WEST HOLLYWOOD – The City of West Hollywood has opened the application portals for its WeHo Pride 2024 celebration in May and June. WeHo Pride Weekend will take place on Friday, May 31, 2024; Saturday, June 1, 2024; and Sunday, June 2, 2024 in and around West Hollywood Park, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The weekend will include a free Street Fair, the Women’s Freedom Festival, the Dyke March, the WeHo Pride Parade, and the ticketed OUTLOUD @ WeHo Pride music festival and Friday Night at OUTLOUD.
The WeHo Pride Street Fair will take place on Saturday, June 1, 2024 and Sunday, June 2, 2024 and will celebrate Pride with diverse participation of LGBTQ+ community groups and allied organizations as part of visibility and expression. The Street Fair is free and will feature a vibrant variety of exhibitors along Santa Monica Boulevard. There will be live entertainment and performances on a community stage, highlighting the LGBTQ+ community. The Street Fair is a family-friendly event and is open to everyone. It is a great occasion to take part in WeHo Pride’s LGBTQ+ community experience. WeHo Pride Street Fair applications are also currently open for vendors, artists, performers, and more. The Street Fair promises to be bigger and better than ever before. With a wide range of activities and options, there is sure to be something for everyone. Organizations interested in applying to participate as an Exhibitor at the WeHo Pride Street Fair can apply here, no later than April 16, 2024. Food vendors interested in participating in the event can reach out to [email protected] for more information.
WeHo Pride Weekend: May 31 to June 2
Friday Night at OUTLOUD: May 31
OUTLOUD @ WeHo Pride: May 31 to June 2
WeHo Pride Parade: June 2
WeHo Pride Street Fair: June 1 to June 2
Women’s Freedom Festival & Dyke March: June 1
WeHo Pride Arts Festival: June 14 to June 16
WeHo Pride Community Group Events: May 22 to June 30
Updates and Details are Available at www.wehopride.com
Get festive as we roll down Santa Monica Boulevard for the WeHo Pride Parade on Sunday, June 2, 2024! The WeHo Pride Parade is an imaginative and colorful annual tradition along Santa Monica Boulevard that embraces LGBTQ+ representation, inclusion, and progress. Full of music, dancing, colorful floats, festive marching contingents, and creative flair, the Parade celebrates LGBTQ+ people and our contributions to community and culture. The Parade is a lively, energetic experience with good cheer and great vibes, and a whole lot of rainbows! Whether you participate in the Parade or join in the fun as a spectator, there’s something for everyone at the WeHo Pride Parade! Organizations and individuals interested in submitting an application to participate as an entrant in the annual WeHo Pride Parade can apply here, no later than April 15, 2023. Get creative and think outside of the box! The WeHo Pride Parade welcomes floats, bands, drill teams, dance teams, entertainment entries, marchers, and more.
WeHo Pride celebrations during WeHo Pride Weekend and during May and June 2024 will include a diverse array of LGBTQ+ community groups as part of visibility, expression, and celebration. The City of West Hollywood invites community groups to take part in WeHo Pride 2024. Through an application and review process, community groups may apply to request City funding for an independent Pride event, produced entirely by the group or organization under the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Pride brand. If selected, your event will enter into a co-sponsorship agreement with the City and be a part of the City’s Official WeHo Pride program, occurring between May 22, 2024 and June 30, 2024. Applications can be found here, and must be submitted by February 29, 2024.
There are a variety of ways for brands to sponsor this brand-new era of Pride in West Hollywood as well. From traditional activation spaces (street fair visibility and parade entries) to inclusion at one of the most diverse music events nationally, as well as creative customized opportunities, there are multiple outlets for brand visibility! Organizations interested in becoming a WeHo Pride sponsor can reach out to [email protected]
Additional details about WeHo Pride 2024 will be posted as they become available at www.wehopride.com. Follow @wehopride on Instagram and Facebook and follow @officiallyoutloud on Instagram and Facebook.
About WeHo Pride and the City of West Hollywood – Since its incorporation in 1984, the City of West Hollywood has become one of the most influential cities in the nation for its outspoken advocacy on LGBTQ issues. Home to the “Rainbow District” along Santa Monica Boulevard, which features a concentration of historic LGBTQ clubs, restaurants, and retail shops, West Hollywood consistently tops lists of “most LGBTQ friendly cities” in the nation. More than 40 percent of residents in West Hollywood identify as LGBTQ and four of the five members of the West Hollywood City Council are openly LGBTQ.
Pride is deeply rooted part of West Hollywood’s history and culture. In fact, Pride events have taken place in West Hollywood for more than 40 years (since 1979, five years before the City of West Hollywood was incorporated as a municipality). The City’s embrace of Pride is part of its advocacy for nearly four decades for measures that support LGBTQ individuals, and the City is in the vanguard on efforts to gain and protect equality for all people on a state, national, and international level. The City of West Hollywood is one of the first municipalities to form a Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board (now LGBTQ+ Commission) and a Transgender Advisory Board, which each address matters of advocacy. As part of its support of the transgender community, the City has a Transgender Resource Guide available on the City’s website.
In 2022, the City of West Hollywood inaugurated WeHo Pride with programming that represents a diverse array of LGBTQ community groups as part of visibility, expression, and celebration. West Hollywood is a community of choice for LGBTQ people from throughout the world and WeHo Pride embraces a source of deep connection for its LGBTQ history and culture.
For more information about WeHo Pride and the WeHo Pride Arts Festival, please visit www.wehopride.com.
For more information about Outloud @ WeHo Pride, please visit www.weareoutloud.com.
For inquires to the City of West Hollywood’s Event Services Division, please email [email protected]. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
City of West Hollywood to Begin Proactive Multifamily Property Inspection Pilot Program
The City of West Hollywood’s Neighborhood and Business Safety (NBS) Division Code Enforcement team works to maintain neighborhood livability by being responsive to complaints and concerns received from the community. The NBS Division is responsible for enforcing all provisions of the City’s laws and ordinances, as governed by the West Hollywood Municipal Code and it actively addresses community concerns about a variety of regulated issues.
Beginning in February 2024, the City’s NBS Division will begin conducting proactive and systematic inspections of multifamily properties in West Hollywood. This will include low-income housing and inclusionary units within multifamily properties. Two Code Enforcement Officers will be assigned to this proactive pilot program and will perform outreach to property owners and tenants before inspections are completed. The proactive pilot program will begin on the Eastside of the City and will gradually move west across the community.
The goal of the proactive multifamily property inspection pilot program is to inspect multifamily properties once every three years to ensure City rental housing properties are being maintained in compliance with West Hollywood Municipal Code standards. A multifamily property in West Hollywood is considered a building with three or more units.
Inspections will be initially focused on exterior property conditions (e.g., landscape, carports/parking areas, paint, fences/gates, roof, doors, etc.) and common areas of multifamily properties, such as hallways, courtyards, staircases, elevators, recreation rooms, etc. Code Enforcement Officers assigned to the proactive multifamily inspection pilot program will also be checking for any potential vacation (short-term) rental activity being advertised at a property they are currently inspecting. Vacation (short-term) rental concerns that are reported to the City’s NBS Division outside of the proactive multifamily inspection pilot program will continue to be responded to responsively.
Additionally, as part of the outreach process for the proactive pilot program, Code Enforcement Officers will be posting flyers in the mailrooms and common areas of multifamily properties, informing tenants of the ability to voluntarily schedule inspections within the interior of their own units. Interior inspections of tenant units will only occur as part of this proactive pilot program if a tenant schedules an inspection directly with the Code Enforcement team assigned to multifamily inspections. Interior inspections of tenant units that are performed when a tenant reports an issue in their unit to the City’s NBS Division outside of the proactive multifamily inspection pilot program will continue to be responded to normally.
If a tenant voluntarily schedules an interior inspection of their unit as part of this proactive pilot program, assigned Code Enforcement Officers will be checking for habitability concerns such as plumbing leaks, lack of heat, lack of hot water, deteriorated electrical outlets, and missing or inoperable smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Code Enforcement Officers assigned to the proactive pilot program will also be checking multifamily properties with five or more units or with 16 or more units for various noticing requirements in compliance with the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO). These required RSO notices provide tenants with emergency numbers to contact, information about protections related to eviction, harassment, and rent limits, and business hours for onsite managers.
Tenants interested in getting their units inspected from the proactive multifamily inspection team, when the team is conducting inspections at their property as part of the pilot program, may contact the City of West Hollywood’s Neighborhood and Business Safety (NBS) Division at (323) 450-7115 or at [email protected]. The City’s NBS proactive multifamily inspection team will operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding holidays.
Community members who may have concerns about noise, property maintenance, vacant properties, construction, zoning (short-term rentals and land use activities), and impediments in the public right-of-way (sidewalk, parkway, alley, or street) are encouraged to reach out to the City’s NBS Code Enforcement team by submitting a Service Request, which is a first step in investigating potential violations of the West Hollywood Municipal Code. The primary goal of Code Enforcement is to gain voluntary compliance so that residents and businesses better understand their responsibilities in maintaining their properties and preserving quality of life.
Service requests may be submitted on the City’s website at www.weho.org/servicerequest or by using the City of West Hollywood Official App, which may be downloaded on an Apple device from the iOS App Store or as an Android App on Google Play; search for “West Hollywood Official App.”
Complaints or questions may also be submitted through the Code Enforcement hotline at (323) 848-6516 or email at [email protected]. When reporting a complaint, please include the address, the day of the week, and the approximate time when the issue was observed. If you wish to receive a call back, please also leave your contact information.
For more information about the City’s proactive multifamily inspection pilot program, please contact Eugene Alper, the City of West Hollywood’s Code Enforcement Supervisor at (323) 848-6432 or at [email protected].
For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
For More Information, E-mail [email protected]
City of West Hollywood Receives Grant from SCAG, the Southern California Association of Governments, to Expand Approaches for Achieving Affordable Housing
The City of West Hollywood has received a $150,000 funding award from SCAG, the Southern California Association of Governments, which aims to support the City’s efforts to achieve housing goals. Funding is part of SCAG’s allocation of $45 million in Lasting Affordability Program funding in support of 14 innovative housing finance projects across Southern California.
The $150,000 SCAG grant for the City of West Hollywood will be dedicated to a feasibility study for the creation of a community land trust within West Hollywood. The City’s Long Range Planning Division will explore the creation of a community land trust to expand approaches for achieving affordable housing and affordable homeownership. The anticipated outcome from forming such a community land trust includes progress toward meeting the City’s objective of creating 500 new affordable housing units by 2029.
The Lasting Affordability Program is one of the three funding areas in the Programs to Accelerate Transformative Housing (PATH) program, which is part of SCAG’s REAP 2.0 Program Framework. REAP 2.0 is a statewide grant administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) that aims to accelerate progress towards state housing goals and climate commitments. It makes $45,000,000 available to support programmatic level investments in housing trust funds, community land trusts, and catalyst funds.
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties, 191 cities and nearly 19 million residents. SCAG undertakes a variety of planning and policy initiatives to plan for a livable and sustainable Southern California now and in the future.
For more information about SCAG’s regional efforts, please visit www.scag.ca.gov.
For more information about this project and Long Range Planning in the City, please contact Francisco Contreras, the City of West Hollywood’s Long Range Planning Manager at (323) 848-6874 or at [email protected].
For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
City of West Hollywood Presents Xvarnah by Artist Shaghayegh Cyrous and Child of the Screen by Artist Nathan Hirschaut As Part of the ‘Moving Image Media Art’ Exhibition Series
The City of West Hollywood announces the debut of the next exhibitions in the City’s Moving Image Media Art (MIMA) program. Xvarnah, a short film from artist Shaghayegh Cyrous makes its worldwide debut on the Streamlined Arbor billboard, locate at 9157 Sunset Boulevard, and will air at the top of, 20-minutes past, and 40-minutes past every hour for 3½ minutes. Child of the Screen, a short film, from artist Nathan Hirschaut will debut on the Invisible Frame billboard, located at 8743 Sunset Boulevard, and will air at the top of every hour and 30-minutes past every hour for 5½ minutes. Both works will be on exhibition from Thursday, February 1, 2024, through Thursday, May 30, 2024.
MIMA is an ongoing exhibition series of moving image media artworks on multiple digital billboards at various locations along Sunset Boulevard. The goals of the MIMA program are to foster cultural equity, expand accessibility, inspire conversation, and enhance the human experience of the Sunset Strip. The historically significant building that sits at the base of the Streamlined Arbor at 9157 Sunset inspires artwork as an authentic reexamination of cultural identity, by amplifying the voices of those silenced and marginalized.
Xvarnah translated from the 12th Century means glory of light and the divine illumination of truth in the search for justice. Dancing is forbidden in Iran; it’s recognized as too fertile a breeding ground for female consciousness. The artist believes that Xvarnah is what will ultimately prevail: life, freedom, and the light of truth.
Shaghayegh Cyrous is an Iranian American multi-media artist based in Los Angeles. Cyrous earned an M.F.A. at California College of the Arts and a B.F.A. in visual arts from the Science and Culture University of Tehran. In 2023, Cyrous received recognition by the Cultural Inclusion Foundation as one of 40 ‘Culturally Diverse Women Making a Difference.’ Cyrous is a 2021 Gold Art Prize finalist. She has exhibited and performed internationally at venues such as Tehran MOCA, British Museum in London, Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, Institut für Alles Mögliche, Berlin, Germany, Anchorage Museum in Alaska, and Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.
The Invisible Frame billboard, located at 8743 Sunset Boulevard displays artwork that addresses issues of transparency, inclusion, privacy, and media.
Child of the Screen is Nathan Hirschaut’s charming tribute to early silent film, extrapolating the concept of a human parented and puppet-mastered by a giant hand. Enchanting and eerie, Child of the Screen asks do we control our screens, or do they control us?
Nathan Hirschaut began his artistic career as a dancer and choreographer, graduating with honors from Julliard in 2020. Most recently, Hirschaut founded 10+ Multimedia Productions, a media incubator specializing in the creation of experimental films that have been recognized at the Short Shorts Film Festival, Tokyo; Dance on Camera, Lincoln Center, NYC; and Dance Camera West, Los Angeles. Nathan’s films have been featured on NPR, and in The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.
The Moving Image Media Art Program (MIMA) is a City of West Hollywood exhibition series administered by the Arts Division, as part of its Art on the Outside Program, and is presented with the Sunset Arts and Advertising Program. MIMA offers artists the opportunity, and the funding, to create immediate, and ambitious works of art that engage with the unique visual landscape of the Sunset Strip.
MIMA enables artists to occupy, contest, and play with the definition and uses of public space and manifest moments of connection and spectacle. Artists exhibited in the program are selected from the MIMA Prequalified List, a rolling, open-call for moving image media artists, curators, and non-profit arts organizations, with applications reviewed bi-annually by the City of West Hollywood’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission, in May and November. The MIMA Prequalified List includes a diverse list of artists of all career levels; from emerging to internationally recognized. Visit www.weho.org/community/arts-and-culture/visual-arts/mima for more detailed information.
The City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division delivers a broad array of arts programs including Art on the Outside (temporary public art), Arts Grants, City Poet Laureate, Drag Laureate, Free Theatre in the Parks, Human Rights Speaker Series, Library Exhibits, WeHo Pride Arts Festival, Summer Sounds + Winter Sounds, Urban Art (permanent public art), and WeHo Reads. For more information about City of West Hollywood arts programming, please visit www.weho.org/arts.
For more information about MIMA contact Rebecca Ehemann, City of West Hollywood Arts Manager at [email protected] or at (323) 848-6846.
For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
City of West Hollywood’s 2024 ‘WeHo Reads’ Series “Creative Intersections” Launches in February
The City of West Hollywood launches its WeHo Reads 2024 literary series with three Spring events. The theme for this WeHo Reads season is Creative Intersections.
The series opener WeHo Reads: Inspirations and Intersections will take place virtually on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This Black History Month event features authors celebrating their inspirations and examining how their work intersects with literary luminaries. Questions explored will include: How do breakthrough writers pave the way for a more inclusive publishing landscape? How do contemporary writers want their work to be received? Where do literary legacies and ambitions intersect?
Participating writers will include: Rachel Howzell Hall, the bestselling author of multiple crime novels, including What Never Happened; Lisa Teasley, author of Fluid: Stories and librettist of The Passion of Nell, commissioned by the Long Beach Opera; Jervey Tervalon, an award-winning poet, screenwriter, lecturer, and dramatist, who is the author of Monster’s Chef and All the Trouble You Need; and Tamika Thompson, a writer, producer, and journalist, who is the author of the speculative fiction collection Unshod, Cackling, and Naked.
This online event will take place on the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/wehoarts. Members of the public can RSVP and be sent a direct link to view the event by visiting the WeHo Reads webpage on the City’s website at www.weho.org/wehoreads.
Other upcoming spring events include:
- WeHo Reads: In-Person Poetry Spa and Program, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Respite Deck of the West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center, located at 8750 El Tovar Place, adjacent to the West Hollywood Library. Celebrate National Poetry Month and lounge with a poet at the City’s 2nd annual Poetry Spa Day at the Respite Deck of the City of West Hollywood’s Aquatic and Recreation Center at West Hollywood Park. From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., explore poetry at “spa stations” such as Feng Shui Poetry, Poemaroma (essential oils), Lotus Poetry (origami), and other poetic experiences. At 7:30 p.m., gather at the steps to hear all the poets share their words. Poetry Spa is a concept created by Brian Sonia-Wallace during his term as 2020-23 West Hollywood City Poet Laureate. This year’s event is curated by current West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, and the spa stations and poets include:
- Terry Wolverton, author of eleven books, including her latest, Season of Eclipse, hosts the Poemaroma spa station.
- A. K. Toney is a griot, writer, musician, and educator who hosts the Listening Libations spa station where attendees get to mix poetry with soothing sounds.
- Brian Sonia-Wallace, author of Poetry of Strangers hosts the Poetry Bath spa station.
- Pride Poets members Timothy Nang will host the Lotus Poetry spa station and Jose Rios will host the Poetry Bingo spa station.
- West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, author of Braided Spaces, hosts the Feng Shui Poetry spa station which guides attendees through the Five Elements.
This event is open to the public and free to attend; RSVPs are requested at www.weho.org/wehoreads.
- WeHo Reads: Asian Pacific Diaspora Talk Story will take place in-person on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library Community Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. Hear from a panel of poets and writers during Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as they share their stories, connect across the diaspora, and discuss what it means to be from the Asian-Pacific diaspora. Musical guest Jett Kwong opens this event celebrating the panel of Asian/Pacific American authors (to be announced). This event is free to attend, and RSVPs are requested at www.weho.org/wehoreads.
WeHo Reads is the City of West Hollywood’s literary series presenting authors of interest to the West Hollywood community since 2013. Past participants have included: André Aciman, Andrew Rannells, Arlene and Alan Alda, Armistead Maupin, Bianca Del Rio, Bryan Fuller, Carrie Brownstein, Charles Phoenix, Charles Yu, Chris Kraus, Danez Smith, Dasha Kelly Hamilton, David Ulin, Eileen Myles, Eloise Klein Healy, Emma Donoghue, Erwin Chemerinsky, Henry Rollins, Imani Tolliver, Jacob Tobia, James Sie, Lester Graves Lennon, Josephine Giles, LeVar Burton, Lillian Faderman, Lloyd Schwartz, Lorna Luft, Luis J. Rodriguez, Lynell George, Lynne Thompson, Michael York, Michelle Visage, Myriam Gurba, Natalie Goldberg, Natasha Deón, Nina Revoyr, Patrisse Cullors, Patt Morrison, Peter J. Harris, Randa Jarrar, Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco, Ryan Gosling, Ryka Aoki, Sarah Silverman, Seymour Stein, Shonda Buchanan, Stephen Chbosky, Tananarive Due, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, and Walter Mosely.
WeHo Reads 2024 is presented by the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division and is produced by BookSwell, LLC, , a literary events and media company dedicated to lifting up writers from historically excluded communities. All events are free to attend.
For additional information about these events and to RSVP, visit www.weho.org/wehoreads.
For more information about WeHo Reads, please contact Mike Che, City of West Hollywood Arts Coordinator, at (323) 848-6377 or at [email protected].
For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
City of West Hollywood is Getting the Word Out About Cryptocurrency Fraud and Scams
The City of West Hollywood is launching an effort to help inform community members about how to protect themselves from cryptocurrency fraud and scams. Cryptocurrency is digital currency acquired through an app on a phone, a website, or at a cryptocurrency Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Bitcoin and Ether are some of the most well-known cryptocurrencies, but there are many others. Scammers may use cryptocurrencies because they do not have the same legal protections as credit cards or debit cards, and payments usually cannot be reversed.
Here are some tips to avoid cryptocurrency scams:
- Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency. No legitimate business or government agency will demand any type of payment with cryptocurrency; that is a scam.
- Never pay a fee to get a job. If someone asks for upfront payment to secure a job with cryptocurrency or any other type of payment; that is a scam.
- Never mix cryptocurrency and online dating. If a potential online date asks for cryptocurrency or wants to “help” invest in crypto; that is a scam.
- Do research on companies and organizations before investing or sending money to avoid falling victim to an illegitimate company or website. When companies or websites (fake or not) have look- or sound-alike names to well-known organizations, the potential confusion created for consumers is real. Attempting to take advantage of such confusion is a tactic employed by bad actors looking to profit from unsuspecting consumers.
The State of California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has announced the launch of a Crypto Scam Tracker to help Californians spot and avoid crypto scams. The tracker details apparent crypto scams identified through a review of complaints submitted by the public and allows California consumers and investors to do their own research and prevent harm to themselves and others. The site features a database that is searchable by company name, scam type, or keywords to learn more about the crypto-specific complaints the DFPI has received. An accompanying glossary aims to help consumers better understand common scams. As reports of new crypto scams emerge, the DFPI will continually update this tracker to promptly alert and protect the public.
Cryptocurrency is Digital Currency Acquired Through a Phone App, a Website, or at a Cryptocurrency ATM
Cryptocurrencies Do Not Have the Same Legal Protections as Credit and Debit Cards, and Payments are not Reversible
State of California DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker
For community members who believe they have been a victim of a scam or fraud, or hear about a scam that is currently not listed on the Scam Tracker, please notify the DFPI immediately by filing a complaint with the DFPI online at https://dfpi.ca.gov/submit-a-complaint or by calling toll-free: (866) 275-2677.
For more information, please contact Anita Shandi, the City of West Hollywood’s Public Safety Manager at (323) 848-6446 or at [email protected].
For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
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For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. West Hollywood City Hall is open for walk-in services at public counters or by appointment by visiting www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org. Receive text updates by texting “WeHo” to (323) 848-5000.
