About Attorney Duran

Attorney John J. Duran

Attorney John J. Duran is a native Angeleno and resident of West Hollywood for more than 20 years. He was elected member of the City Council in 2001. He is committed to preserving and enhancing the well-being of the West Hollywood community while fostering the energy that fuels “The Creative City.” He strongly believes that social and economic justice is possible through the political and legal process. His election to the West Hollywood City Council was the continuation of a long and dedicated history of service to the community.

Attorney Duran has a Juris Doctorate degree from Western State University and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach. He has been practicing law for more than 25 years. He is one of the first gay elected officials in the United States. He has initiated and co-sponsored numerous pieces of legislation that hold true to the City’s innovative identity and establish a model for other progressive communities.

Accomplishments

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.

Attorney 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). Attorney 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. While 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.

Drug and Alcohol Recovery

One of Attorney 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 12step meetings contributing to the recovery of thousands of individuals.

Health & Fitness

Attorney Duran has hosted several town hall health forums in collaboration with local community agencies and health experts. Forum topics have included discussions about the crystal meth epidemic; contemporary history of gay men (past, present, and future); and HIV/AIDS. In summer 2012 due to the success of these forums, Attorney Duran introduced the City’s first active lifestyle event, Buff N’ Cut. The event showcased West Hollywood’s dynamic health and fitness industry, and promoted many local businesses that provide such services. Due to its enormous success, Attorney Duran has asked the City explore making Buff N’ Cut an annual health and fitness event.

Women’s Rights

An advocate for the equal treatment of all, attorney 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

Attorney 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.

Affordable Housing

Attorney Duran, the only member of the Council who was 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, Attorney 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.

Attorney 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.

Fine Arts

Attorney Duran is a strong advocate for the fine arts. He was a Co-founder of the West Hollywood Chorale and former 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.

Attorney 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.

Economic Development

Attorney Duran was the only business owner 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 eight 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.