I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT our young city is almost 40 years old.
It began with a vision and a strong spirit of activism that carried protection for renters and seniors Founded in 1984 on November 29th as the 84th city in Los Angeles County, West Hollywood began as a young, vibrant community.
Before cityhood, our city grew with its legend during the decades in the 1960’s and 70’s with a counterculture of musicians, artists and hippies. Leading up to our city becoming West Hollywood, the LGBT community, recent Russian Jewish immigrants, soaring rent prices and the elderly helped spur our cityhood that was faced with LA County’s rent control protections expiring.
Little did we know what our West Hollywood would look like today. High rents, luxury condos and homes and more hot spots with restaurants, shops, bars and nightclubs. While the LGBT scene is still vibrant, it is especially booming on the weekends with visitors who want to escape and party in our great city.
In July 1985 I was working as a word processor in a long-term temp assignment at the World Trade Center for Shearson Lehman American Express on the 104th floor of the north tower.
That same month, my mom and I visited West Hollywood for the first time as I had a few friends that had already moved here. We were having such a great time that my mom called my brother and sister and told them they had to come here right away. The four of us then spent four great nights at The Comedy Store seeing Louie Anderson and Sam Kinison. In the audience one night was Clint Eastwood and Richard Pryor. When we walked down Rodeo Drive we saw Ryan O’Neal holding hands with Farrah Fawcett.
When I returned to New York City suddenly, my world was turned upside down with a diagnosis of cancer. I was fortunate to be treated at Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Hospital in NYC. A year later I moved to West Hollywood.
I would have never thought that I have lived here for 37 years now. I moved here when I was 24 and the years have swiftly passed. I went from being an actor, a word processor, a waiter, a caterer, an improv teacher, a local TV talk show host, a publicist, a city council candidate, a standup comic, a blogger, a newspaper columnist to a TV show creator and writer.
I have performed as a standup comic at The Comedy Store, The Improv, The Laugh Factory and The Ice House.
If West Hollywood is still considered the creative city, I have first-hand become more and more creative as the years have passed.
As our city of West Hollywood has transformed so have I, and we have both transformed for the better.
Jerome Cleary is a columnist for LAMonthly.org and lives in West Hollywood. He can be reached at jeromecleary@aol.com.
