WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Wednesday, March 27, the city of West Hollywood’s Picasso Pets event will kick off with the swearing-in of the city’s honorary Pet Mayor, Winnie Erickson, on Saturday, April 6 at 11 a.m. at West Hollywood Park, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard.
The free event will provide an opportunity for pet parents to meet Winnie, participate in pet-friendly activities, and receive event souvenirs while supplies last. The pet caricature portrait activity has reached capacity for the event, but pet parents are encouraged to partake in other activities at the event.
Pets must always remain leashed and under the control of their human. If it rains, the event will be moved indoors to the Doheny Room located on the second floor of the West Hollywood Park Aquatic and Recreation Center (which is adjacent to the surface level of West Hollywood Park).
The City’s Pet Mayor is a program approved by the West Hollywood City Council in 2022. As part of the program, the City’s Mayor may choose to have their pet (dog, cat, or another animal companion) serve as the Pet Mayor during their mayoral term. The City’s Pet Mayor Program intends to enhance support for the West Hollywood community’s animals and animal guardians and help bring awareness to the City’s ongoing efforts and initiatives focused on animal welfare.
The Pet Mayor will be tasked with attending appropriate meetings and events, which may include attending fundraisers in support of animal rescue organizations, visiting dog-friendly establishments in West Hollywood, and other forms of community engagement.
Winnie, the beloved four-legged incoming Pet Mayor found her home with Mayor John M. Erickson when she was adopted from Wags and Walks. Winnie is 9 years old.
West Hollywood has been focused on animal rights and protections for decades and the city’s commitment to animal rights is one of its legacies. The city has consistently worked to enact leading-edge animal welfare legislation.
In 1989, the West Hollywood City Council passed Resolution 558 making West Hollywood a “Cruelty-Free Zone” for animals. This action was then followed by West Hollywood’s move to secure animal care service policies that included a no-kill policy for stray and abandoned animals. West Hollywood focused its efforts on raising awareness about the availability of thousands of abandoned animals at shelters waiting to be adopted, even sponsoring local adoption fairs at City parks — a tradition that continues to this day.
For more details about West Hollywood’s Pet Mayor contact Jennifer Del Toro, the City of West Hollywood’s Community and Legislative Affairs Supervisor, at (323) 848-6549 or at jdeltoro@weho.org. For information about Picasso Pets, call (323) 848-6534 or email recreation@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing call TTY (323) 848-6496.
By Trevor