West Hollywood’s city manager, David Wilson, began his tenure with the City of West Hollywood in 1999. The former Minnesota Vikings defensive end worked his way up the ladder at City Hall. WEHOonline introduced you to the new city manager in this exclusive interview.
Wilson took over as city manager in 2021 after the departure of then city manager Paul Arevalo. At that time, the City of West Hollywood projected a $10 million budget shortfall. Wilson navigated the treacherous waters of the COVID-19 pandemic to steer the city to financial health. This article tells the city’s story in real time.
Earlier this year, Wilson’s home in Altadena burned to the ground during the devastating wildfires. Wilson announced his intention to retire at the end of this year. This was Wilson’s last major speech to the community prior to his final goodbye. Below are his remarks.
Hello, West Hollywood!
It’s great to be here with all of you: community members, city staff, elected and appointed officials, city partners, and friends. Today is a day to celebrate our city, reflect on our journey, and look ahead to the future.
West Hollywood is a young city, just over forty years old, but what we’ve accomplished in that short time is extraordinary. This city was founded on a belief that government can and should work for everyone. That small cities can make a big difference. And that people from all walks of life can come together and create something greater than the sum of its parts.
That belief, that spirit, is still what guides us today.
I’ve been with the city for more than a quarter century. I’ve seen firsthand how West Hollywood’s strength has always come from its people. This is a community that doesn’t shy away from challenges. We face them head-on with creativity, compassion, and a commitment to respect for all people.
This evening’s theme is One City, Many Stories. When I think about West Hollywood’s story, I see a community that has constantly adapted, from the early days of fighting for rent control and responding to the AIDS crisis, to our more recent work navigating a pandemic, addressing homelessness, and supporting our local businesses and workers.
Through every chapter, one thing has remained constant: West Hollywood leads with empathy.
When I became City Manager in 2021, we were emerging from one of the most challenging periods in modern history. We had new councilmembers, new expectations, and a world that had changed almost overnight.
But even with all that uncertainty, we stayed steady. We focused on our mission. We kept the city moving forward.
We maintained a strong and balanced budget.
We invested in housing and infrastructure.
We continued to support our most vulnerable community members and invest in our vibrant economy.
And we reconnected with one another through events like WeHo Pride, Halloween Carnaval, and our cultural programming to remind us who we are and why this city matters.
I want to take a moment to thank the people who make that possible, our city staff. Will all the WeHo staff please raise a hand?
These are the people who answer the calls, fix the streets, process permits, support our seniors, and plan for our future. They do the day-to-day work that allows West Hollywood to shine.
An event like this takes a village. But I want to give a special thank you to Yazmin Spiteri and Andi Lovano, who were the lead organizers of this evening’s event.
I also want to thank our community partners: the residents, businesses, first responders, social service agencies, and all of our contract service providers.
Together, we’ve built a city that’s financially strong, environmentally conscious, and socially progressive.
The “state of our community” is not only strong; it’s resilient, forward-looking, and full of possibility. And that is not because we’ve solved every problem, but because we’ve created a culture that faces problems together.
We’re addressing housing with a balanced approach, encouraging development while preserving affordability and community character.
We’re improving mobility with pedestrian safety enhancements, new bike infrastructure, and progress on the future Metro station that will better connect us to the region.
We’re evolving our approach to addressing homelessness, integrating social services outreach with law enforcement and unarmed response teams to ensure that everyone feels safe and supported, as well as launching The Holloway Interim Housing Program that provides 20 individual rooms for chronically homeless community members with on-site supportive services to assist in securing permanent housing.
And we’re investing in sustainability from clean energy to green buildings to resilient infrastructure because we know our future depends on it.
These civic enhancements may spark debate and differing opinions, but together they reflect the very essence of the city we have become: innovative and inclusive.
When I look back at our city’s history, I see the courage of those who stood up for what was right. When I look at where we are today, I see a community that continues to lead by example. And when I look ahead, I see a city that will keep evolving; not just to keep up with change, but to shape it.
That’s the legacy of West Hollywood.
And it’s one I’m incredibly proud to be part of.
As I reflect on my time here and prepare for my upcoming retirement, I can’t help but think back to my first days with the City.
I was young, eager, and grateful to be part of something meaningful. I didn’t know then that West Hollywood would become such an important part of my life. Over the years, I’ve grown up here: professionally and personally. I’ve had mentors who guided me, colleagues who inspired me, and community members who reminded me why this work matters.
This past Friday, I participated in the StoryCorps project. I know many of you also shared your West Hollywood stories and we thank you for that. I had the fortunate opportunity to have a StoryCorps conversation with my good friend and mentor, former City Manager, Paul Arevalo. Those forty minutes of reflection on what this City has meant to us and what we have meant to this City will stay with me forever.
Every role I’ve had, from intern to Budget and Compensation Manager to Finance & Technology Services Director, Assistant City Manager, and now City Manager, has been about one thing: service. Service to a community that believes in people, in fairness, in compassion, and in possibility.
I want to thank my mother, who has been a dedicated volunteer for numerous civic organizations my entire life and who is with us tonight, and my father, who was a World War II veteran and public servant for over thirty years. They instilled in me, along with nine brothers and sisters, the importance of service to others and the community.
I also want to thank my lovely wife for being by my side during the 26 years that I served the City. Thank you for enduring the long hours, late council meetings, and many conferences, while we raised our two beautiful children.
As I look toward the next chapter of my life, what I’ll carry with me isn’t a list of projects or accomplishments – it’s the people, the relationships, the shared belief that government, when done right, can make a real difference.
It has been the honor of my life to serve this city, to watch it grow, to help it navigate change, and to see its values shine through in everything we do.
So today, as we celebrate West Hollywood Day, I want to thank you for your partnership, your trust, and your commitment to this city.
West Hollywood will always be a special place, and I know that this city’s best chapters are still ahead.
Thank you for letting me be part of the story.
And thank you for continuing to write the next one together.
Happy West Hollywood Day.
David A. Wilson
City Manager
City of West Hollywood
At the end of the evening celebrating West Hollywood Day, Mayor Chelsea Byers and the City Council presented Wilson with the key to the City.
Thank you, David Wilson, for your many years of service.
weho is infested with homeless crackheads – its disgusting – liberalism is all about creating social decay, addiction and filth
I bet you’re commenting from Idaho and no nothing about weho except what you’ve read in your white supremecist websites. 🤡
Never mind the detractors. That commenter clearly doesn’t live here. The little parklets around town are crackhead Central. In my neighborhood, sometimes the only people walking around are the homeless. They are usually drunk and or high. Instead of having local policing, we have the largest publicly traded terrible to work for Allied security walking around, just walking around. It’s paychecks for guys that can’t afford to live here and it’s profits are for people who step on everyone else. It typifies what’s wrong with this system.
Not a loss.
As if you could do a better job. Sit back in your armchair and shaddup
Even with COVID, Wilson and the City Council inherited a City with a solid financial foundation, a long commitment to creating housing, particularly affordable housing, as well as other progressive values. Fiscally, the City has been on auto pilot the last five years. We did manage to go off the rails with the City’s embrace of the social justice Cultural Revolution and Unite Here’s occupation of City Hall is now a permanent fixture. David Wilson was always a nice guy and dedicated to the City, but we needed (and continue to need), leadership from the corner office at City Hall,… Read more »
You paid by City Hall?
Unite Here owns CC all the way. That Union is big business. They are closely aligned with the DSA. free street parking form of socialism. Getting rid of free parking in favor of paid parking or private companies like uber don’t favor the public. These are fake socialists just looking to take control. The free city bus jutney that drives around is mostly empty whenever I see it. Who is getting that contract? Is there any accountability? We could be making donations to poor cities. We could lower the hotel tax so that families can visit without being ripped off… Read more »
Goodbye & Good Luck