What’s the Cost to Win an Election?

For one organization, the answer is $269,557. That’s what the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s WEHO PAC shelled out leading up to last year’s election. As the second biggest spender, UNITE HERE Local 11’s sponsored committees—Renters and Workers for a Better West Hollywood and WeHo United, Erickson and Hang for West Hollywood City Council 2024—paid out $207,167 to bolster its candidates’ chances in the race and influence public opinion. State-wide, WEHO PAC’s racked up $780,375 in expenditures while Renters & Workers and WeHo United’s payouts totaled of $2.7 million.

For a small city, these numbers are staggering, prompting questions about the true cost of winning an election—and whether such spending effectively buys a victory.

Altogether, the two committees from UNITE HERE Local 11 and the WEHO PAC spent $578,734 to sway the outcome of the city council election. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Renters and Workers for a Better West Hollywood: $105,157
• WeHo United, Erickson and Hang: $102,010
• WEHO PAC: $269,557

This massive financial push funded a mix of media campaigns, field operations and direct candidate support.

Renters and Workers for a Better West Hollywood poured large sums into field canvassing for their pro-labor candidates, Danny Hang and John Erickson. Canvassers were paid to knock on doors, distribute literature, and engage voters directly. The campaign spent $35,668 to oppose rivals like Larry Block and George Nickle, whom UNITE HERE depicted as aligned with corporations and landlords in some campaign flyers.

On the other side, the Chamber’s WEHO PAC spent $269,557 to back George Nickle and Zekiah Wright, who finished fourth and fifth. They trailed behind Larry Block, whose skeleton-crew campaign spent just $88,000 and placed third—proof that even with heavy financial backing, victory isn’t guaranteed.

The emphasis on fieldwork reflects UNITE HERE Local 11’s organizing model: mobilizing workers and renters to build grassroots power. In West Hollywood, approximately 50-60% of residents are renters, while hotel workers make up a smaller portion of the population, estimated at about 4-5%, or roughly 1,500 to 2,000 individuals. This contrast hints at a broader strategy. The union’s investment wasn’t just about representing its members—it was about shaping a local government that supports labor-friendly policies, such as renter protections, higher wages, and workers’ rights, potentially setting precedents beyond the city.

Modern elections require media saturation, and this race was no different. In fact, one resident recounted seeing digital ads for the candidates nearly every time they opened a social media app, illustrating the relentless nature of modern campaign strategies. Media production, distribution, and advertising accounted for a large share of the overall spending. The WEHO PAC alone spent more than $181,000 on digital media and print materials. Digital ads were placed through platforms like Google and Meta, while thousands of dollars were spent on radio spots and internet-based broadcasts.

WeHo United also invested heavily in digital outreach. This strategy reflects a broader political trend: reaching voters through their phones and social media feeds, where ad targeting can be hyper-local and demographically precise.

The financial intensity of this election raises uncomfortable questions about money’s role in local democracy. In a city of just 35,000 residents, hundreds of thousands poured into the council race—much of it from a politically active union pushing a pro-worker, pro-renter agenda.

Some see this spending as a necessary counterweight to corporate landlords and business-backed candidates. Others view it as an outside force that doesn’t fully reflect West Hollywood’s diverse renter population.

The election results suggest the financial investment paid off. John Erickson and Danny Hang, who were backed by UNITE HERE Local 11, won the two available council seats. Meanwhile, the WEHO PAC-supported candidates, George Nickle and Zekiah Wright, placed fourth and fifth, respectively. 

Did UNITE HERE Local 11 buy the election? That depends on perspective. Objectively, the spending was extraordinary: more than $207,000 for a city council race in a small city. Subjectively, it mirrors a broader trend in American politics, where even local contests become battlegrounds for ideological struggles with far-reaching consequences.

No matter one’s stance, the numbers tell a clear story: running a successful campaign in West Hollywood requires significant resources. Whether that cost represents an investment in democratic engagement or an attempt to buy political outcomes is a question voters will continue to debate.

Update: an earlier version of this article gave figures for the state-wide totals of $780,375 for the WEHO PAC and $2.7 million for UNITE HERE. The article has been refocused to show spending specific to the West Hollywood City Council Election.