WeHo 40: A Strategic Vision and Plan

West Hollywood Looks to the Future: Inside the Ambitious WeHo 40 Strategic Plan

In October 2024, the City of West Hollywood took a bold and visionary step into the future by officially adopting the WeHo 40 Strategic Plan, a sweeping policy and planning framework intended to guide the city through 2040. As the city approaches its 40th anniversary of incorporation in 2025, this long-range plan reflects West Hollywood’s deep commitment to inclusive governance, progressive values, and a vibrant, sustainable future for all who live, work, and visit here.

Crafted with extensive community engagement and rooted in the City’s trailblazing identity, the WeHo 40 Strategic Plan is more than just a municipal roadmap—it’s a declaration of values, priorities, and ambitions for the next generation of civic life.

A Year-Long Collaborative Process

The development of the WeHo 40 Strategic Plan took place over 11 months and involved robust participation from across the community. More than 6,000 residents, business owners, workers, artists, youth, and advocates lent their voices to shape the vision and goals of the plan. City staff, community-based organizations, subject-matter experts, and elected leaders engaged in a coordinated effort to ensure the plan was grounded in real experiences and community aspirations.

Through a wide range of engagement methods—including surveys, town halls, pop-up events, online platforms, and direct outreach—the city prioritized accessibility, transparency, and equity in the planning process. The result is a community-driven plan that reflects both the diversity and shared values of West Hollywood.

A Vision Grounded in Values

At the heart of WeHo 40 is a bold, values-based vision: to create a city where everyone thrives. The plan acknowledges the challenges facing cities across the country—from the housing crisis and climate change to economic uncertainty and social fragmentation—but insists that West Hollywood can meet these challenges by investing in inclusion, innovation, and sustainability.

The strategic framework is organized around six core priority areas, each with defined objectives and actionable steps. The priorities were chosen based on community feedback and the City’s long-standing progressive ethos.

Priority 1: Community Safety & Well-Being

West Hollywood’s approach to public safety extends beyond traditional policing to embrace a holistic model of community well-being. This includes investing in health and mental health services, harm reduction, violence prevention, and unarmed crisis response teams. The plan seeks to strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations and create an environment where every resident—especially LGBTQ+ individuals, BIPOC residents, older adults, and renters—feels safe and supported.

Key initiatives include:

• Expanding access to mental health services and substance use resources.
• Supporting the expansion of the Security Ambassadors unarmed security ambassador program.
• Integrating public health strategies into public safety planning.

Priority 2: Attainable Housing

The plan directly tackles the housing affordability crisis that affects many Angelenos. West Hollywood, known for its progressive housing policies, aims to go further by making housing more attainable across income levels, promoting stability, and preventing displacement.

Strategies include:

• Incentivizing the creation of affordable and workforce housing.
• Supporting rent stabilization programs and tenant protections.
• Prioritizing deeply affordable housing developments for vulnerable populations, including seniors, disabled individuals, and LGBTQ+ youth.

The plan also emphasizes preserving existing housing stock and streamlining the development process for new residential projects that align with the city’s density and design standards.

Priority 3: Economic Development & Opportunity

WeHo 40 envisions a diverse, resilient, and equitable economy that supports both legacy businesses and emerging industries. The city plans to nurture its unique creative and hospitality sectors while fostering entrepreneurship and inclusive job growth.

Notable initiatives include:

• Investing in small business support and creative economy infrastructure.
• Creating pathways for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
• Expanding career training programs in partnership with local institutions and labor unions.

The plan recognizes that economic justice is fundamental to community resilience and prioritizes closing racial and gender wealth gaps.

Priority 4: Transparent & Inclusive Governance

A central tenet of the WeHo 40 plan is the belief that government works best when it’s transparent, accountable, and responsive to the people it serves. To that end, the city is making significant investments in civic engagement and open data.

Planned improvements include:

• A new, user-friendly city website with multilingual access.
• A public dashboard tracking progress on strategic plan goals.
• Participatory budgeting and community-led decision-making forums.

The City aims to deepen trust between residents and government and to empower all voices—especially those historically marginalized—to shape city policy.

Priority 5: Community Connection & Belonging

Recognizing that social cohesion is a vital ingredient in a thriving city, WeHo 40 commits to strengthening the fabric of community life. This includes investing in public spaces, arts and culture, and programs that build intergenerational and intercultural connections.

Key objectives in this area involve:

• Supporting cultural festivals, LGBTQ+ heritage projects, and youth arts programming.
• Expanding community events that reflect the City’s diversity.
• Creating inclusive public spaces that foster interaction and belonging.

This priority also addresses the rise of social isolation and affirms West Hollywood’s historic role as a safe haven for those seeking acceptance and connection.

Priority 6: Climate Action, Sustainability & Resilience

With climate change already impacting Southern California, West Hollywood’s plan centers environmental justice and sustainability as essential to its long-term vision. WeHo 40 outlines actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate impacts, and promote green infrastructure.

Major actions include:

• Expanding the City’s electric vehicle infrastructure and transit options.
• Advancing energy efficiency in buildings and city operations.
• Enhancing urban tree canopy and heat-resilience efforts.
• Integrating climate equity into all planning decisions.

Environmental justice is especially important to the plan’s authors, who recognize that vulnerable populations face the greatest risk from extreme heat, pollution, and other climate-related harms.

Measuring Progress & Accountability

To keep the plan actionable and transparent, the city launched a dedicated online dashboard that tracks progress on the 24 objectives and 150+ specific actions within the WeHo 40 Strategic Plan. Residents can view real-time updates, timelines, and performance metrics, holding the city accountable to its commitments.

The dashboard and regular public updates underscore West Hollywood’s commitment to open governance and continuous improvement. This model of civic transparency has already drawn attention from other municipalities.

A Model for the Future

As West Hollywood celebrates its 40th anniversary, the WeHo 40 Strategic Plan reflects a city that is forward-thinking, deeply community-oriented, and unafraid to lead. Whether reimagining public safety, fighting for housing equity, or preparing for the climate crisis, WeHo is reaffirming its role as a national model for progressive urban policy.

To learn more about the WeHo 40 Strategic Plan and explore the dashboard, visit: engage.weho.org/wehostrategicplan