Mayor Chelsea Byers West Hollywood Day Address: One City, Many Stories

Good evening, West Hollywood! 

Tonight, we come together to celebrate 41 years of something truly extraordinary. Not just 41 years of municipal incorporation, but 41 years of courage, creativity, and community.  

Forty-one years of a small city with a very big story! 

Our theme this year, “One City, Many Stories,” reminds us that West Hollywood is not defined by a single moment or a single voice. We are a chorus. We are a tapestry. We are the product of thousands of people who, for more than four decades, have dared to say: “We can build something better here.” 

The City of West Hollywood has always been defined by the power of personal stories … of activism, love, and trailblazing. For decades, West Hollywood has been a place where people from every walk of life have come together to build something extraordinary. 

Whether you’ve lived here since the City’s founding or you’re just beginning your journey as a West Hollywood community member, your voice – your story – is part of the fabric that makes West Hollywood what it is today: bold, diverse, and beautifully human. 

That spirit goes all the way back to 1984, when the idea of the City of West Hollywood was born out of an unlikely but powerful coalition: LGBTQ activists, older adults, and renters. 

At the time, this was an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County. But the people who lived here imagined something different. They wanted a city with strong protections for renters, with progressive policies, and with a local government that would actually reflect and protect the people who call this place home. 

Through organizing, determination, and a whole lot of grit, that idea became reality on November 29, 1984, when West Hollywood was officially incorporated as an independent city. 

Our very first City Council made history. It was the first in the nation to have a majority openly gay governing body. That was not just symbolic; it sent a message to the world that LGBTQ people belonged not only in our neighborhoods, but also in our leadership. 

Today, I’m proud to say that the West Hollywood City Council continues to be a majority-LGBTQ+ body and we continue pushing the boundaries of representation and redefining what’s possible for a local government. 

We’re just 1.9 square miles, but we’re the little city that does big things. More than 35,000 residents call West Hollywood home, and with all of us comes a spirit of idealism, creativity, and innovation that you can feel on every block, in every mural, at every café, on every dance floor … and, yes, even at every City Council meeting. 

Our many stories reveal themselves in the way we care for one another: 

There’s the story of our social services programs: just after incorporation, the City of West Hollywood began investing in the people who needed our support the most. For decades, we’ve provided millions of contracted dollars annually to local organizations to support services for older adults, people living with HIV and AIDS, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people experiencing homelessness, Russian-speaking immigrants, people recovering from addiction, people without health insurance, people who need food and nutrition assistance, and so much more. Today, our Human Services Division continues this legacy of community connection and support. 

There’s the story of our housing programs: early on, the City of West Hollywood adopted one of the strongest rent stabilization ordinances in the country. Because we understood then, as we understand now, that stability, safety, and community start with housing. We created an entire Division dedicated to rent stabilization, counseling tenants and property owners so that people can not only move here, but can stay here. 

There’s the story of our resilience in the face of crisis: when the HIV/AIDS epidemic hit our community hardest in the 1980s and 1990s, West Hollywood was devastated, but we were not defeated. We were one of the first governments to fund AIDS and HIV organizations, and we sponsored one of the first AIDS awareness campaigns in the country in the mid-1980s before our federal presidential administration could even utter the words “HIV” or “AIDS.”

 

Today, our HIV Zero initiative carries a bold vision: zero new infections, zero progression to AIDS, zero discrimination, and zero stigma. 

Just over a week ago, STORIES: The AIDS Monument was opened to the community and I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who took part over many years for their tireless work in helping to make the Monument a reality. 

There’s the story of our Russian-speaking community, many of whom fled discrimination and antisemitism in the former Soviet Union and found a new home here. Today, many of West Hollywood’s residents trace their ancestry to countries in the former USSR and their incredible stories are woven into our parks, our local businesses, and our local cultural celebrations and traditions. There’s the story of love and equality: West Hollywood was one of the earliest cities to support marriage equality. We issued marriage licenses for same-sex couples, celebrated with them, and stood by them through setbacks like Proposition 8, and we rejoiced with thousands in West Hollywood Park when love finally won and marriage equality became the law of the land in 2015. And, as recently as two weeks ago, we got the excellent news: the Supreme Court turned down a request that it consider overturning its landmark decision to legalize same-sex marriage a decade ago, continue to protect marriage quality in all 50 states. 

Our stories – and there are so many more stories – are what make West Hollywood a model for cities across the nation. As I’ve traveled to cities in other states for various conferences and Council business, I hear the stories of what we’ve created here reflected back in so many beautiful ways.  We are truly that City… that City where someone’s niece moved when she got her job in entertainment, where queer couples save up for and travel to when they want a weekend in safe, joyful community, where someone saw their first drag performance,  where someone saw a favorite band in a legendary venue and as Chappell has sung to the world — where boys and girls can all be queens every single day.

  

We are proof that a city can be deeply responsible and wildly imaginative. 

As we strive to make West Hollywood more pedestrian-friendly, bike-friendly, and sustainable… 

As we work to fill our public spaces with art and culture… 

As we celebrate WeHo Pride and Halloween each year, and all the events in between… 

We are caring and relentlessly progressive, we are serious about justice and equality, and we are always full of joy, humor, and sparkle as we fight for what’s right. 

Still … the most important story is yours. 

Whether you were here in 1984, fighting for incorporation… 
Whether you arrived in the middle of the AIDS crisis and found community… 
Whether you came out on these streets, marched in these parades, or fell in love under these palm trees… 
Whether you moved here last month, drawn by possibility, art, nightlife, or simply the feeling that this is the place where you can be fully yourself… 

Your voice is part of the fabric of West Hollywood. 
Your story is one of the many “stories” that make this one city – West Hollywood – what it is. 

Here’s to 41 years of West Hollywood. 
Here’s to one city, many stories. 
And here’s to the next chapter we will write — together. 

Happy West Hollywood Day … and thank you!