Larry Block has a lot of opinions about West Hollywood.
He has opinions about civility. About who’s “too extreme.” About what kind of candidates are “reasonable.” About how people should behave.
What he doesn’t have is a seat on the City Council. Not for lack of trying.
Despite multiple runs over more than a decade, voters have never elected Larry Block to public office. That hasn’t stopped him from acting like they did.
Through his personal website, WeHo Online, Block presents himself as a political elder, regularly weighing in on city issues as if he’s speaking for the public. But he isn’t. He’s speaking for himself—and the voters have been clear about how seriously they take that.
A Familiar Name, A Rejected Candidate
Larry Block owns a shop on Santa Monica Boulevard and is well-known in West Hollywood. He’s also been on the ballot—again and again. In 2015. In 2019. In 2024.
He’s never won.
That hasn’t stopped him from writing as if he’s been deputized to critique every elected official, every activist, every candidate who doesn’t meet his personal standard of “civility.” He offers running commentary on what he thinks the city should be, despite the city consistently saying: no thanks.
The Performance of Reason
Block likes to frame himself as the voice of moderation. He avoids ideology and calls for a more respectful, calmer political climate. That’s a perfectly fine position to take—except that it quickly becomes a cover for shutting down views he doesn’t like.
His writing often implies that anyone who challenges the current order is being “uncivil,” “too divisive,” or “going too far.” But who decides what “too far” means? In Larry Block’s world, apparently, it’s Larry Block.
That’s not moderate. That’s controlling.
No Mandate, No Accountability
What’s strange isn’t that Larry Block has opinions. Everyone does. What’s strange is that he delivers those opinions with the tone of someone who holds office—when he doesn’t.
There’s no public oversight of what he publishes. No campaign disclosures. No press standards. No voters to answer to. Just a website, a keyboard, and a long record of running and losing.
West Hollywood already has elected leaders. If Larry Block wants to be one of them, he can run again. But until he wins, he’s just another commentator—one the public has repeatedly decided not to empower.
The Simple Truth
Block wants to be taken seriously as a civic leader. But leadership starts with consent. And for years, voters have declined to give it to him.
At some point, the city deserves to move on.
If Larry Block wants to shape public policy, he should try winning an election.
Until then, maybe it’s time he stopped pretending he already did.
