John William Heilman is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

municipal politician and city councilmember of

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

. He has served in the capacity of

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

multiple times since 1985. JohnHeilmanWeHo

Education

A native of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, Heilman graduated with a degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He then moved to Southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to attend the

University of Southern California Law School The University of Southern California Gould School of Law located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 18 ...

. He was an editor of the school's Law Review and graduated in 1982. Councilmember Heilman also received a master's degree in

public administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

and a master's degree in

real estate development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw Real Estate, land and the sale of developed land or parce ...

from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. Councilmember Heilman is also a law school professor, and currently teaches at both Southwestern Law School and the USC Law School.

Public service

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, and has served almost continuously since then. Heilman lost re-election in March 2015, but months later won a special election to fill a seat vacated by Jeff Prang, who resigned to become L.A. County assessor. John Heilman was chosen as the city's second mayor in 1985, and also served as mayor in 1990, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2017. He served his most recent term as mayor in April, 2017. Heilman was defeated in his bid for re-election in November 2020. He was re-elected to the West Hollywood City Council in November 2022. Since his earliest days on the city council, one of Heilman's main concerns has been domestic partner rights. Heilman was instrumental in the establishment of West Hollywood's

domestic partnership A domestic partnership is an intimate relationship between people, usually couples, who live together and share a common domestic life but who are not married (to each other or to anyone else). People in domestic partnerships receive legal be ...

registration program that permitted city employee partners to register and obtain domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples and seniors, regardless of gender, who are at least 62.5 years old and living together. Heilman is a past board member of the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

, Heilman is also the past president of the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Local Officials Group and past co-chair of the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials. His 2007 re-election campaign has won the support of the

Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund LGBTQ+ Victory Fund (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and LGBTQ Victory Fund), commonly shortened to Victory Fund, is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of out LGBTQ+ public officials in the United ...

. He holds an active membership of the Stonewall Democratic Club. Heilman is also a member of th
Coalition for Economic Survival
As a result of Heilman's leadership on the issue of AIDS, he received the U.S. Conference of Mayor's Award in 1990. Heilman is an avid runner and was responsible for bringing Frontrunners Annual 5k/10k Pride Run to West Hollywood as part of the city's annual

Christopher Street Christopher Street is a street in the West Village neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is the continuation of 9th Street west of Sixth Avenue. It is most notable for the Stonewall Inn, which is located on Christopher St ...

West/CSW Pride event held in June of each year. Currently, he teaches law at both

Southwestern Law School Southwestern Law School is a Private university, private Law school in the United States, law school in Los Angeles, California. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and enrolls nearly 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks ...

and the

References

External links

Bio of John Heilman from the City of West Hollywood website

John Heilman's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heilman, John Living people American gay politicians Politicians from Cleveland LGBTQ mayors of places in the United States Politicians from Greater Los Angeles USC Gould School of Law alumni University of Southern California faculty 20th-century mayors of places in California 21st-century mayors of places in California California city council members Year of birth missing (living people) LGBTQ people from Ohio