2025 Year in Review: A Look Back At The Stories That Helped Define West Hollywood

2025 is in the rearview mirror and now we look to 2026! But before we do that, we wanted to share WEHOonline’s West Hollywood 2025 Year in Review.

In 2025, West Hollywood faced challenges, including the ongoing urban transformation of our city and regional disasters that impacted our community, while also celebrating milestones and moments that helped to define our great city as one of the best to call home.

January began with raging wildfires sweeping Los Angeles, prompting West Hollywood to pass an Emergency Ordinance to help displaced residents find housing through temporary rentals and other measures. The Emergency Ordinance was necessary because, the year prior, the City Council adopted a new ordinance that would force a citywide vote for any changes to short-term rental rules. Chelsea Lee Byers became the youngest female to serve as West Hollywood Mayor since WeHo’s founding, and John Heilman was sworn in as Vice Mayor for his last term in office after more than 40 years of service.

February brought Valentine’s Day, the kickoff of ‘Drag Story Hour,’ the return of the Art Walk, and the City’s presentation of the Moving Image Media Art Series. We saw the closure of Hollywood Burger, and the City Council voted to fill in the “big hole in the ground” at the Melrose Triangle, which we dubbed “Lake WeHo.”

March began with Gym Bar celebrating its grand reopening, while up on Sunset, Hudson House and The Den announced their closures. Councilmember Erickson filed papers to run for the State Senate, and the City launched ZIP housing meetings citywide to explain housing issues to the community. And the West Hollywood Sheriff Station selected a new leader. Lieutenant Fanny Lapkin assumed the role of Acting Captain, replacing Captain Bill Moulder who stepped away on personal leave. The department would make Lapkin’s appointment official in August. 

April brought the end of the WEHO PAC, which was killed by its board of directors after the 2024 election brought several illicit and illegal campaign issues to the surface. The death of the WEHO PAC meant that the UNITE HERE Local 11 union would have no organized business opposition in any future election.

May brought more than spring flowers. The City Council approved a $400,000 grant to support a new kitchen at Project Angel Food. Bank of America was robbed in broad daylight, and the City Council was forced to address “civility” at meetings after a number of issues between council members and members of the public came into public view.

June brought WEHO PRIDE, an event that drew tens of thousands. Hamburger Mary’s earned a place in the Guinness World Records for the longest-running drag-themed restaurant, and a “No Kings” protests saw thousands flooding the streets of WeHo. June also saw the iconic Book Soup on Sunset Blvd. celebrating its 50th anniversary.

July saw another tragedy on Fountain Ave. that took the life of Blake Ackerman. Unrelated, West Hollywood City Council took steps to refine its speed limit policies, addressing safety on six narrow residential streets. The City also launched the “WEHO LOVES LOCALS” campaign to support small businesses and businesses also demanded action after ICE raids at the Santa Palm Car Wash on Santa Monica Blvd. The Viper Room project at 8850 Sunset was revived after threats of foreclosure and the iconic Marix reopened after being closed for 5 years.

August found life returning to the corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente with the opening of the first Green Qweenin the heart of the Rainbow District. The City approved a new lease-purchase for a firehouse in mid-city, and the legendary Dan Tana passed away. One of the year’s biggest stories broke when the Block by Block Security Ambassador Program was killed and Allied Universal Security was awarded the contract.

September brought the end of summer and plans for a new dog park at Plummer Park. Councilmember Danny Hang was presented with the Rising Star Award by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, while the lowering of City flags to half-staff after Charlie Kirk’s assassination infuriated many. Additionally, the California State Senate passed SB79, causing great concern for many homeowners and West Hollywood also became the first city in the nation to ban the retail sale of animals. A viral video showed the peril of pedestrian robots on sidewalks, and a woman was stabbed to death in the middle of Santa Monica Blvd. The council voted to speed up the implementation of the year’s biggest issue—the Fountain Ave. Bike Lane and Streetscape project — which is sure to remain a hot topic in the year(s) ahead.

October began with the opening of the Holloway House, a new transitional housing facility for the homeless. On the public safety front, Allied Universal officially took over management of the City’s Security Ambassador program, while The Pick-Up trolley service returned to service. Local residents also packed community rooms to discuss the city’s complex ZIP housing goals.

The month was also marked by a series of brazen daylight robberies and a drug raid targeting employees of The Abbey. We said goodbye to Carleton Cronin, a longtime resident and frequent contributor to WEHOOnline and a City Council meeting was cut short when Councilmember Meister left due to a medical issue, leaving the council to table a security measure regarding gangs of illegal hot dog vendors swarming the streets of WeHo. And the month ended with WEHOonline being honored with the City of West Hollywood Disability Service Award.

November saw the city pull the plug on a $42 million broadband deal after costs skyrocketed, and the Affordability Crisis impacting the country hit close to home. Speaking of home, the City presented an in-depth report on its response to homelessness crisis, but the report left Vice Mayor Heilman with many of the same questions and concerns residents have. The community gathered for somber reflections on Transgender Day of Remembrance and celebrated the completion and opening of Stories: The AIDS Monument. As West Hollywood celebrated its 41st birthday, City Manager David Wilson announced his retirement, signaling a major shift in leadership, and WEHOonline brought in Brian Holt as our new managing editor to help lead us in 2026. 

December concluded the year with the announcement that Jackie Rocco would become the first female City Manager in WeHo history, Leonard Lanzi was named the new President and CEO of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and John Heilman would become mayor for the very last time after 40+ years of service. While the City moved toward the future by making its delivery robot program permanent, many residents were not happy about it. The month wrapped up with some serious issues remaining to be solved in the new year, including the presence of “hot dog gangs” and illegal street vendors in the Rainbow District and reports of their unauthorized security forces threatening local businesses and their staff.

As 2025 comes to a close, West Hollywood remains a city in transition—balancing its past with a sometimes contentious vision for the future. Yes, we have our issues, our problems, our disagreements on what and how that vision should unfold, but you cannot deny there are few places better than West Hollywood to call home.

As we look toward 2026, WEHOonline remains committed to being your front-row seat to the stories and opinions that will help to shape our city. We hope you will join us. We can’t thank you enough for choosing to share even a few moments of your day with us and hope you will continue to do so as the year unfolds. 

On behalf of all us at WEHOonline, here’s to a safe, vibrant, and prosperous New Year for all of West Hollywood!