West Hollywood’s Planning Commission will get two new commissioners early in 2021.
Residents Marquita Thomas and Katrina Vinson were appointed to the Commission during Monday’s City Council meeting.
Councilmember John D’Amico named Thomas as his appointee, while newly sworn in Councilmember Sepi Shyne named Vinson as her appointee to the seven-member Planning Commission, considered the most powerful of the city’s boards and commissions.
Vinson is a newcomer to the city’s boards and commissions while Thomas previously served on the Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board and currently serves on the Human Services Commission as an at-large appointee.
The two join a Planning Commission that in recent years has been fairly stable, but will likely see a lot of turnover in 2021. They are scheduled to be sworn in at the Jan. 21, 2021 meeting, the next time the Planning Commission meets.
Marquita Thomas
Thomas works as the executive director of the Los Angeles LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. She has a bachelor of arts degree from Occidental College and has lived in West Hollywood since 1995, currently living in the Center City area.
On her application for Planning Commission, Thomas explained her desire to serve as, “to increase my level of service to the city, increased advocacy for minority businesses and communities especially as it relates to affordable housing and business opportunities.”
“I was so pleased when Marquita agreed to serve,” D’Amico told WEHOville. “The Planning Commission will be a new adventure for her and she’s ready.”
Thomas was a candidate for West Hollywood City Council in the March 2019 election, finishing in sixth place with 1,080 votes. She had the backing of developer Jason Illoulian, who heads Faring, the WeHo-based real estate development company. Many members of Illoulian’s family who live in Beverly Hills donated to her election campaign while Faring employees often were seen helping out at her events.
Thomas also served on the board of directors for Christopher Street West from 2015-2018. Christopher Street West (CSW) is the nonprofit which produces the annual LA Pride celebration, which was held in West Hollywood for 40 years, 1979-2019.
In 2016, CSW attempted to transform LA Pride into a gay Coachella Music Festival targeting millennials, a venture that ultimately lost almost $400,000. Board president Chris Classen and member Craig Bowers, along with Thomas, are viewed as the architects of that failed plan.
Thomas also produced the Serafemme Festival, a music festival for lesbian women of color that was sponsored by the City of West Hollywood from 2005-2008.
Thomas has been a member of Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber and the National LGBT Chamber.
Katrina Vinson
Vinson comes with a strong background in construction, currently working as a construction superintendent at GCX, a general construction company headquartered in downtown Los Angeles. She has an associate of science degree in carpentry from Los Angeles Trade Technical College.
On her application for Planning Commission, Vinson explained her desire to serve as, “I love the city I live in and am happy to use my knowledge and experience in construction anyway I can.”
“Ms. Vinson is an intelligent woman who is one of the most hard working people that I know,” Shyne told WEHOville. “She excelled in carpentry and has broken many barriers as a woman in a male-dominated industry, winning multiple carpentry competitions and was quickly promoted to superintendent.”
Shyne, who has known Vinson for the past three years, reports Vinson’s construction background will offer a new perspective for the Planning Commission.
“She will bring her unique perspective and experience in construction to the Planning Commission and be able to read and interpret plans from day one while making reasonable and fair decisions,” Shyne said. “She has been a resident of West Hollywood for years and a lesbian who has been involved in city events including as an avid participant with the Motorcycle Contingent for Equality.”
Vinson lives in Center City area with her partner, Alana Roshay, who currently sits on the Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board as an appointee of Councilmember Lauren Meister.
Horrifying! One can pound nails and the other can waltz with a developer. Despite Chairman Bass’s pontification, there are no Cliff Notes for planning commissioners. Unfortunately the report card on development for the past 25/30 years in the city is on full view in the flesh. 80% unremarkable, opportunistic piles and a few keen projects that are lucky flukes. The last time any qualified folks seem to have been around were in the era that constructed most of what could be classified as historic resources or potential resources. Very few commissioners have shown an appreciation for or have taken the… Read more »
I am excited by the fact that this is the first time we have a female majority on the Planning Commission, which has long been an ole boys’ club bastion. For many years there had only been one or two female planning commissioners even though some of the male commissioners clearly lacked back ground in land use and were simply politically connected. It is good to see that “diversity” is becoming more of a reality than a slogan in our little City.
I am incredibly excited that Marquita and Katrina are joining the Planning Commission. They are great choices by Councilmember D’Amico and Councilmember Shyne. I believe they both bring a valuable skill set that will help round out the existing Commission. The City employs an extraordinary group of experts to advise the Council and Commission on every aspect of land use decisions. The Commission’s job (like the Council) isn’t to be the experts in the field – but rather to understand the issues and apply a resident’s perspective on that expert advice. These two new commissioners are certainly well prepared to… Read more »
LOL. have zero experience……and zero training in the field.
Congratulations to both new Commissioners! Ms. Thomas has always seemed to be assiduous, balanced and thoughtful in her approach to issues and I am confident she will be as much so in in her new role as a Planning Commissioner.
I don’t know Ms. VInson but am excited to see new involvement and look forward to seeing what she’ll bring to the commission deliberations.
I wish them both success in their challenging new roles.
you can’t make this stuff up. unreal.
It’s interesting that all of the posters below question the credentials of these two women who are replacing a male attorney and male public relations specialist with a women’s studies degree. Do women need higher credentials than their male predecessors in West Hollywood?
Was there someone else who applied that had a more specialized background?
Did the backgrounds of the men they are replacing bother you?
Used to be one needed a degree in land use and urban planning to serve on the planning commission.
When was that ever true? Abbe Land was an actor/caterer. Barbara Hamaker was an artist. John Altschul had no land use expertise when he started. I have to say that I found the appointment of Ms. Vinson to be astute. Someone with a construction background will bring real world experience to the conversation and will have insights into the permitting process.
Mr Mills,
I love the details on Ms Thomas (and her supporters and backers). Keep up the good work!