Tag: vice mayor

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Wednesday, December 17, the city of West Hollywood announced that Chelsea Lee Byers will become the next mayor for the city.

During the regular meeting of the West Hollywood City Council on Monday, December 16, John M. Erickson and Danny Hang were sworn-in to new terms on the West Hollywood City Council. Erickson’s oath of office was administered by Brian Sonia-Wallace and Hang’s oath of office was administered by former Mayor and Councilmember John D’Amico.

City Councilmembers serve for a term of four years and are elected at large. Erickson, who serves as the city’s current Mayor, was first elected to the West Hollywood City Council on November 3, 2020.

Hang was elected to the West Hollywood City Council on November 5, 2024. His legislative priorities include getting unhoused neighbors off the streets and into housing with supportive services; building more affordable housing while protecting and expanding renters’ rights; protecting workers and marginalized groups; uplifting local businesses; and creating a safer and healthier West Hollywood community.

The West Hollywood City Council nominated and elected Chelsea Lee Byers to serve as the city’s next Mayor and John Heilman to serve as Vice Mayor. The WeHo City Council selects Councilmembers each year to serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor; these positions rotate annually among the Councilmembers.

Incoming Mayor Byers and Incoming Vice Mayor Heilman will be sworn-in to their new roles at the upcoming annual City Council Reorganization and Installation meeting and oath of office ceremony, which will take place on Monday, January 13, 2025 at 6 p.m. at the City’s Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard.

A reception will immediately follow at the adjacent West Hollywood Park Aquatic and Recreation Center Respite Deck. The meeting, ceremony, and reception are free and open to the public. Limited validated parking will be available at the West Hollywood Park five-story structure.

Byers was elected to the City Council in November 2022. Her priorities include social service delivery, climate-change mitigation strategies, and emergency resiliency efforts; creating more affordable housing and resources for renters; enhancing the streetscape for improved pedestrian and cycling experiences while reducing vehicle-dependency; and community building and policy implementation to ensure an inclusive community for all.

Heilman was active in the incorporation of West Hollywood. He was elected to the City’s first City Council in November 1984 and he was chosen as the City’s second Mayor in 1985. After having served several terms, he was re-elected to the City Council in November 2022.

For additional information about West Hollywood’s City Councilmembers visit www.weho.org/city-government/city-council

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—On Tuesday, April 2, the city of Beverly Hills held its ceremony for its newest Mayor, Lester J. Friedman who was sworn in.

Friedman was elected Mayor of Beverly Hills at the City Council’s reorganization meeting on Tuesday evening. He succeeds Julian A. Gold, MD who completed his third and final term on the Beverly Hills City Council. During the same ceremony, Councilmember Lili Bosse completed her third and final term. New Councilmembers Craig A. Corman and Mary N. Wells took the oath of office.

“I am deeply grateful to once again serve our community,” said Mayor Friedman. “Maintaining the safety and security of our community is a top priority, while preparing for the excitement of the 2028 Olympics and other world events will lead to some productive conversations. The year ahead will certainly be one filled with meaningful commitments that will enhance the quality of life for everyone living in and visiting Beverly Hills.”

Mayor Friedman was first elected to the BH City Council in 2017 and served as Mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He previously served on the Beverly Hills Traffic and Parking Commission from 2011 through 2017 and served as its Chair in 2015. Mayor Friedman is also an attorney. Sharona R. Nazarian, PsyD was named Vice Mayor by the BH City Council during the ceremony.

Vice Mayor Nazarian, who was first elected in 2022, previously served as a Beverly Hills Public Works Commissioner and was a past Chair of the Beverly Hills Human Relations Commission. The Mayor and Vice Mayor serve one-year terms and are selected by their City Council colleagues during the annual reorganization meeting.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills announced on its website that on Tuesday, April 2, the city will hold its installation ceremony for the new Mayor, Vice Mayor and Beverly Hills City Council.

The ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

A total of 10 candidates including 2 incumbents are vying for two open seats currently held by Mayor Julian A Gold and Lili Bosse.

Candidates vying for those two seats include: Alissa Roston, Mary Wells, Sharon Persovski, Myra Demeter, Craig Corman, Nooshin Meshkaty, Hamid Omrani, Tiffany Davis, Robin Rowe and Russell Stuart.

All candidates are responsible for filing their Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) forms on time.  The primary election to vote for Beverly Hills City Council will be held on Tuesday, March 5.

By Trevor

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Tuesday, December 19, the city of West Hollywood announced that during the City Council meeting on Monday, December 18, the next Mayor will be John M. Erickson and Vice Mayor will be Chelsea Lee Byers. A Resolution was approved to change the title of Mayor Pro Tempore to Vice Mayor. Since Cityhood in 1984, the organization of the West Hollywood City Council has been comprised of the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tempore, and Councilmembers. Adoption of the Resolution changes the Mayor Pro Tempore title to Vice Mayor as a local preference, moving forward.

Councilmembers serve for a term of four years and are elected at large. The City Councilmembers annually select members to serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor; these positions rotate among the Councilmembers.

Incoming Mayor Erickson and Incoming Vice Mayor Byers will be sworn-in at West Hollywood’s annual City Council Reorganization and Installation meeting and oath of office ceremony, which will take place on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 6 p.m. at the City’s Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. A reception will immediately follow at the West Hollywood Library that is open and free to the public.

The meeting and ceremony will be live-broadcast and streamed as part of the regular WeHo City Council meeting and will be available by tuning into Channel 10 on Spectrum within West Hollywood, by visiting www.weho.org/wehotv, or by visiting the City’s WeHoTV YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/wehotv. In addition, meetings can also be viewed on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku streaming platforms by searching “WeHoTV” within the search functions of these services.

John M. Erickson, current Mayor Pro Tempore, was elected to the West Hollywood City Council on November 3, 2020. In 2010, Erickson was selected to intern for the West Hollywood City Council. After leaving City Hall, he served as a Legislative Representative at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) and is currently the Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications, and Marketing at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles.

Erickson received his Ph.D. in American Religious History from Claremont Graduate University and a Dual-Master’s Degree from Claremont Graduate University. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a B.A. in English and Women’s Studies.

Chelsea Lee Byers, current Councilmember, was elected to the West Hollywood City Council on November 8, 2022. She became connected to West Hollywood through the Women’s Leadership Conference leading to program partnerships with West Hollywood, including Women Manifest (2016), the Cannabis Education Forum (2015-2018), collaborative film screenings, panels, and more. While working with United Way’s Everyone In campaign, Byers engaged with City Social Services and Strategic Initiatives to bring educational programming to the community on homelessness and housing solutions. She currently works as Director of Programs and Partnership with Women’s Voices Now and is a core team member with Beautiful Trouble.

Byers studied at Universidad Internacional Cuernavaca, Franklin University Switzerland and received her B.A. in Political Science and Women’s Studies from Northern Arizona University.

For more details, contact West Hollywood’s City Council Offices at (323) 848-6460. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing call TTY (323) 848-6496.

By Trevor