"And the Band Played On" in the Micky's photo s an ominous reference to the last pandemic which is not over, by the way. HIV/AIDS is still a thing. (Please check out Randy Shilt's amazing book and the Emmy-winning TV movie if you have never read or seen either.)
When this new pandemic hit it was unknown if we were going to be able to bounceback rapidly from shutting down as we hoped. It is now clear that this is not the case. Much of this has been beyond the City of West Hollywood's control. We have a incompetent and corrupt President who treated Coronavirus like a "hoax" and failed to take the necessary actions to control the virus, which meant the economy could not recover quickly. Re-opening a country too soon that did not shut down properly, not only did not spur the economy, it spurred the virus. We also have a giant chunk of seemingly delusional people who treat COVID-19 as if it were simply overblown media hype or think that mask-wearing and social distancing shouldn't apply to them because they are special or infringes on their "freedumb" to infect other people.
So, lacking the leadership and social solidarity of countries like New Zealand, South Korea, Germany, and Japan, America is in for a long slog where over 200,000 will likely perish from COVID-19 by November and the American economy continues its spiral into its worst downturn since the Great Depression.
Many people who live in or love West Hollywood are asking themselves, 'What kind of city will we come back to when we finally emerge out of this pandemic and the resulting economic catastrophe?" In particular, there is concern that West Hollywood's two great entertainment zones, the Rainbow District and the Sunset Trip, will lose their unique characters and become generic and no longer representative of their respective histories.
Some businesses are making the best of this situation.
At Block Party WeHo, it is "Pride All Year Long", and they have begun setting up shop outdoors.
Even Yogurt Stop is getting into the act.
I am all for this adaptation. Hopefully, businesses like these will be able to survive and that indoor shopping will return before the rain starts.
Many restaurants who are lucky enough to have outside seating are able to use that to serve customers. Some which have not had outside seating before have converted parking lots seating. Hamburger Mary's has recreated its fun atmosphere outside. It was fun enjoying the music at atmosphere. Hey, I'm open to drag bingo outdoors at night.
The Sunset Strip has been quiet during the shutdown, but Carney's is still serving a great chili dog.
However, if it is going to be several months or a couple of years before a vaccine, and even longer before the economy bounces back, what is going to happen to the Rainbow District and Sunset Strip, particularly to its empty storefronts and shuttered nightlife? Will it be generic chains that slap a rainbow flag or guitar sticker on the door that come in and we simply call it a day? What about the small businesses that made this city great? What can the City of West Hollywood do about this?
Of course, the Federal government has certain powers, our state governments have certain powers, and local governments are given certain powers by our states in our federal system in America. The City of West Hollywood cannot control the overall national economy, nor can we tell a private property or business owner what to do with their asset, but we can try to encourage and influence how we want our entertainment districts to revive with how we design our public spaces and approve planning and permits.
I don't have all the answers for revitalizing our entertainment districts, nor should any one person determine how this is to happen. But here are my suggestions for moving forward and at least getting the process started:
(1) I suggest the City establish an official Rainbow District Task Force and a Sunset Strip Task Force asked to coming up with a series of recommendations and action items on how to economically revitalize while still maintaining the historical character of these two entertainment zones. These Task Forces are not about creating new administrative layers, but about engaging the community. The revitalization of the Sunset Strip and Rainbow District after the pandemic should include input from all its stakeholders. Excite the community by involving the community. An excited community leads to prosperous local businesses too.
(2) I suggest expanding the mandate of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Commission to the "Arts, Cultural and Entertainment Affairs Commission" so there is a standing body in the City to review fun, creative public nightlife events for the City to help things along. Perhaps we could allow street buskers on Sunset Strip and drag queens to perform for the public in the Rainbow District, as examples.
(3) I suggest the City establish an Affordable Housing Task Force that will be asked to recommend methods of creating more affordable housing for artistic and creative people who are currently priced out of living in West Hollywood. For example, there may be non-traditional types of housing such as loft spaces, communal spaces, converted empty commercial spaces, SRO's, that we designate for people in the arts and entertainment industry.
(4) I suggest establishing a Public Banking Commission. California passed a new law authorizing municipalities to establish public banks which can use their funds to reinvest in their communities. West Hollywood should jump on this new opportunity.
(5) I recommend The Pick Up Line entertainment shuttle be rerouted so the western turnaround takes people up to the Sunset Strip as seen below, and perhaps join with the City of Los Angeles for a "Super Entertainment Shuttle" (see previous blog post) that includes Hollywood and Theatre Row.
Proposed new Pickup Line alignment
Proposed Entertainment Supershuttle alignment
Revitalizing the Sunset Strip and Rainbow District isn't only about preserving the character and culture of West Hollywood, as important as that is in itself. It's also about preserving the tax base that pays for our quality services. At my last glance, the city's hotel tax is its largest revenue source, and if we want people to lodge in our hotels, we need to give them incentive to spend the night in our fun, creative city.
Here is some good news. There will always be change. Businesses and people come and go in life. Here is one that opened in mid-city area. I can recommend the coffee at gget ("Go Get 'Em Tiger"). Don't lose heart. Happy Days will someday be here again.
There is an election in November. I'm not running for anything, but I invite all the candidates who are running to share with us their ideas for revitalizing the Rainbow District and Sunset Strip when we finally emerge from this horrible pandemic and resulting economic devestation.
What do you think?
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