Council race takes shape as Erickson hits campaign trail

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Mayor John M. Erickson this week announced the start of his re-election campaign for West Hollywood City Council.

Both Erickson and Councilmember Sepi Shyne, who started their four-year terms in 2020, will have to defend their seats in the coming November general election.

In a post to Facebook, Erickson touted his work increasing tenant protections, building more affordable housing and creating a “a sustainable and environmentally friendly city,” as well as the slew of endorsements he’s received from elected officials from across the region, a list which includes U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna, four of the county supervisors and four members of the Public Safety Commission.

Shyne and Vice Mayor Chelsea Byers are on the list, but Councilmembers Lauren Meister and John Heilman are not. 

Erickson began his career as an intern in City Hall before becoming the deputy of former Mayor Abbe Land. He mounted a successful campaign for Council with help from a large network of friends and colleagues tied to local politics, as well as substantial support from the UNITE HERE Local 11 labor union.

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Together with Shyne and then-Councilmember Lindsey Horvath, Erickson was a driving force behind several of the city’s most consequential policy changes in the first two years of his term, including higher minimum wages and the reduction of deputies in the Sheriff’s Department.

Public outcry persuaded him and his colleagues to restore the sheriff positions last year, and his support for the continual wage increases and paid time off rules he instituted may be wavering as WeHo’s struggling local businesses have become better organized in lobbying for relief.

Erickson and Public Safety Commissioner George Nickle are the only candidates who have officially entered the City Council race so far.

Shyne hasn’t said whether she’ll seek re-election. She received a mere 234 votes from WeHo residents in her recent race for Congress, a far cry from the record-breaking 8,093 she got in the 2020 Council race. 

At least two candidates from the 2022 race — Sarah Adolphson and Zekiah Wright, who lost by just 13 votes — are rumored to be considering a second run. 

Elections for City Council are held every two years. Two of the five seats will be on the ballot this year, while the other three will be decided in 2026.

All candidates in the race for City Council compete against one another. This year, the two candidates with the most votes win (in 2026, the top three win). 

In 2020, the first year that city elections were held at the same time as a presidential election, newcomers Erickson and Shyne ousted Councilmembers John Duran and John Heilman from the seats they had held for decades.

Two years later, WeHo voters returned Heilman to his seat on City Council. Neither he nor Lauren Meister are eligible to run again when their terms expire in 2026. 

 

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WestHoBornRaised
WestHoBornRaised
6 months ago

if these 2 are reelected, than this means that someone isn’t reading things and keeping up with these clowns lack of caring at all for the people they allegedly represent, clearly they represent builders, developers, construction c9.oamies, c9 tractors and anyone else that will pay them off or give them things to get what they want, VOTE THEM OUT

MARTIN NIEMÖLLER
MARTIN NIEMÖLLER
6 months ago

with a Phd in religion and women studies, I am dumbstruck how this hypocrite support the funding of riots against Jewish and Israeli constituents in West Hollywood with his support to Byers. The two are despicable two -faced white people, who call Jews colonizer and justify gang rape, murder of Jewish women. The City of tolerance turned into the City of Hate. Thanks to Dr. Erickson and his crew of far left fascists. Not sure why the Board of Supervisors endorse him; but I’d be interested to learn which Supervisor did not. Dear West Hollywood residents, vote this racist monster… Read more »

WehoQueen
WehoQueen
6 months ago

My guess is Erickson sees the writing on the wall, that the voters are done with him, and that is why he is doing the taxpayer fast money grab for his free all expenses luxury trip to Paris for 5 seconds “work” of a stunt to hand off some torch no one cares about. And shame on the other Councilmembers who went along with bilking the taxpayers for that trip (Meister did not). John Heilman should know better but I suppose he wants a quid-pro-quo vote to bill the city for his travels, like his worthless pleasure trips to Europe,… Read more »

greeneyedguy
greeneyedguy
6 months ago
Reply to  WehoQueen

 And seems like it’s never to a place where they might need help, like an active war zone”

You may be the most out of touch weird person on here. Your comments basically read as satire.

WehoQueen
WehoQueen
6 months ago
Reply to  greeneyedguy

If you want to point out something factually inaccurate, please do. Otherwise, you are wasting our time. You are not interesting, not funny, and not informative.

Joël Huxtable
Joël Huxtable
7 months ago

Didn’t he just recently become mayor? Shouldn’t he be focusing on running the city, and not campaigning for city council?

John Smith
John Smith
7 months ago

Erickson is a clown. Please grow up and get a real job. You aren’t helping anyone here.

Shawn
Shawn
7 months ago

We need to avoid the situation of last election where unite here supported 3 candidates and then 10 other good candidates ran that had various levels of support on this site. The 10 good candidates split the vote and the unite here candidates all ended up at or near the top. I’m only hoping for a few non unite here candidates to run so that they can collect more votes and win the election to take back the council. I don’t want Ben Savage, Strasburg, Robert Oliver or unfortunately Larry to run again. Sorry, but if we want to win… Read more »

Gimmeabreak
Gimmeabreak
7 months ago
Reply to  Shawn

It is likely that Gascon would not be one of the two competitors for DA if there had not been so many good candidates running who split the vote. It is completely counterproductive and very poor strategy for that many people to run if your main goal is to get rid of the incumbent.
Incumbency and name recognition alone will get a lot of votes from people who don’t follow the issues or pay attention to an office holder’s record.

Steve Martin
Steve Martin
7 months ago
Reply to  Shawn

I am fully supporting George Nickle in this election but if another alternative candidate is necessary, maybe former Planning Commissioner Marquita Thomas should be considered.

Alan Strasburg
Alan Strasburg
7 months ago
Reply to  Shawn

i agree completely which is why I am all in on George Nickle for WeHo 2024!

Davedi
Davedi
6 months ago
Reply to  Alan Strasburg

Same here!

Gimmeabreak
Gimmeabreak
7 months ago

Could a candidate be supported by UNITE HERE and it not be disclosed … or is that against the law?

Larry Block
7 months ago
Reply to  Gimmeabreak

support with money and staff such as happened in last election is suppose to be reported. but union volunteers are probably not.

JF1
JF1
7 months ago

George and Sarah! All. The. Way. The other radicals have ruined our city! Let’s Take. It. Back!

Morty
Morty
7 months ago

His trip to Paris this summer at tax payers expense will probably be his downfall. I haven’t seen anything about this guy that I find overly impressive to run a city. It would be nice to have someone with real life experience who has created jobs or who has actually built something. John’s degrees are in religious history and women’s studies. How does that train someone to run a city or make decisions about the future of a city? I’m not saying he isn’t a nice person but we need better qualified people running our city.

John Arnold
John Arnold
7 months ago
Reply to  Morty

You have seen nothing yet. Get ready for Byers to be Mayor next!

Tom
Tom
6 months ago
Reply to  John Arnold

She will outlaw cars in favor of roller skates and ban meat from the grocery stores. You will have to live on mung beans and lemon water and run your home with bicycle-powered generators. The median on SMB will be renamed “Free Palestine Park” and the art works will be changed to an organic garden, in which we will all have to work.

:dpb
:dpb
7 months ago

I hope Duran throws his hat in for a last hurrah! I’m locked in with Nickle and will not vote for Erickson or Shyne. In fact, anyone supported by UNITE HERE will not be considered by me, period.

JF1
JF1
7 months ago
Reply to  :dpb

👏👏👏

Joshua88
Joshua88
7 months ago

Would be good to have more candidates. We need some.

Gimmeabreak
Gimmeabreak
6 months ago
Reply to  Joshua88

Several good candidates would split the vote and Erickson would win.

Art
Art
7 months ago

Gawd help WeHo!