A West Hollywood Public Safety Commissioner has accused Councilmember John Erickson of threatening to remove him from his post if he continued supporting a candidate in the West Hollywood City Council race, according to a letter the commissioner sent to the West Hollywood City Attorney and a copy obtained by WEHOonline.
Commissioner Tod Hallman wrote in his letter that Erickson called him by phone and told him that supporting council candidate Jonathan Wilson would cost him his position on the commission. “If you do this, you can no longer be my commissioner,” Hallman wrote Erickson told him. “This was a clear and direct threat,” Hallman wrote. “Jonathan Wilson stands to be the first Black city council member in our city’s history, and being told that supporting him will cost me my position is incredibly hurtful and feels like an attempt to silence me.”
The allegation surfaces as John Erickson campaigns for State Senate, putting a spotlight on how political loyalty and City appointments may be colliding.
Hallman told Politico’s Playbook, which first reported the story, that he attended a Wilson campaign event Saturday anyway and has not endorsed anyone in Erickson’s Senate race.
Erickson acknowledged the phone call took place but denied the characterization. “He is paraphrasing what I said,” Erickson told Playbook. “I said we need to have a conversation that, if he does choose to endorse someone that is going against me as a council member, as well as things I really believe in for the city, then we need to have a conversation about what his role is reflecting me on the Public Safety Commission, because he is my direct appointee who serves at my pleasure.”
Erickson said he told Hallman Wilson’s endorsement itself wasn’t the issue. “That’s fine. I don’t care,” he said he told Hallman. “But what I had made him aware of, that I didn’t think he was aware of, were some of the claims and statements made by the candidate against me and others in the city.”
Zbur Weighs In
State Assemblymember Rick Zbur, who represents the area and has endorsed four of Erickson’s rivals in the SD-24 race, issued a sharp response to the allegation. “This conduct is textbook public corruption under California law because it exploits governmental authority for personal political gain,” Zbur wrote.
Zbur said he has heard from other current and former City commissioners who were intimidated or politically coerced by Erickson, but did not name them. Erickson pushed back on Zbur directly. “He has been going overboard to try to trash my reputation,” Erickson said, adding that Zbur “has made it his mission to, I think, lie and distort the record on a number of things that have never occurred.”
The Bigger Race
The allegations land in the middle of one of the most competitive state legislative races in California this cycle. Erickson is running to replace termed-out State Sen. Ben Allen in Senate District 24, a safely blue seat stretching from West Hollywood through Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, and down to the South Bay. The race has drawn a large field of Democrats and some of the heaviest fundraising of any state legislative contest this year.
Erickson appointed Hallman to the Public Safety Commission. Under West Hollywood’s commission structure, appointees serve at the pleasure of the council member who appointed them.
WEHOonline has reached out to City Attorney Lauren Langer for comment and will update this story.
Commissioner Hallman’s letter to City Attorney Lauren Langer:
Dear City Attorney Langer,I want to inform you of a deeply concerning interaction that I had today with Councilmember John Erickson. He texted me at 12:19 PM today, saying:“Hi”“Did you endorse or are you doing an event for Jonathan Wilson?”“Please call me.”“Because this is fairly serious.”I called him within 10 minutes. He asked me if I had endorsed Jonathan Wilson, and I said yes and that I was attending Jonathan Wilson’s campaign launch event tomorrow, but not speaking at it. He then accused Jonathan Wilson of talking poorly about John Erickson, Chelsea Byers, and Danny Hang. He said that Jonathan Wilson is “acting like Lauren Meister and John Heilman.” He then said in no uncertain terms, “If you do this, you can no longer be my commissioner.”This was a clear and direct threat. I have always understood that my role as a Public Safety Commissioner has been to serve the residents of West Hollywood, and that my volunteer service does not require me to surrender my personal right to support the candidates of my choice in my own time. Jonathan Wilson stands to be the first Black city council member in our city’s history, and being told that supporting him will cost me my position is incredibly hurtful and feels like an attempt to silence me.Because it is fundamentally wrong for a Councilmember to use the threat of removal from a city commission to coerce a political endorsement, I am asking for your guidance on how the city will address this breach of public trust and ensure that commissioners can serve without being bullied into taking specific political stances.Sincerely,Tod HallmanWest Hollywood Public Safety Commissioner
Related Coverage
Erickson Ballot Issue Raises Questions In Senate Race
Brian Goldsmith Enters The SD-24 Race
Meet Zennon Ulyate-Crow, The Youngest Candidate In The SD-24 Race
John Erickson has a long history of retaliatory behavior within the city. Upon learning that the Chamber PAC was not endorsing him in his election bid, he responded to the Chamber representative that the Chamber would be sorry. And throughout his tenure we have witnessed his ongoing attacks on both the Chamber and our business community regardless of the negative impacts on our city. This is who he is. He cannot get out of his own way. His ego drives him. He is unfit for office.
Keith Kaplan – was that his first or his second election bid? (or, perhaps it was both??)
And yes, he is unfit for office.
I believe it was the second, as he did not win his first if I recall correctly.
A growing wave of whistleblowers—ranging from City Hall staff and Block by Block employees to appointed commissioners—is coming forward with disturbing allegations of threats, retaliation, and systemic bullying. The emerging picture suggests a culture of toxic governance within West Hollywood leadership, drawing sharp parallels to the venal politics and power dynamics often criticized at the federal level. Corruption at the White House and WeHo city hall.
Commissioner Tod Hallman is more concerned with electing “the first” over who is the most qualified and who will do the best job for the city? I mean, Erickson, Byers, and Hang are Union Unite Here owned…so almost anyone NOT owned by that union would be a breath of fresh air…but being “the first” anything should not be the paramount concern when deciding who to throw support behind.
It does seem that the worst of the worst often run for public office. Interesting to me that Erickson has no defenders.
I think that the mere phrase “ he is my direct appointee who serves at my pleasure.” tells the entire story.
Sounds like delusions of grandeur.
There must be an internship available at the White House for the next 33 months, less 3 days.
Are there any formal consequences for JE regarding the threats he made? Can any actions, like censure, be taken against him?
John Erickson is a known bully to women, as well. He pretends to be a social justice warrior for women’s bodily autonomy, but behind the scenes he treats women like crap.
I hope Tod Hallman does not resign. Jonathan Wilson must be delighted that John Erickson accused him of “acting like Lauren Meister and John Heilman”. If I was Wilson I would put that on my campaign mailers; it is quite a compliment. As Erickson’s State Senate campaign flounders, he is lashing out in a petty and vindictive manner.
Agree Steve!
Acting like Lauren Meister? She will be leaving big shoes to fill. I am crossing my fingers she finds a candidate(s) worthy of her imprimatur.
Erickson could never fill Lauren’s shoes. Ever. She has more integrity and conducts herself in a manner in which Erickson can only aspire to…not that he would.
It seems to me John Erickson is thin-skinned when it comes to politics. If he thinks things are bad in West Hollywood politics, wait until he gets in the state senate. It is sad he is threatening a commissioner he himself appointed. I bet his opponents in the state senate race are taking notes on his past experiences and conduct.
They already know him, and they already can’t stand him.
As I recall, during his swearing in ceremony as mayor, John Erickson’s own sisters related a story, calling him a bully! They said something to the effect that he made their lives miserable! Boy, I sure do believe that after having to deal with his snark, his meanness, and his sarcasm, not only to me, but to anyone who disagreed with or challenged him!
He is a petty, immature individual. Unfortunately for us, we stupidly elected him to the council. Looking forward to the day when the door hits him on the way out. At least Shyne won’t go down as the ONLY council member that was loathed by the constituents. lol
He’s a misogynistic jackass, and unfortunately brings that to every interaction he has with residents.
The only position Erikson is qualified for is one where he asks if you’d like fries with that.
The only downside of making sure he doesn’t get that State Senate seat is that he will be stuck on the City Council like a bleach-blond barnacle.
Erickson’s threat is a clear violation of the City’s Code of Conduct but it typically of his bullying and arrogant exercise of power. When Tod got appointed by Erickson to the Public Safety Commission, it was in recognition of Tod’s effective work with the Eastside Neighborhood Watch and Erickson’s alleged “commitment” to the Eastside of WeHo. Now it looks like Erickson was more interested in exploiting Halman’s hard earned credibility for his own reflective glory. Ideally you appoint commissioners for their talents, knowledge and leadership, not simply as political pawns. This is just another example of the immature and petty… Read more »
Appointments were once made based on those noble goals of talent, knowledge, and leadership; however, since the 2020 election and the new politics of Shyne and Erickson those appointments are now made as pawns that demand fealty. They broke the system that worked well for the first 36 years of this quaint urban village experiment. It has always been clear that they used these offices as springboards and it shows in the incestuous cabal of appointments and municipal favors. It’s all very Trumpian and reminiscent of Chicago boss-style politics where corruption ruled the day.
They have also imported scores of folks of limited talent and vision to move to WeHo to take appointments that should have been filled with long term residents who actually know the community. Instead we got a bunch of social justice ideologues who are largely ignorant of the real world and seem to lack common sense. Hallman did not fall into that mode, which is why
Erickson felt a need to squelch him along with any sort of independent political thought, just in case his other commissioners had delusions that they might to able to think for themselves.
Hi Steve-
As a former WeHo City Council member yourself (thank you for your service) can you speak to any actions the City could take in response to a City Code of Conduct violation?
There could be an admonishment from the City Attorney or a censure from the City Council.
Thank you Steve-
About what I was guessing. I won’t hold my breath for a censure given the breakdown (double entendre intentional) of the current Council.
I can only hope the City Attorney will do her job, although my sense is she is sometimes more laissez- faire than one might hope.
She won’t. She views her role as the council’s apologist in chief and I see no reason why she would go off course this time.
Agreed Steve. Erickson’s threat is a violation of our City’s Code of Conduct and our city attorney and Council have a clear path to addressing this behavior. But they choose not to. I attempted to invoke this when Sepi Shyne demanded that I be removed from the Chamber Executive Board or we would feel the wrath of her power. The city “investigated”, speaking to Sepi and Erickson about the conversations, but never to me or to Genevieve. A sham “investigation” with no follow-up.