West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem Lauren Meister has been busy in her first year as a councilwoman, but things are about to get a little busier when she assumes the role of mayor at the April 18 city council meeting.

Lauren Meister will assume her new role as mayor.
(photo courtesy of Lauren Meister)

The five-member West Hollywood City Council rotates the role of mayor and last week the council members approved Meister for the position.

Even though she grew up in Brooklyn, New York, residents in West Hollywood are getting one of their own in Meister. Her parents decided to move to the West Coast after she graduated high school, and she started as a freshman at UC Santa Barbara when she was 16 years old.

Now a 25-year resident of the 31-year-old city, both as a renter and homeowner, Meister said she has been a neighborhood advocate for decades. She first took an active role in the community as a neighborhood watch captain and her involvement snowballed into attending residential association meetings, planning commission meetings and more.

She joined the West Hollywood West Residents Association and served as board president. She has also served on numerous commissions and committees for West Hollywood including the Planning Commission and Public Safety Commission.

In 2010, Meister testified before Congress in support of health insurance regulation and universal health care. She remembers sending many letters to elected officials when her health insurance bill jumped 32 percent, but then-Congressman Henry Waxman was the only one who replied. After further correspondence, Waxman invited Meister and two others to testify for health care reform.

Meister was also the chair of the successful “Yes on Measure C” committee to initiate term limits for West Hollywood City Council members to no more than three full or partial terms in 2013. She was picked to be chair because of the reputation she built as an activist, and for a month-and-a-half Meister and other members of the committee were out every weekend collecting signatures.

“People knew that I cared about the city,” she said. “There was no ulterior motive. It was about moving the city forward.”

On March 3, 2015, she was elected to the city council, and assumed the role of Mayor Pro Tem.

“I realized we didn’t really have a voice on the council,” she said. “And my mother said, ‘If you don’t like how something is done, do it yourself.’”

Over the past year, Meister has introduced important motions such as an update to the rent stabilization ordinance and a measure initiating a homeless needs assessment study for the city.

“That’s important because in order to move forward you need to know what those needs are,” she said. “We have homeless people who may have mental health issues, may be veterans, may have substance abuse issues. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.”

As councilwoman, Meister said she takes the same approach to protecting West Hollywood’s neighborhoods and their unique character as when she was advocating as a community member, and the same will be true when she is mayor.

“[Community activism] was definitely the journey that led me there,” she said. “Protecting our neighborhoods is very important to me and protecting small businesses and attracting unique businesses. It’s part of West Hollywood’s character. I want to see that remain and continue,” she said.

(photo courtesy of Lauren Meister)

She said over the last year she has learned that both compromise and a sense of humor are necessary to get things done, but it’s most important to make sure she’s considering issues from every side possible.

“You meet a lot of interesting people. You see that people have all different needs,” she said. “There are all these different communities within the city – the senior community, LGBT community, Russian-speaking community. Whatever you do you have to think about the impacts on all of those communities. It can be challenging, but it’s been a wonderful experience.”

She said an aspect that residents might not realize from outside city hall is how crucial city staff is.

“The city runs pretty well – with or without us (council members) – in terms of day-to-day,” she said. “It’s all those things that you take for granted. City staff is on it and can handle it.”

The role of mayor is “largely ceremonial” and the biggest change in responsibilities is that Meister will become the go-to spokesperson for the city. But the role can also carry weight if the mayor chooses to act or speak on particular issues, and the mayor often directs council meetings and delivers the state of the city address.

Looking ahead, Meister said the council will be working on the city’s new plan for “Aging in Place” – meaning the ability of residents to live in the housing of their choice. The five-year plan will direct and enhance benefits and support services for seniors.

“70 is the new 50,” she said. “We need to look at that as we develop a program for Aging in Place.”

Meister also said she is an animal person and plans to work on animal rights issues. She said she will advocate for an animal abuser registry on the state level. Tennessee launched a registry – a public listing of anyone convicted of animal cruelty – and she said it’s time California does the same. She plans to work with county and neighboring cities’ elected officials to help persuade state lawmakers to propose the legislation.

She also hopes to open an animal shelter to serve westside cities at the West L.A. VA campus where they can also train animals to be service or support dogs for patients suffering with PTSD or mental health issues.

She said a plan like that would take a while to get through the approval process, but she has talked about it with Congressman Adam Schiff’s office and said she has found some interest in the idea.

Meister said she doesn’t have plans to use the title of mayor to boost her to a higher position in the state legislature or Congress.

“I’m happy to be a local girl,” she said.

She added that she is very excited to take on the new title.

“It’s not something that I thought would ever happen growing up in Brooklyn,” she said.