Mayor John M. Erickson appears poised for re-election to West Hollywood City Council, securing 27.75% of the votes counted as of 3:45 a.m. on Nov. 6, with 6,440 votes.
Trailing in second place is Business License Commissioner Danny Hang, who has received 4,829 votes, or 20.81%. Although vote totals are not final, Erickson and Hang currently maintain a comfortable lead.
In third place is Larry Block, owner of BlockParty WeHo, with 3,274 votes, or 14.11%.
Erickson and Hang were part of a slate supported by UNITE HERE Local 11, a labor union that invested heavily in their campaigns. This apparent success reinforces the union’s significant influence on local West Hollywood politics.
Public Safety Commissioner George Nickel is in fourth place with 2,968 votes, or 12.79%, followed by labor attorney Zekiah “Z” Wright in fifth, who has received 2,182 votes, or 9.40%. Nickel and Wright represent a slate backed by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for business interests and enhanced law enforcement measures. Wright narrowly missed securing a seat in the 2022 Council race when running as a UNITE HERE candidate.
The remaining candidates received the following votes:
Stefanie Lahart: 1,323 votes (5.70%)
Jordan Cockeram: 1,187 votes (5.11%)
Rachel Schmeidler: 480 votes (2.07%)
Dorian J. Jackson: 329 votes (1.42%)
William West Seegmiller: 197 votes (0.85%)
West Hollywood voters are leaning toward approving Measure WH, with 82.20% voting “Yes” and 17.80% voting “No.” Measure WH aims to secure around $5 million annually in locally controlled revenue by redirecting a quarter-cent sales tax to the city if a future district sales tax in the county is enacted.
What sort of person would vote for Erickson? The guy is super creepy and clown-like.
If this is the final outcome – and it seems likely – here’s what it will mean for West Hollywood: A continuation of identity-focused politics Completion of bike lanes on Fountain Avenue More scooters More robo-delivery vehicles No increase of funding of the local Sheriff’s station despite crime numbers Increased funding for the Block by Block program Higher spending on fancy consultants to address the homelessness crisis Potential efforts from Unite 11 to raise minimum wages, which will impact local businesses More empty storefronts More spending on fancy woke initiatives More poop and urine smells in our neighborhoods What am… Read more »
$CaChing$ these two bought and sold out in a two-for-one sale.
Unreal. You would’ve thought the whole fountain Avenue bike thing would’ve sunk Erickson. I don’t get people in this city. Well, at least the rest of the country saw that Harris was an empty pants suit.
The bottom line is there were too many candidates running and it diluted the vote. Between Larry & George they received more than 5100 votes. That total combined would have beaten Danny Hang. It’s just plain stupid to have that many candidates on the ballot. This is how organizations like Unite succeed. They want all these candidates in the race so it dilutes the numbers and their candidates can win. Let’s just say it was a total disaster last night given that Donald Trump will be back in power without any guardrails this time.
A major, major disappointment! These two should be publicly confronted every time they stray into Unite Here bought influence.
Money is the mother’s milk of politics! We have to take into account that, by far, most voters have no idea who is who and what is what. They vote for the name they keep hearing.
This is an awesome light of progressivism in a sea of dark national elections. Can’t wait for a safer West Hollywood for all modes of getting around!
At least the anti-bike crowd can rest easy knowing the President doesn’t believe in climate change.
Absolutely gutting.
Not the results I wanted to see but I expected candidates that didn’t have the monetary backings of the large special interest groups would have an uphill battle to overcome. Also the candidates with similar voices canceled each other out from getting the votes needed. What I do hope is the best for our city and that the council truly begins to listen to all residents’ concerns that have affected our community. The issues that have divided us during this election can be resolved by being open to listen and understand. Again I hope for the best as we must… Read more »
My advice to any future candidates, James Duke Mason is bad luck. First Caruso, now poor Nickel.
Congrats to Mayor Erickson on a campaign well bought.
A wise former WeHo resident often quipped that West Hollywood is the most progressive city money can buy. A couple of hundred thousand appears to have done the trick.
Very unfortunate for our city. A lot of voters are not well versed in local politics. The union spent a lot of money to get “John & Danny” out there in their face. It worked. Sad day, but let’s hope for the best. Let’s hope that they come to realize that a lot of their policies are hurting our small businesses, are making us less safe. Let’s hope.
They don’t represent the majority with both having around 25-30% of the vote. The problem is the remaining 75% was split among many more moderate candidates. This was my issue with our dumb chamber of commerce endorsing Wright over Block. The 70% of us need to unite under 2 primary candidates better moving forward.