Valerie Susan Terrigno (born 1954) was elected to the first city council of

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

when it was incorporated in 1984. She was selected by the council to be the mayor, making her the first openly lesbian mayor of an incorporated municipality in the United States. Her best-known action as mayor was, after the city council passed an anti-discrimination ordinance, taking down a controversial anti-gay sign, " Faggots Stay Out," that was posted in a local landmark restaurant,

Barney's Beanery Barney's Beanery is a chain of gastropubs in the Greater Los Angeles Area. John "Barney" Anthony founded it in 1920 in Berkeley, California, and in 1927 he moved it to U.S. Route 66, now Santa Monica Boulevard, ( State Route 2) in West Hollywood. ...

. During her term, the council passed a strong rent-control law, and also began offering domestic partnership benefits, becoming the second American city to legally recognize same-sex relationships ( Berkeley had passed a similar law a year earlier). After serving for one year as mayor of the city, a largely ceremonial position that rotated annually among the members of the city council, she was convicted in 1986 of

embezzling Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

and misappropriating $9,000 in federal grant funds during her pre-mayoral time as

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

of Crossroads Counseling Center, an agency for the poor and homeless in West Hollywood. On the witness stand Terrigno acknowledged making "errors in judgment" but denied any criminal wrongdoing. Federal District Judge Laughlin Waters sentenced Terrigno to sixty days, which she served in a

halfway house A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. As well as serving as a ...

. Terrigno claimed that she was targeted for being lesbian, but jurors denied that

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

was a factor. She resigned her city council seat in 1986. Terrigno's planned appearance at the 1986 West Hollywood gay pride parade, representing a local restaurant, sparked controversy. Parade organizers were prepared to bar her from participating but she voluntarily withdrew. Longtime gay activist Harry Hay, angered at what he believed was unfair treatment, walked the parade route with a sign reading "Valerie Terrigno walks with me".

Notes

References

* Kenney, Moira (2001). ''Mapping Gay L.A.: The Intersection of Place and Politics''. Temple University Press. . * Timmons, Stuart (1990). ''The Trouble With Harry Hay''. Boston, Alyson Publications. . 1954 births Living people Women mayors of places in California Lesbian politicians LGBT mayors of places in the United States LGBT people from California Mayors of places in California 21st-century American women {{California-politician-stub