Last Monday, I was sworn in as Mayor Pro Tempore of the City of West Hollywood, just five short weeks after becoming a City Councilmember!

At the Council Reorganization meeting, Oscar-winning MILK screenwriter Dustin Lance Black talked about the special meaning the City of West Hollywood had for him as a young teenager who had just moved from Texas to the Los Angeles area. West Hollywood was a safe place, a place of love and a symbol of hope — and it will remain so if we choose to keep it that way. We also got a little bit of work done at Council as well!

Here are some of the highlights:

• We initiated the process to study traffic signal synchronization technologies in coordination with the completion of crosswalk improvements along Santa Monica Boulevard;

• The Council weighed in support of the creation of an animal abuser registry and an ordinance that forbids any individual with a criminal record of animal abuse from adopting an animal within the City of West Hollywood; and,

• We made it official — West Hollywood is the first City in the nation to observe Harvey Milk Day as an official holiday! For most of you, that means parking meters will be free on May 22nd.

Next week, I will be bringing my biggest initiative so far to Council — tackling an issue that affects each of us — PARKING! Working with Councilmember John D’Amico, we have put together a plan to start making parking more accessible, available and affordable. I hope you will take a look at our plan when the Agenda Packet is posted online and share your thoughts either Monday at Council or by reaching out before the meeting (please email my deputy, Scott Schmidt, at [email protected]).

Many thanks for all your help!