West Hollywood Voters Defy Political Establishment and Approve Term Limits for City Council

West Hollywood voters defied the city's entrenched political establishment and overwhelmingly approved term limits for the City Council by more than 1,000 votes.

The passage of Measure C is a huge blow to West Hollywood's cliquish political scene, which has opposed term limits for years. Councilman John Heilman, who's been sitting in office since 1985 when Ronald Reagan was president, has long been an ardent opponent.

West Hollywood term limits campaign manager Scott Schmidt says, "To the thousands who signed our petition, to the dozens who gave time or money, and everyone who voted today, I have this to say: We are the change we have been waiting for."

Term limits campaign chair Lauren Meister says, "West Hollywood voters sent a message tonight. Measure C ensures that West Hollywood has a mechanism in place to bring
fresh perspectives and new energy to the Council. It opens the door to broader public
participation in the legislative process in our City, which benefits everyone."

Schmidt adds, "West Hollywood is fortunate to have many dedicated public servants who give so much of their time and effort to the City Council. Measure C preserves their ability to continue serving--for as long as 12 years--but it also gives fresh faces and new voices a seat at the table as well. This was a win for everyone in West Hollywood."

City Council members can now only serve three, four-year terms. If re-elected, the current council members -- John Heilman, Abbe Land, John D'Amico, John Duran, and Jeff Prang -- can stay in office for another 12 years.

In the City Council race, according to unofficial results, Duran and Prang won another re-election and beat out former Councilman Steve Martin. Prang got 2,395 votes, Duran 2.064, and Martin 1,393. Measure C received 2,690 "yes" votes and 1,653 "no" votes.

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.

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David

Patrick Range McDonald's reporting on West Hollywood is always factually unreliable and journalistically shoddy. Here he interviews only one side of the term limits issue, and then buries the lede in the last paragraph, finally mentioning that incumbents Jeffrey Prang and John Duran were reelected. No wonder he buries it, because it contradicts the party line that McDonald and the Weekly have unsuccessfully pushed for years now - that the people who win in WeHo are unpopular. Odd, then, that they keep defeating the fringe candidates pushed by McDonald and the Weekly in articles so slanted they scarcely stay on the page. The reality is that WeHo is a pro-labor, pro-Democratic town (more than 90% of Council votes this year were cast for Democrats), while the Weekly is a kneejerk anti-labor, anti-Democratic, Fox News-type operation. It was not always so. But Jill Stewart and Patrick Range McDonald have made it so. West Hollywood, like Los Angeles, deserves better.

NativeAmerican

Yes, they will change their minds. Measure C will win big on March 5

NativeAmerican

If these campaign donation shenanigans have been going o illegally for so long are against the law, why has the District Attorney not conducted an investigation. I think some responsible citizens who want to put an end to corruption, illegal & unethical behavior by politicians should call, write, email the DA's office & request an investigation. The voters of West Hollywood deserve answers.

abramsrl

@NativeAmerican You would think !!! Many have tried but it turns out that Los Angeles County does not have a District Attorney. For years we had something called a Cooley, whose job was to cover up political wrongdoing, fraud and mega-theft of city funds. LA City has BILLIONS missing and Cooley did nothing. Now there is a Lacey, who is a newer version of Cooley. The new and improved Tide. She too sees her #1 job as protecting political crooks and their money men.

You can bring open and shut evident including admissions from the wrongdoers that they are engaged in criminal behavior and Lacey will do absolutely nothing whatsoever. Her jobs is to protect them; not prosecute them.

NativeAmerican

The long series of newspaper articles regarding questionable & potentially corrupt behavior by elected West Hollywood elected politicians have been ongoing for years. Public shame has clearly lost it's utility as a deterrent to repulsive & repugnant behavior by small town politicians with big egos who have given bigger meaning to the term "Throw the bums out!

abramsrl

@NativeAmerican Well, WeHo'er you are the ones who voted them back into office. Here's what happens with term limits. The $ will merely put up another stooge and you will vote for him/her. Remember your first mayor went to prison. WeHo has a poor history in electing honest people.

If WeHo should ever elect an honest person or two, Term Limits will get them off the bench before they can interfere too much with the corruption. Term Limits are the corrupt developers best friend. Term Limits automatically get rid of honest councilmembers so that the developers can have another stooge elected.