In our first official endorsement in any election, the WEHOville board of directors and all contributing staff made a unanimous decision that Lauren Meister is the fair-minded, non-political community member best fit to serve the needs of West Hollywood residents.
Mayor Lauren Meister has been a fierce advocate for public safety, and for additional sheriff deputies to meet the needs of residents and businesses. Lauren has lived in the City of West Hollywood for over 30 years, both as a renter and a homeowner. During the Covid 19 epidemic Lauren went back to school to earn a Master in Public Administration, with a concentration in Emergency Services Management.
Lauren has served on City Council since 2015 when she won her third bid for a council seat. She began her career as a neighborhood and community advocate. She has never ‘politicized’ her role as a city council member, nor is she using her seat on City Council as a stepping stone for higher office.
The community needs public servants who put the needs of its residents first. Sometimes that is protecting a unique historic resource. Other times it’s adding a text amendment to a development to include enough parking. Lauren is a stickler on details and facts and does her homework.
Lauren took the punches when her colleagues Lindsey Horvath and John Erickson both cast their votes against her for a seat to chair the Regional Council of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) — a humiliation and embarrassment to both Lauren and the City of West Hollywood. Despite those differences, Lauren held tough under fire and never stopped being a role model for working with all her colleagues.
Experience matters. A diverse opinion of perspectives matters. While we do not always agree with every decision, an election is about trusting somebody else to make those decisions on our behalf. You can trust Lauren Meister. Lauren doesn’t vote to give her colleagues cover. Lauren is not part of any clique or club.
Lauren does not take money from developers or unions.
This will be Lauren’s first race after the changes that moved the City Council election to the November ballot. In the 2020 election newcomers Sepi Shyne and John Erickson bested long-term incumbents John Heilman and John Duran as the electorate expanded, and voters came out to defeat Donald Trump.
Lauren, who served on the campaign to pass the term limits measure that was passed by the voters in 2013, went on to win in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019. If she is successful in 2022 she will be the first city council member to “term out.”
Former Council members John Heilman and John Duran, along with Council members John D’Amico and Lindsey Horvath, all have only one term available to them under the Term Limits Measure. If both Johns and Lauren are successful this November, they would leave three seats open on City Council to be filled in the 2026 election.
WEHOville shared its intent to endorse Meister in an email to all twelve city council candidates last week as final touches were being made to the WEHOville voter guide.
Lauren Meister has always been unique and we speak the same language in advocacy, it is about listening and learning and elevating and not about misusing positions for control or power plays, Lauren is approachable and not just to those she likes and only her age group, she’s open and grounded, and highly intelligent. I think Zakiah Wright, Labor Law Senior Attorney would be an excellent new City Council, one as grounded in brilliance as Lauren and we need more strength in educated common sense advocacy being the focus and supportive leaders that are with pride, not grandstanding egos and… Read more »
REALLY?? ALL OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED FOR NON PAYMET BY LAW A PERCENTAGE OF COSTS TO PTOVIDE A SPECIFIC LIST OF MANDATORY ACCESS TO The Saban family I TOTALLY AND WRONGLY THOUGHT IN MY HEAD THEY ERE JUST RICH PEOPLE WANTING THEIR NAME ON Buildings AND CHARITIES. HOW WRONG I WAS. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD WAS STARTED AT THE BEGINNING OF AIDS CRISIS WHERE PEOPLE WERE DYING AT THE MOST Unbearably Painful AND VERY LOG TIME IN AGONY BEFORE DEATH ACTUALLY CAME I volunteered for a long time after high school and into the beginning of my… Read more »
INDEED! Lauren Meister seems to be the only person on Council that continually looks out for the citizenry. She has my vote.
Yes!!!
Yes!
Meister, Heilman & Duran. Experience, intelligence, common sense, non-extremists that don’t have grandiose higher political aspirations is what is needed.
Heilman was voted out of office not once, but twice. He’s running again because he has nowhere else to go. His “campaign” statements about what he has “planned”, what he “wants”: & “expects” to do & “accomplish” are now a 38 year old joke, and I’m embarrassed for him. Meister, Martin, are definitely primary choices. I’m thinking about Duran because I’ve always been impressed with the scope of his knowledge & rationale & I think he genuinely cares about & wants only the very best for West Hollywood. Duran’s not as manipulative of others & not as cliquish as Heilman.… Read more »
Duran and Heilman have both done powerful things for the city but they need to just kindly retire and now open this door for new fresh leadership out of integrity consciousness. Duran could care less when Weho LASD was not arresting attempted murder violator in case to victim Advocate getting attacked during interventions and many felony violent crime victims in Weho are not receiving required Marsy Rights of Detective assisted DA filings. Duran has served sobriety and gay men HIV community largely but his sex addiction baggage needs a new flight to land his leadership. Heilman is the one who… Read more »
I don’t support Lauren. I’m so confused as to why anyone would. Lauren has been a councilmember for the past 8 years and she hasn’t accomplished much. She forces staff to “study” all kinds of ideas that make no sense. All they do is waste staff’s time and create a culture of fear at city hall. Morale is low and Lauren is to blame. She constantly oversteps and tries to play “gotcha” with everyone. We need people who actually understand the complicated problems facing our city and can propose real solutions. She just asks annoying questions. I’ve never seen any… Read more »
Lol.
You must be in the contrarian union.
Actually she’s not anything you say, but thanks for your Gaslighting Commercial Break, you got your 2 cents in, who’s next! Lol😁😆😅🤣😂😄#beyondbullies #gaslightersRweak
Lauren and Steve Martin get my votes. The 3rd vote will be Ryan Ronald’s since none of the others are qualified and I’m sure RyeRye as I prefer to call he/him will finger it all outtttttt
Ummm make that Ryan Reynolds’s 😍🌭
Weiner….didn’t that already play out in Weho with Duran and in SF with Weiner 😅🤣😂
Why would you say none of the others are qualified….look in the mirror 🪞 🤔 😕 #ZekiahWright4Weho #SeniorLaborLawAttorney
Great endorsement, WeHoville.
Now that most of the WeHo voters have finally come to realize that the “Experiment” did not work, it’s time to get back to having only those candidates who knew how not to break it in the first place.
Besides Lauren, who are these candidates? Its amazing that there is so much support for Lauren, but without another two people who share the same thoughts of sanity as she does, we will truly be destroyed. We cant just support Lauren, we have to come together and support candidates that will complement her on the board. Only endorsing Lauren is just not good enough for this critical election.
Steve Martin for sure.
Seemed that would be an obvious choice until he’s op Ed on defunding was brought forward. Unless he was intoxicated at the time of writing such a deranged masterpiece, how can anyone trust what else he must have lingering on in his head.
Oh crap 💩 noone told me this Weho leadership thing was an “experiment “…like an 8 year “free trial”? Except travel expenses on tax payer dollars for Hillary (typo, I meant Lindsey) were over $17,000…a bit much, for those all business conference resorts. No really we stand united behind Lindsey because she is so real, caring and when she takes you to Oscar Parties and Wakeboarding lake trips and Din din, at least you know you will be City Council 😊 soon with all her finance 💰 connects, now that’s a friend eh???😘
This is a smart (and easy!) endorsement. Lauren is exactly what the city needs. She”s intelligent, knowledgeable, unwavering, and sober. She truly cares about the residents and local businesses, and their safety. She certainly has my vote.
Maybe! John Heilman gave us the dreadful Horvath & Erickson!
Anyone can be snookered!
You can bring up baby but it doesn’t mean that it’ll grow up to have the same common sense and intelligence as daddy. Not his fault. Erickson is his own politically thirsty, extremist politician.
Thank you Wehoville for endorsing our true voice on council.
Lauren does not need any Special Interest groups to get her elected.
She has been, and continues to be, The Choice of the People.