An Instagram post in which City Council candidate George Nickle wrote “UNITE HERE has imported candidates from outside our community, and spent big money to usher them into office” has been called racist by supporters of fellow candidates Mayor John Erickson and Danny Hang.
Former City Councilmember John D’Amico called out the post in a response, writing “FYI Paranoid George — calling an Asian American candidate IMPORTED is flat out racist.”
While Nickle’s post, which has since been deleted, did not name whichever candidates he was referring to, it did blame the union for “forcing passage of efforts to destroy our quality of life: defunding the police, overburdening businesses with crippling regulation, removing valuable parking.”
UNITE HERE Local 11 is heavily supporting Erickson and Hang, who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. Hang is a relative newcomer to local politics who was appointed to the Disabilities Advisory Board in 2021 before he became a resident of the city. Similar accusations were leveled at UNITE HERE in 2022 over their support for Councilmember Chelsea Lee Byers, a native of Arizona who had only lived in West Hollywood for two years prior to running for council.
D’Amico has positioned himself as perhaps Nickle’s most ardent detractor, regularly heckling the candidate in Instagram stories.
Anyone has the right to run in the election, regardless of the length of their residency. However, neither Hang nor Erickson is good for the city, period! Hang says he will “cut the red tape” and make it easier for small businesses. It doesn’t appear he is doing anything to do so in his current commissioner capacity and can barely answer questions when asked about specifics. Their unholy alliance with the Unite Here and Latham & Watkins to promote unchecked development is also extremely troubling. Their support for removing parking and putting protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave is another… Read more »
It’s Fountain Blvd according to Hang, even though he’s been corrected many times. How does someone so out of touch with the city, especially it’s geography become one of it’s council members?
John D’Amico is a fool. I hope he stays out of politics. He used to have common sense but apparently brain rot has set in.
Doesn’t Ms. D’Amico have better things to do, like sex parties or something? Going off of Ibram X. Kendi’s idea of anti-racism, he would point out that it’s racist for a White person, such as D’Amico, to identify someone as a racist. Ms. D’Amico shouldn’t be playing white savior here.
I thought John D’Amico was done with politics in the city of West Hollywood.I guess he is back for more punishment.I wonder if he is angling for a spot on some commission,appointed by either Hang or Erickson.
This increasingly unhinged dude is resorting to incendiary and basesless manipulative lies, childish name-calling, and seems to be taking a cue from the Donald Trump social media playbook. Saying it doesn’t make it true. The desperation tactics are going to get uglier in the coming days. Thank’s D’Amico.
It is embarrassing to say I live in WEHO with Unite Here running our City. They seem to have a strong hold on several of our former City Council Menbers as well. Shocking and a great cause of DIS EASE. I will persist as I am too old to move, so I am grateful to be ABLE to vote for George Nickle!👏
The saying that many union members & employees have been imported from outside West Hollywood has been used countless times in countless publications & I think the description is very apt. It has absolutely nothing to do with race tho some people want it to be. Relax people & don’t be so f—g paranoid about things you infer from others beyond their intended meaning. D’Amico’s personal attacks & accusations based on his imagination are small & inappropriate.
The term was also applied to the white gal from Culver City who had never voted in West Hollywood prior to running for West Hollywood City Council. Outrage hunters will find offense in a misplaced period or comma.
Why didn’t D’Amico slither away after helping to run the city????
Ruin…RUIN!!
This is ludicrous. Candidates that carpetbag their way to West Hollywood to run for office are a huge problem here. That said, when a candidate is given funding and brought by an organization from one area to another area that candidate is indeed imported. Imported is not a bad word. If John Erickson wants to discuss offensive then let’s talk about his decision to “come-out” as non-binary in order to qualify for a delegate credential at the Democratic National Convention this summer (and I was told he bumped a truly non-binary person from that credential for his own benefit). Talk… Read more »
Erickson’s opportunistic self-claimed imaginary non-binary status was clearly an offensive ploy to get his foot in the door at the convention and into a seat reserved for someone with the self-claimed imaginary credential “truly non-binary person”
Damico is a flat out looser. One of the most ineffective council members in Weho history. No one cares what he has to say.
As a person of white color, I agree: there are too many imported people trying to interfere in our city. I’m with you George!
So a credible, professional journalist from the Westside Current posts a story about our election that is not favorable to the Erickson/Hang clique so they counter with a post by wacky John D’Amico? That is desperate.
Actually your boring candidate made a dumb insensitive clueless comment but nice try
Reality ✅ the westside current is a right-wing tabloid rag that NO credible professional journalist would be working for ❗ 🤣 Think, just how many Pulitzer Prizes have they won compared to the LA Times ❓
This statement is asinine & ridiculous. Who compares an individual citizen’s accomplishments to those of a major publication like the L.A. Times?? Nice try, but no cigar. Second thought, a “not nice” try. Thoughtless & insipid
Single handedly producing a right-wing tabloid rag that consistently puts out easily debunked hateful misinformation isn’t a great accomplishment even if you are Rupert Murdoch ❗
Do you mean the same LA Times that chose not to endorse Kamala Harris for president because the owner’s daughter, aka John Erickson buddy Nika Soon-Shiong, told them not to? Give me a break!
💯💯💯SPOT-ON!
D’Amico hid under a rock since he left office. Now he pops up with hysterical, unhinged personal attacks against candidates and anyone who supports them. (This is the same guy who refused to talk with his colleague for two years.)
Imagine what he could have accomplished had his ego not been so huge, and before the obvious dementia set in.
Thanks for the reminder to add petulance to the character issues of the former council member.