The L.A. Pride parade drew thousands to West Hollywood in 2019. City leaders are now considering how to best celebrate Pride in 2022. (photo by Jon Viscott/courtesy of the city of West Hollywood)

After the city’s producer of the annual L.A. Pride festival announced it would move the event from West Hollywood, city leaders are aiming to host a new Pride celebration.

More than 40% of West Hollywood residents identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and for 40 years, West Hollywood has been the host city for the largest LGBTQ pride events in Southern California, according to a staff report.

Historically, the city has hosted the annual L.A. Pride parade and festival, produced by Christopher Street West. However, the nonprofit announced in 2020 that it would move the event out of West Hollywood, so the city now seeks to organize and produce its own Pride events.

On Oct. 18 the City Council moved forward with a new vendor, JJLA, to help organize the city’s Pride celebrations.

Following a request for proposals on Aug. 5, the city received six for Pride events that ranged from single weekend events – such as the L-Project Women’s Freedom Festival and the AIDS/LifeCycle Finish Line Festival – to monthlong projects.

Budgets for proposals ranged from the cost of permit fee waivers to $3 million. Though they said they wanted the community to have a large, celebratory event, many council members balked at the price tag on several proposals.

“If we talk about what one million dollars buys us, it’s in fact $1 million, and it should buy us something that looks pretty good,” Councilman John D’Amico said. “Four months ago, we had a very successful Pride, and I believe we spent less than $200,000.”

Still, the council moved forward with an approximate $2.4 million proposal from JJLA, the second-highest proposal received. Council members hope to work with JJLA to lessen the scope of the project, which included a monthlong slate of events.

JJLA proposed several events, such as a street fair on Santa Monica Boulevard, a Pride march, a pop-up wedding chapel and movies in the park.

Council members said the city should consider one weekend of events, rather than a monthlong schedule. They feared a month of events would put a strain on traffic, the city’s budget and the community.

“Anything big happening for more than one or two days is a lot to ask of our staff and our residents,” Mayor Lauren Meister said.

In considering which events should be held, Mayor Pro Tempore Sepi Shyne said she would like to see a street festival, which proved successful in years past, and a march included in the city’s Pride celebrations.

“A march, for me, is very important because the community comes out to take part in the march, and that’s where we began, in the streets,” she said. “Everything else has evolved from that.”

She also said she would support the inclusion of some of the smaller-scale proposals, such as the Women’s Freedom Festival.

Other council members were in favor of several events throughout a single weekend, so long as the cost wasn’t too high. The JJLA proposal included a financial model that would allow an offset of the city’s expenditures through multiple sources, including ticket sales and sponsorships, which D’Amico said could help the city recoup its initial investment.

Council members also debated which weekend the celebrations should be held, with many in favor of the end of June so the city’s One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival can culminate with the Pride celebration. One City One Pride runs for 40 days each year, from Harvey Milk Day on May 22 through June 30.

Though they acknowledge the celebration may be smaller than in previous years, council members said that as the city’s Pride event continues, the events could get larger.

“I think that starting with a single day event plus a Pride parade is how we can start to build on our own version of what Pride looks like in WeHo,” Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath said. “We can focus on making it community-oriented and then will be able to grow it based on success and community input.”

Council members were still undecided on a date for the Pride events, though the request for proposal states the date will be determined no later than Nov. 15.

City staff will now work with JJLA to draft new plans for the event. The plans will then go to the Pride Subcommittee before receiving final approval from the City Council.

A previous version of this article stated that the city was partnering with JLLA. It has since been updated to reflect the correct partner, JJLA.