefit from the grace and keen intellect of a commissioner who follows facts and rules to form a complete picture and is not afraid to call out the process failures that seem to be a normal course of business in West Hollywood.
Yeah ! So delighted that she will be back on Planning. She should never have resigned. Her supposedly politically incorrect comments were statements of fact. Gee, how many snowflakes are there in WeHo? Welcome back, Lynn (and thanks Lauren for for appointing her).
Well that will help end certain “residents” agendas. Good news. Hopefully we can reopen Wetherly and insist on a forensic audit to see who funded the totally one sided propaganda meeting last week.
Great news! If only to stick it to septic shine who threw her considerable weight around in her very vindictive retaliation against anyone who dares to criticize her incompetence. And she’s running for Congress? ROFL 😂 🤮
Wonderful! We need more leaders like her, without personal agendas or vendettas about social media-fueled issues; just focuses on helping the entire community. More please.
Excellent!
That’s good news. 👍
Wonderful news! Bravo Lynn! Weho is lucky to have you! Thank you for your wonderful service.