ABOUT JOHN HEILMAN

“When we started the City of West Hollywood, some people said that a city built on rent control, and populated by gays and lesbians, seniors and immigrants would never survive. These critics said that businesses would not want to locate in our City and eventually we would be bankrupt. We proved these naysayers were wrong.” - John Heilman

John Heilman was active in the incorporation of the City of West Hollywood. He was elected to the City’s first City Council in November 1984. He was chosen as the City’s second Mayor in 1985. He also served as Mayor in 1990, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2006, and 2010. He was reelected to the City Council in June 2015. John Heilman is one of the longest-serving openly gay elected officials in the United States. In November 2020, John completed 36 years of service to West Hollywood.

Since his earliest days on the City Council, one of John’s strongest concerns has been affordable housing. He was instrumental in the establishment of the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, a City-funded organization that develops affordable housing in West Hollywood and the surrounding region. He also helped develop the City's landmark Rent Stabilization Ordinance. He helped create the City’s inclusionary housing policy, which requires developers of new residential buildings to include housing for low and moderate-income residents.

John drafted the City’s landmark ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of HIV and AIDS. He received the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Award for his leadership on the issue of AIDS. He established the City’s Senior Advisory Board and helped develop the City’s Comprehensive Services Center at Plummer Park. He also established the City’s Russian Advisory Board in an effort to integrate the City’s Russian-speaking residents into the City’s decision-making process, and he founded the City’s Annual Women’s Leadership Conference.

John was instrumental in building West Hollywood’s library, which was opened in 2011.

John has worked closely with the West Hollywood business community. He was a founder of the West Hollywood Marketing and Visitors’ Bureau now known as Visit West Hollywood. He helped establish the Sunset Strip Business Improvement District as well as the business improvement district which serves the City’s design district.

In his professional life, John is a highly-regarded law school professor. He is a professor at Southwestern Law School and an adjunct professor at USC Law School.

In his private life, John is an avid runner. He has run numerous marathons and half-marathons for charity.