John William Heilman is an American law school professor and politician, currently serving as the mayor of West Hollywood, California. He has served as the city's mayor multiple times since and including 1985.
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Education
Heilman holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California, and master's degrees in public administration and real estate development.
Political career
Heilman was active in the incorporation of the City of West Hollywood, and was elected to West Hollywood’s first city council in November 1984; he served multiple terms on the council. He was picked as the city's second mayor in 1985, and also served as mayor in 1990, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2010, and 2017, before his current term as mayor in 2026.
Non-political work
Heilman works as a law professor at Southwestern Law School and as an adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law.
He is a board member of the Jacaranda Foundation and of Outright International.
Notable awards
He was inducted into the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute’s LGBTQ+ Political Hall of Fame in 2025.
Personal life
Heilman is openly gay, and is one of America’s longest-serving elected officials to be openly gay.