UPDATE: Prang to Hold Re-Election Event, Martin to Enter Council Race

West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang will kick off his re-election campaign with a fundraising event on Sunday.

Sunday's event will be held in Los Angeles, and will feature special guest Sheriff Lee Baca.

Honorary hosts for Sunday's event include Congressman Adam Schiff, Assemblymember Mike Feuer, LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz, and current members of West Hollywood City Council.

• Those wishing to attend Mayor Prang's election event can click here. 

The upcoming weeks will play host to a number of election events, as West Hollywood community activists Steve Martin and Sam Borelli both recently announced their intentions to run for city office in March of 2013.

Martin formerly served on the council from 1994 to 2003, but was defeated by current councilmember Abbe Land, who previously held city office from 1986 to 1997.

"We really need to restore a sense of inclusion at City Hall," Martin said. "West Hollywood is more than a collection of fashionable hotels, nightclubs and high end retail. West Hollywood is a community of people, many who feel pressed by encroaching development, loss of rental housing, rising crime rates and an unresponsive City government."

In a recent statement, Martin criticized the current city council of being too concerned with the city's branding.

"We need a vision that includes all the residents of West Hollywood, not just those who will be able to afford luxury condos," Martin said. "We need leaders who are more concerned about preserving the quality of life in our neighborhoods than with gimickly 'branding' ideas. After all, we are not just a destination point but a community of people who create the wonderful dynamic that makes this city so unique."

Borelli is currently a member of the Weho Public Safety Commission and co-founded the LA LGBT Youth Advocates Coalition.

Borelli will hold his campaign annoucement event at Kitchen 24, located at 8575 Santa Monica Boulevard, on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Martin will make his formal announcement on the same day, at 6 p.m. at the Beverly, located at 8713 Beverly Boulevard.

Most recently, Martin served as a vocal member of the Weho Term Limits Group, which successfully collected enough signatures to place a measure on the March ballot regarding placing term limits for city council.

Currently, councilmembers John Heilman and Abbe Land have served for 27 and 20 years, respectively. Mayor Prang and Councilman John Duran have served for 15 and 11 years, respectively. 

Both Prang and Duran are up for re-election.

The deadline for filing nomination papers is Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. 

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