Following Stormy Daniels Day in West Hollywood on May 23, five residents criticized the city at Monday’s City Council meeting for celebrating the adult film actress.

West Hollywood Mayor John Duran and Mayor Pro Tempore John D’Amico bestowed Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, with a city proclamation and key to the city outside the adult entertainment store Chi Chi LaRue’s. According to a news release from the city, the actress was being honored for her “leadership” in the resistance to President Donald Trump.

Mayor John Duran (left) gave Stormy Daniels the key to the city on May 23, but a group of residents at the June 4 council meeting didn’t think it was appropriate. (photo courtesy of the city of West Hollywood)

“In these politically tumultuous times, Daniels has proven herself to be a profile in courage by speaking truth to power, even under threats to her safety and extreme intimidation,” read the city’s statement.

Daniels alleges she and President Donald Trump had an affair in 2006, and he has been trying to silence her since, including with threats of violence and a payment of $130,000 given to her by Trump attorney Michael Cohen for a nondisclosure agreement. Trump initially denied knowledge of the payment, but after his attorney Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, stated on television that Trump had repaid Cohen for the $130,000, the president finally acknowledged the sum. Trump stated, however, that the agreement was nothing more than an attempt “to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by [Daniels] about an affair.”

LGBT activist Ivy Bottini, 91, questioned why the city didn’t honor actress Rosie Perez instead for her efforts offering aid to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit in September 2017, or Andrea Constand, who was assaulted by Bill Cosby and involved in a legal case that recently convicted the actor.

“[Daniels] may be a nice person, but she is doing extortion,” Bottini said. “It’s extortion. I mean the president – not that I like Trump, don’t get me wrong, I’m clearing it up right now – but they’re both wrong.”

Steve Martin, a former West Hollywood councilman, said the city’s celebration of the adult film actress was “truly an embarrassment.”

“I have been approached by so many people who have expressed anger, bafflement, confusion as to how Stormy Daniels is a hero to the left. What has she done for us? You know, she had sex with Trump before he was president, he paid her $130,000 – which I’ll remind is twice what most working people, working families make in a year – and then after he gets elected president, she wants more money,” Martin said. “That’s her business. We should not be involved in this tawdry, sordid episode of our country’s history.”

Amanda Goodwin, who ran for City Council last year, similarly criticized the city for honoring a woman in the sex industry and for not considering actress Rose McGowan, who was one of the initial women to come forward to accuse Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment.

“What were we thinking?” Goodwin stated. “It really was embarrassing and a big fail.”

Council members John Heilman, Lauren Meister and Lindsey Horvath did not attend Daniels’ ceremony last month.

“Personally, I didn’t feel that she deserved a key to the city,” Meister said at the meeting. “I also don’t see her as the face of the resistance, but I also don’t think that it was the end of the world. I think that there were a lot of mixed opinions on whether it was a good thing or not and I think that we should move on.”

After the meeting, Heilman said he didn’t appear at Stormy Daniels Day “because I didn’t think it was a good idea.” He did not respond to a request to elaborate.

Horvath did not respond to multiple requests for comment about her absence.

Daniels was in West Hollywood to promote her new line of T-shirts. Duran said the criticism from residents at the meeting was “local politics,” noting that several of the residents who came forward were “failed City Council candidates with political agendas.”

“I could give the key to the city to the pope and they would have an issue with it,” Duran said.

The mayor said Daniels and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, are “turning on the light to the problems with Trump.”

“Whether she arrived in the role as a porn star or as a seamstress, would it matter?” Duran said. “Stormy Daniels is being brave and courageous in the face of public ridicule.”