West Hollywood’s City Council voted 5–0 on May 19, 2025, to inject $464,960 into its business community, approving agreements with Visit West Hollywood to expand the WeHo Loves Locals campaign, launch a gift card program, and market the Rainbow District. The initiatives aim to drive foot traffic and bolster economic vitality amid post-COVID challenges and shifting tourism trends.
The cornerstone is a $369,960 agreement, funded from General Fund reserves, to enhance WeHo Loves Locals and introduce a “Buy One, Get One” gift card program. Launching in 12 weeks, the program, administered by Visit West Hollywood with Yiftee’s platform, offers a 50% bonus card (e.g., buy $50, get $25 free) to incentivize local spending, with $100,000 in match funds. Director of Economic Development Laura Biery emphasized its role in boosting weekday sales, building on the 2023–2024 campaign’s 36 million ad impressions and 50,000 page views on weholocals.com.
Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers, who proposed the gift card idea, highlighted its success in cities like Palm Springs: “It works really well to generate interest… for the restaurants and business community.” The program, open to all businesses at no cost, integrates with point-of-sale systems, ensuring accessibility, as Councilmember Danny Hang confirmed. Vice Mayor John Heilman, initially skeptical of the 2023 campaign, praised the gift card’s trackability, noting safeguards prevent multiple purchases by one buyer.
The 2023–2024 WeHo Loves Locals effort increased restaurant spending by 10–12.3% on Mondays and Tuesdays, though Wednesdays lagged at 1.2%. Councilmember Lauren Meister urged better metrics, like cost-per-click, to evaluate effectiveness: “It’s very important that we get a complete analysis… to know what things are working.” She suggested extending free parking on Wednesdays, echoed by Genevieve Morrill of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce: “We wholeheartedly support the WeHo Loves Locals program… with a Free Parking component.” Morrill also called for sustained funding to ensure long-term economic growth.
A separate $95,000 agreement, already budgeted, funds Rainbow District marketing, hiring PR and social media firms to promote its cultural hub. Visit West Hollywood will administer contracts, while the city retains creative control. Business Development Manager Paolo Kespradit noted this responds to council directives to highlight the district’s businesses, complementing the broader economic push.
The initiatives follow a 2023–2024 campaign with 2,500 direct click-throughs to businesses via OpenTable and ads in Vogue and The New Yorker. Morrill urged consistent investment, citing the need for “strategic consistency” to build brand equity. With $170,000 allocated for ads (social media, billboards, OpenTable), the expanded campaign targets regional visitors, adapting to declining international tourism, as Visit West Hollywood’s Tom Kiely and Jeff Morris noted.
The agreements align with West Hollywood’s goal of economic resilience, per the General Plan. Monthly reports via Yiftee’s dashboard will track gift card redemptions and business participation, ensuring accountability. As Biery stated, these efforts aim to “drive traffic and spending,” uplifting a community navigating economic headwinds.
You wanna boost our local city’s businesses…make the city more business friendly. The cost of doing business in this city is outrageous and those costs are passed on to the consumer. Who can afford to buy anything in this city – EVERYTHING is so damn expensive. And even if you could afford to go out into the city – who would want to? The crime, the filth, the drug addicts, the alcoholics and the mentally ill strewn all over the streets, sidewalks, parks, bus shelters, coming up to while you’re dining on the street. No thanks. I’ve cut way down… Read more »