West Hollywood Mayor Jeff Prang and Councilmember John Duran have easily won re-election to West Hollywood City Council. In an election where the top two vote-getters won seats, Duran received 2,393 votes while Prang received 2,615 votes, according to unofficial results on the West Hollywood government’s website. Opponents Lauren Meister and Bisser Stoyanov received 1,441 and 300 votes respectively.
Prang was first elected to the West Hollywood City Council in 1997 and won re-election in 2001 and 2005. He has served three terms as Mayor: 2000-01, 2003-04, and 2008-09. He is deeply engaged in changing state legislation to extend domestic partnership benefits to city employees, especially retirement and medical benefits. Prang successfully lobbied the state legislature and state Board of Equalization to extend their benefits packages. He is an advocate for transgender rights, and voted to enact one of the first transgender non-discrimination ordinances in the nation. He led the effort to establish the first LGBT caucus in a state municipal league, successfully winning recognition of the Gay & Lesbian Elected Officials Caucus of the League of California Cities.
Duran has received the endorsement of the Victory Fund four times previously: twice for his races for the California Assembly (1992, 1994) and twice for his election and subsequent re-election to West Hollywood City Council (2001, 2005). As a council member and community leader, Duran had a large role in mobilizing the West Hollywood community against Prop. 8. In January, he received the 2009 Keeper of the Dream Award by the City of West Hollywood for his “extraordinary leadership in bringing to light the struggles of various groups in West Hollywood through advocacy for civil and human rights, especially marriage equality.” His work for LGBT equality has been an inspiration for younger generations of LGBT candidates.
