When West Hollywood, California, incorporated as a city in 1984, Terrigno was the first openly lesbian mayor in the U.S. One of her first official acts as its new mayor was to remove the sign at the entrance of Barney's Beanery, a trendy bar and restaurant, which read, "No fags allowed". Then later she was indicted for embezzling $6 million from the city treasury.

Despite the fact that Mayor Valerie Terrigno was found guilty of fraud and embezzlement and jailed, the general consensus is that the gay majority, which has continued into the city, has done a good job of maintaining the city’s affairs, proving to critics that queens can do more than mount Broadway shows and organize pride parades.