Welcome Activist U Class of 2012

The GOP vice-presidential nominee, Paul Ryan, told so many fibs his fibula coverings ought to have caught fire.

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Specs Appeal - Optometry since 1980
7976 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 650-0988
specsappealonline.com

Sunset Walk-In Healthcare and Occupational Medicine Clinic PC
Urgent Care/Occupational Medicine/Travel Medicine/Chiropractic Care @ 9201 Sunset Blvd., Mezzanine Level M-155 - First 50 patients to mention WeHo News throughout January receive a free flu shot
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-273-1155
sunsetwalk-inhealthcare.com

Bennett Ad Group: Best Rates: MEDIA BUYS TV-Radio/JINGLES/Commercial Production
8033 W. SUNSET BLVD. # 963
West Hollywood, CA 90046
323.660.2224
BennettAdGroup.com

West Hollywood Mail Service -
7985 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 656-0257
wehomail.com

Melrose Spa
7269 Melrose Ave
Hollywood, CA 90046
323-937-2122
www.midtowne.com/index.php?fuseaction=dsp_city&c_city=hollywood

Out of the Closet Thrift Stores
8224 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
323-848-9760
outofthecloset.org

Being Alive People with HIV/AIDS Action Coalition,
7531 Santa Monica Boulevard Suite 100
West Hollywood, CA 90046
323.874.4322
beingalivela.org

Epom - Achive your ad revenue goals with Epom

, INT
+48 22 219 5028
epom.com

AHF Pharmacy - 96% of every dollar earned goes directly to the care and treatment of PWAs
8212 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046
323) 654-0907
ahfpharmacy.org

All Valley Painting & Maintenance
13872 Shablow Avenue,
Sylmar, CA 91342
(818) 230-2800
AllValleyPainting.net

Entéra - the Artist
SHARE THE FUN!
With four minute cartoon portraits at your party or event, or full color cartoons done from emailed photos, INT
805-565-9492
entera-theartist.com

FREE HIV TEST - 1 minute results
6210 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-467-6811
freehivtest.net

Direct Male
free members-only e-boutique with insider access to the latest deals for men... for less.
West Hollywood, CA
(202) 483-0014
directmale.com

Ready to take your life back from methamphetamine?
Our research group at UCLA is conducting a research study on the effectiveness of a medication (varenicline) to help people stop using methampheatmine.
UCLA IRB# 11-001951 West Hollywood, CA 90046
866-449-UCLA (8252)
meth.uclasarx.org/2012/08/ready-to-take-your-life-back-from.html

Goorin Bros. Hat Shop
7627 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Michael Poles Mediation | CONSTRUCTION | PREMISES LIABILITY | REAL ESTATE |
323.874.8973
West Hollywood, CA 90046

The Water Spot
7901 Melrose Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90046

Dr. Michael Schwartz
960 East Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91106

Blue Pacific Aesthetic
415 Pier Ave
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

HEADLINE RECORDS
7706 MELROSE AVE
LOS ANGELES, CA 90046

Dr. Gary London
9201 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Custom Comfort Mattress
8919 Beverly Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048

AntiAging Institute of California
9301 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
8424 Santa Monica Blvd Suite A508
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Ticket Website HQ
2 Post Office Square Ste 2
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Personal Training With Luke Sholl
West Hollywood
West Hollywood, CA 90046

AIDS Walk Los Angeles
3550 Wishire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Made in Los Angeles
18034 Ventura Blvd. #123
Encino, CA 91316

Fountain of Wellbeing
3835 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029

Marco's Trattoria
8200 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046

Back to Total Health
1106 N. La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Galstyan Plumbing
(323) 809-7447
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Ice Cream
8720 Santa Monica Bl
West Hollywood, CA 90048

Bridget Toomey - CFS Mortgage
123 N. Lake Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90064

House of DoleWhip
7901 Santa Monica Blvd #106
West Hollywood, CA 90046

Albano's Brooklyn Pizzeria
7261 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Epic Mobile Detailing
Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita, CA 91321

Alpha For Men
8654 Melrose Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Dr. Nathan Newman
9301 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

MPGroup | CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS | FORENSIC EXPERT WITNESSES |
323.874.8973
West Hollywood, CA 90046

The Life Group LA
7985 Santa Monica Blvd #221
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Gay Therapy LA - Counseling Psychotherapy Coaching for Gay Men - Ken Howard, LCSW
8430 Santa Monica Boulevard Suite 100
West Hollywood, CA 90069

WeHo Copy Center
7710 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046

Al and Ed's Autosound
8500 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069

N101
6252 Romaine Street
Los Angeles, CA 90038

SuperConnect
180 North Stetson Avenue, Suite 5300
Chicago, IL 60601

LA Jock
7978 & 8915 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046

FOUR LA
8016 Melrose
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Hollywood Social Media
(323)301-0002
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Welcome Activist U Class of 2012

10/11/2012

by Ryan Gierach, founding editor in chief, WeHo News, West Hollywood, California

Cathy Blaivas lerning the business end of a bullhorn at a Plummer Park rally with Stephanie Harker at her side.

Every few years, West Hollywood politics and land use policy harvests a new crop of government activists.

In the beginning, there was Jeanne Dobrin, who said, “Let there be light,” and there was transparency (of sorts).

Jeanne Dobrin has spoken more words at city council meetings than most of the council members who have served. Photo by WeHo News.

Ms. Dobrin celebrates her 92^nd birthday this year and is a self-styled community advocate who has worked on planning, land use and other civic issues for 36 years now - pre-dating cityhood by nine - has spoken thousands of times at hundreds of public hearings.

She apparently has no use for the seventh day's rest.

In the decade before the new millennium, trash hauling in the wee hours activated Ed Buck, a retired business man and political player whose focus rested at the time on state and not local politics.

His efforts to stop the unlawful early bird trash hauling resulted in the city changing the contract – to allow the trash hauler earlier times for pick up.

Stymied there, Ed Buck has since run for council, worked on animal protection issues and helped out with land use struggles and remains a newsmaker in the Creative City.

Early last decade the Tara, or Laurel Place (or even 1343 Laurel LLC for a short period), controversy stewed over the largest city-owned and undeveloped green parcel in the densely-populated city.

Allegra Allison, Heavenly Wilson, Roy Oldenkamp and others became energized in defense of the beloved mansion, asking the question: Should residents allow the best, last hope of some much-needed green space to fall prey to a couple city council members’ desire to build senior housing (and boost the numbers of their respective electoral bases) instead?

So, after a seven year struggle that took the city to the CA Supreme Court, they and the West Hollywood Neighbors Association (WEHONA) cohort finally won approval from a newly-constituted council for protection and parkland for Tara and beat back political plunder for the pols’ benefit.

Scott Schmidt says where there's smoke (or a lack of it), there's fire and acts on that.

WEHONA’s activists remain active members of the community, watching out for the city’s and residents’ best interests, selflessly seeking to protect historic structures such as Valentino Court, the Sunset Lanai, the Fickett Library and others.

Together with the doyenne of civic advocates, Ms. Dobrin, Ms. Allison stood firm against the “spot zoning” on the Westside, bringing a law suit that reversed a West Hollywood city council ruling allowing a five-story, 62 ft tall mixed use project called the Palm Project at 9001 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Now comes along Elyse Eisenberg, who fought the former-Tower Records project at 8801 Sunset Boulevard to its ultimate demise and has earned a spot on the city’s Public Facilities Commission.

First activated by fears that the possibility that denser development might mean slower emergency response times, especially on and around the Sunset Strip, her activism has expanded to make her a primary mover behind the term limits movement.

So too, has Scott Schmidt inserted himself into the city politic since his activation over the outdoor smoking ban. He founded Block the Ban to fight the ultimately successful measure.

He ran for council in 2011 after years of involvement with the local Log Cabin Republican club, and he joined with Ms. Eisenberg to co-create the term limits measure.

The outdoor smoking ban also activated Sheila Lightfoot. Calling the outdoor smoking ban the advance of the nanny state, Ms. Lightfoot began to engage in civic debates in debates over the fate of Tara (1343 Laurel), the General Plan, the WeHo Trolley and makes up the third primary player – and acknowledged campaign director – of the term limits campaign.

These WeHo residents do not want Plummer Park radically altered. Allegra Allison can be seen in the back row on the right in fuschia. Anson Snyder has his fist raised. Photo by WeHo News.

Others have stepped to the fore, too.

Eastsiders Cathy Blaivas and Stephanie Harker have fought the Plummer Park renovation to a standstill.

Chloe Ross has returned to action after a period of quiescence, activated by the Plummer Park renovation.

Anson Snyder has also taken an ever greater role in quality of life issues on the Eastside.

Lucas John has kept his hand in after his run for a council seat, especially in helping to shepherd along the WeHo Trolley and the Rainbow Crosswalks.

Since his semi-retirement, Victor Omelczenko has been ramping up his advocacy for bicycle improvements, becoming a leader of the West Hollywood Bicycle Task Force and the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition.

The City of West Hollywood, long a bastion of righteousness, can be proud that citizens of this caliber have decided that the city’s fate and their own are connected at the hip.

As they act to improve the city politic, as they give input into development issues, as they struggle to make life better for you, me and our neighbors who may not even be aware of their efforts, they make WeHo a shining star among municipalities.

Welcome Activist University Class of 2012.

Events Listings Add Your Event

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Walking the Tightrope
04/06/2013 to 05/18/2013

Red Car Trolley presents "The Sound of Spirit"
05/18/2013 to 05/18/2013

Growing Daffodils in Southern California
05/18/2013 to 05/18/2013

Eurovision Song Contest Viewing Party
05/18/2013 to 05/18/2013

Russian Style Festival
04/15/2013 to 05/19/2013

Glengarry Glen Ross
05/16/2013 to 05/19/2013

The International Documentary Association Presents: Doc U: Working With Publicists -– How to Get the Most Out of Your Film’s Release
05/20/2013 to 05/20/2013

A Tribute to Liberace
05/26/2013 to 05/26/2013

Congressman Adam Schiff
05/30/2013 to 05/30/2013

Trainspotting
03/09/2013 to 06/02/2013

SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME
04/19/2013 to 06/02/2013

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs
02/20/2013 to 06/05/2013

Illuminated Manuscript
06/07/2013 to 06/07/2013

Rise'n Shine TV convention with the stars of "Queer as Folk"
06/07/2013 to 06/09/2013

The Revisionaries
06/13/2013 to 06/13/2013

Forever Flamenco! at the Ford
06/15/2013 to 06/15/2013

The Matchmaker
05/10/2013 to 06/16/2013

Los Angeles Film Festival
06/13/2013 to 06/23/2013

Art Project Los Angeles
06/29/2013 to 06/29/2013

Want to help stop HIV? Take part in our HIV Prevention Study
04/04/2013 to 06/30/2013

Dead Man’s Cell Phone
06/05/2013 to 06/30/2013

BOB
06/07/2013 to 06/30/2013

The Crucible
05/09/2013 to 07/07/2013

The Gay Hist-Orgy 3: Mondo Mythological
06/01/2013 to 07/13/2013

DIFFRACTION at NEW THEME Gallery
05/17/2013 to 07/13/2013

Heart Song
05/18/2013 to 07/14/2013

Ionescopade
05/31/2013 to 08/11/2013

We Are Proud
05/30/2013 to 08/11/2013

Gay Day to help feed West Hollywood's Homeless with the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition
04/03/2013 to 12/31/2013

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