Candidate for
Supervisor; County of Los Angeles; Supervisorial District 3

John Duran is a Los Angeles native who was born, raised, educated and now practices law in Los Angeles County. John came from humble roots in a lower middle class Latino family and was the first person in his family to go to college. He earned a BS Degree in Business Administration as well as a law degree. During his career as a respected civil rights attorney, John has taken on and won fights to ensure equality for all people and fair access to life saving medications.

John Duran has been an elected official since 2001 serving as both Mayor and Councilmember in the City of West Hollywood. In his role as Mayor and Councilmember, John has helped his city navigate the economic downturn without having to cut services or raise taxes. Under his watch, crime is down, thousands of new jobs have been created, parks have opened, and city government is more transparent. He has served on the city council for almost half of the city's life and has been part of building one of the exceptional cities in America.

Some of his accomplishments include:

Economic Development

Councilmember Duran is the only business owner currently serving on the West Hollywood City Council. He is an advocate for the local businesses believing that a strong local economy supports the social services that many residents depend upon. Under his leadership, the City of West Hollywood remains in an exceptionally strong financial position. The City continues to be in the 8 percent of municipalities operating in the black through the current economic recession. The City has not had to cut any services or lay off any city employees because of the strong business community that exists.

Here are some of the economic highlights West Hollywood has experienced under his leadership:

1. Despite the current economic recession, West Hollywood's total revenues grew 30% from $63 million in 2004 to $91 million in 2012 per the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

2. West Hollywood's net assets increased from $137 million in 2004 to $246 million in 2012, a 44% increase. Capital improvements include the new West Hollywood Library and Council Chambers and 1.5 acres of green space in West Hollywood Park.

3. The City's sales tax receipts and property tax revenues both increased in 2012 to $12.3 million and $11.9 million respectively, due to a strong increase in assessed property values and the highly diversified nature of its businesses.

4. West Hollywood has maintained a strong `AAA' credit rating with Fitch and Moody's.

Affordable Housing

Councilmember Duran, the only member of the Council who is a renter, is a tireless advocate for the protection of tenants' rights. Before becoming a member of the City Council, he was a long term volunteer attorney at the CES (Coalition for Economic Survival) legal clinic assisting tenants on the weekends. As the former Vice-Chair of the City of West Hollywood's Rent Stabilization Commission, he adjudicated appeals for landlord-tenant disputes and made policy recommendations for affordable housing.

In response to heavy applications for development of multi-family housing structures, Councilmember Duran created the Interim Zoning Ordinance to reduce the loss of many affordable housing units and the displacement of long-term residents. The zoning ordinance regulated the maximum number of units per project based on parcel size and zoning district, in addition to regulating the maximum height of proposed structures. The Interim Zoning Ordinance was a temporary measure until the City updated its General Plan in 2012. This ordinance stopped the destruction of apartment housing in West Hollywood neighborhoods and slowed the development of condominiums to take their place.

Councilmember Duran has also co-sponsored an initiative to begin the process of evaluating and assisting in the renovation of existing affordable housing in West Hollywood to protect and preserve the existing housing stock.

Women's Rights

An advocate for the equal treatment of all, Councilmember Duran has advocated for Women's Rights for more than 25 years. He has served on Wendy's Hope Advisory Board, a joint venture with City of Hope focusing on women with breast cancer. He was the legal representative for two Orange County Lesbians who were subjected to unlawful genital search to determine their gender (Morton v. City of Costa Mesa). He has been a featured speaker at several West Hollywood Women's Equality Day celebrations and the majority of his appointees to West Hollywood Commissions and Advisory Boards are women.

Animal Welfare

Councilmember Duran initiated the "anti-declawing ordinance." This ordinance formally banned the cruel medical procedure that removes claws from cats. The implementation of the ordinance was the first in the United States and has become a model for other governments currently examining the possibility of adopting similar measures. He has also defended tenants who have animal companions in West Hollywood and recognizes that West Hollywood has a higher concentration of urban animals than surrounding neighborhoods. He is a strong proponent for dog parks and animal waste receptacles throughout West Hollywood.

Drug and Alcohol Recovery

One of Councilmember Duran's priorities is alcohol and drug recovery in West Hollywood. He championed the success of the West Hollywood Drug & Alcohol Recovery Center. Today, the Recovery Center hosts hundreds of 12-step meetings contributing to the recovery of thousands of individuals.

Civil Rights

A hallmark of John Duran's career has been his unwavering championing for those who have no voice. He successfully sued Los Angeles County for denying medication to inmates with HIV/AIDS (Kolcum v. L.A. County). He represented the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center and won the first test case of medicinal marijuana defense since the passage of California's Proposition 215. He has also served as legal counsel for many prominent civil rights groups including ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) and Clean Needles Now - the Los Angeles Needle Exchange Program.

Councilmember Duran's defense of civil rights extends outside of his legal practice into many activist and volunteer activities. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles) and NALEO (National Association of Latino Elected Officials). Councilmember Duran was the Board Chair for LIFE AIDS Lobby from 1987-1992, crafting California's response to the AIDS Epidemic. He co-founded and was the Board Chair of EQCA (Equality California), a group that was formed to lead the efforts on marriage equality in the state. As Councilmember, he officiated some of California's first same-sex weddings. He was Co-Founder of ANGLE (Access Now for Gay and Lesbian Equality), a prominent civil rights group that fostered strong relationships with both the Clinton and Obama Administrations regarding gay rights. In addition, he also served on the Board of Directors of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund; the ACLU-SC (American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California) Foundation Board; and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.

Fine Arts

Councilmember Duran is a strong advocate for the fine arts. He was a Co-founder of the West Hollywood Chorale and he is currently the Chairman of the Board as well as Second Tenor of GMCLA (Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles). He also performed in the AIDS docudrama, "Lives on the Live." He is now working on creating a permanent AIDS memorial sculpture for the City of West Hollywood to commemorate the incredible loss that occurred locally.

Councilmember Duran's vision for the City includes the adoption of a community-based theater to support its diverse fine arts programming and the creation of a shared-used space on the Sunset Strip to memorialize its history as it relates to the music and entertainment industries that made the Sunset Strip a world renowned destination. Duran is one of the strongest proponents of rock culture on the Sunset Strip.