Mayor John M. Erickson captured nearly 30 percent of the 31,019 votes cast in this month’s West Hollywood City Council election, according to the final tally.
With more than 8,789 votes, Erickson came in more than 2,100 votes ahead of his running mate, Danny Hang, who received 6,603 votes.
Business owner Larry Block, came in 3rd. Block ran an independently mostly self-funded campaign ending with 4,210 votes. Block finished ahead of both Chamber of Commerce endorsed candidates.
Erickson and Hang comprised a slate backed by UNITE HERE Local 11 and other special interest groups. Together, Hang and Erickson garnered almost half of all votes cast. Their opposing slate — George Nickel and Zekiah Wright, backed by the WeHo Chamber of Commerce and We For The People — received a total of 6,731 votes, or 15.39%. Nickle received 3731 votes and Wright received 3000 votes. Erickson beat both of the Chamber candidates combined.
Over the past few election cycles, UNITE HERE has perfected their get-out-the-vote strategy in West Hollywood. The union was instrumental in getting Erickson and retiring Councilmember Sepi Shyne elected in 2020, and they were a driving force behind Vice Mayor Chelsea Byers’ victory two years later. UNITE HERE supported Councilmember Lauren Meister in the past, though they campaigned against her during her last race for re-election.
The Chamber’s efforts to get favored candidates elected have been less successful. While the organization supported winners Meister and Councilmember John Heilman in 2022, they cast a wide net, endorsing and allocating resources to three other candidates who did not prevail.
Rounding out the field was Stephanie LaHart in 6th place with 1745 votes, followed by Jordan Cockeram with 1506 votes, Rachel Schmeidler 623 votes, Dorian Jackson 449 votes and West Seegmiller 267 votes.
Voter turnout was lower than in 2020, the last municipal election held during a presidential election, when 33,837 residents voted. Erickson improved upon his results by 1,440 votes this year.
Lauren Langer, the city’s attorney, states in an agenda item to be considered at city council that there are 26,036 registered voters in West Hollywood per the LA Registrar Recorder/County Clerk’s official report of registration to the Secretary of State. This article states 31,019 votes were cast in West Hollywood. 5,017 votes is a very large difference and that number should be looked at for inaccurate cast votes. The amount is large enough to make a difference whom won the 2 council seats.
Dude, people get 2 votes per ballot.
I do not understand.
WeHo has about 35,000 residents.
Accounting for children, infants, and non voters, 33,000+/- resident votes is virtually unheard of here. “Votes” are different as there were ten candidates on the ballot.
I look forward to the new term.
Erickson and Hang didn’t win, Unite 11 did. Erickson and Hang are their pawns in the attempt to erase the founding principles on what we were built on, and to promote their inflated egotistical agenda
This is really, really discouraging. The West Hollywood I have known and loved for decades is essentially gone. And for what? Wealth and power for the Unite Here executives, and to inflate the egos of two tiny little men who otherwise would be no one of note.
A gross reflection on who my neighbors are. Shame on all of you and you’ve each lost all reason to complain for the next four years. You did this. Stuck it up.
There are a lot of uneducated voters out there. They bitch and moan about what’s going on in this city and they have no idea that when they casted their vote for Erickson and Hang they voted for more of the same. You have to hand it to the union, they certainly know how to buy an election. There is an opportunity in two years to right the ship once again. Hopefully the city can survive another two years of Unite Here’s radical political agenda.
I guess we are lucky Sepi Shyne decided not to run for re-election. Looks like Unite Here could have gotten anyone elected.
Gladly.