boisterous personality. When he was newly elected to the Los Angeles City Council, he distributed a mock ordinance that would supposedly have taxed all male residents on the size of their genitals. Occasionally he exclaimed "This is fun!" in the middle of a committee meeting. His colleagues described him as "a human guy, a lot of heart". In recognition of Wachs' involvement in promoting the arts, the City Council in 2002 named the intersection of Grand Avenue and Second Street as "Joel Wachs Square". It lies between the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In popular media Wachs is portrayed by Benny Safdie in the film Licorice Pizza set in 1970s San Fernando Valley. In the film, Wachs's first mayoral campaign is a plot point. References Access to some of the Los Angeles Times'' links may require the use of a library card. External links Joel Wachs papers, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University 1939 births 20th-century American politicians American people of Polish-Jewish descent California Independents California Republicans Candidates in the 1973 United States elections Candidates in the 1993 United States elections Candidates in the 2001 United States elections Gay politicians Harvard Law School alumni American LGBT city council members LGBT people from California LGBT people from Pennsylvania Living people Presidents of the Los Angeles City Council People from Studio City, Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people