John Heilman sworn in as West Hollywood mayor; Danny Heng sworn in as vice mayor

John Heilman was sworn in as mayor of West Hollywood and Danny Heng took the oath as vice mayor at the City Council’s Jan. 12 reorganization meeting, where council members also honored outgoing Mayor Chelsea Byers and approved a consent calendar with no fiscal impact.

The meeting opened with a Pledge of Allegiance led by student David Barham and brief roll call. City Clerk Melissa Crowder administered the oaths of office for the incoming mayor and vice mayor. ‘‘Standing here as the first AAPI elected to the West Hollywood City Council is deeply meaningful,’’ Danny Heng said after being sworn in, adding he was ‘‘ready to get to work.’’

Why it matters: The ceremony marked a formal leadership transition for a city that faces housing, transportation and social‑service pressures. Vice Mayor Heng used his remarks to outline local priorities that the council will confront this year, including zoning updates, a push to secure a Metro rail alignment that serves the city and new programs aimed at protecting rent‑stabilized housing.

City Manager Jackie Rocco delivered a brief operational update, announcing that the city’s Class 2 bicycle‑lane green paint project will begin layout work the week of Jan. 12 with nighttime painting scheduled to start Jan. 19. Rocco said the repainted lanes will run along Santa Monica Boulevard, Fairfax Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard.

Public comment covered a mix of celebratory remarks and local requests. Resident Tom DeMille urged the council to create a ‘‘gay icon walker’’ on Sunset Boulevard and proposed capturing Elton John’s footprints and handprints to draw visitors and celebrate the city’s history. Several speakers, including Jeff Bartha and Matthew Grimes, asked the council to put an item on a future agenda to dedicate Courts 6 and 7 at Plumber Park to pickleball players, citing high demand for racket‑sport courts.

Council action and procedure: The council approved the meeting agenda and then the consent calendar by voice/roll‑call votes. The city clerk reported the fiscal impact of the consent calendar as $0 in expenditures, $0 in revenue and $0 in waived fees; the consent calendar passed on an affirmative roll call.

Policy priorities and next steps: In his inaugural remarks, Vice Mayor Heng identified several initiatives he plans to pursue: a Sunset Strip revitalization plan, a ‘‘signage dividend’’ proposal to channel new signage revenue into reducing certain resident fees (for example parking permits and stabilization fees), strategies to incentivize property owners to keep rent‑stabilized units affordable, and an assessment of aging municipal buildings to plan long‑term upkeep. Heng also urged residents to volunteer and pledged to donate his council salary to local nonprofits.

The council closed with brief member remarks about regional collaboration and adjourned to its next meeting, scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026, at 6 p.m.