City of West Hollywood and LA County Library will Co-Host the Official Book Launch of ‘WeHo Stories’ on January 21

The City of West Hollywood and LA County Library will co-host the official launch of WeHo Stories, a limited-edition coffee table book, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 7 p.m. in the City's Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The event is free and open to the public. Limited validated parking will be available in the adjacent five-story West Hollywood Park structure.

WeHo Stories is a community-driven project that chronicles the voices and experiences of individuals who helped lead the West Hollywood Cityhood movement and shaped the City's formative first decade. Conceived by former West Hollywood Councilmember/Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath (now Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District), the project was developed in partnership with LA County Library, West Hollywood Library, and the City of West Hollywood, guided by a dedicated project team and advisory committee. The project was led by Barbara Grover, whose firsthand experience during the City's early days uniquely positioned her to capture the vivid, personal accounts of West Hollywood's founders.

The launch event will feature a panel discussion with:

• Barbara Grover, WeHo Stories project lead, visual storyteller, political consultant, and communications strategist;

• Lindsey P. Horvath, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District, and former West Hollywood Councilmember/Mayor;

• Skye Patrick, CEO, LA County Library (moderator); and

• Professor Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, Co-Director, Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute.

The panelists, in their conversation, will explore the power of storytelling as a force for community-building, identity, and advocacy, particularly within marginalized communities such as the LGBTQ+ community. Storytelling preserves lived experiences, counters cultural erasure, and reinforces a shared sense of belonging. Through striking portraits and first-person narratives, WeHo Stories documents West Hollywood's distinctive history and ensures these memories endure.

An excerpted section from WeHo Stories reads, as follows: "Election night, November 6, 1984. As American President Ronald Reagan swept to re-election, signaling the nation's rightward shift, something very different unfolded in an unincorporated 1.9 square mile patch of Los Angeles County called West Hollywood. An extraordinary coalition of renters, seniors, homeowners, and LGBTQ+ activists came together to make history."

Released in recognition of the City of West Hollywood's recent celebration of 40 years of Cityhood, the WeHo Stories book has been printed in a limited run. In the spirit of community partnership, the launch event offers a unique opportunity for attendees to be among the first to place an order for a copy of the book for a suggested minimum donation of $25 to Friends of the West Hollywood Library. Larger contributions are warmly welcomed, with all proceeds supporting enhanced library programs, collections, services, and technology. Friends of the West Hollywood Library is a nonprofit organization devoted to strengthening the library as a cultural and educational hub for the community. Every donation will directly support its mission.

By choosing to donate in exchange for a book, attendees will not only take home a beautifully curated piece of West Hollywood's history, those who contribute will also help preserve and uplift West Hollywood stories for generations to come.

Although WeHo Stories is produced as a limited-run coffee table book, the project also includes a website designed to bring to life the moment, movement, and people behind West Hollywood's incorporation. The website will be announced at the official book launch event.

For more information, please contact Joshua Schare, City of West Hollywood Director of Communications, at (323) 848-6431 or at [email protected]. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City's calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. Receive text updates by texting "WeHo" to (323) 848-5000. Read feature articles about people, places, and City events at www.helloweho.com. City Hall programs and services information is available at www.weho.org.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood's Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or [email protected].