John Erickson grew up in Ripon, Wisconsin, about an hour and a half northwest of Milwaukee. Erickson spent much of his childhood watching his grandmother Gladys help others in need while working at the local food pantry. Erickson has always been an activist and organizer, but it was at the food pantry where he found his calling.

“That image and her dedication to helping others have always stuck with me and led me to dedicate myself to causes that I deeply care about and run for office to help people.”

After high school, Erickson attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh where he studied Women’s Studies in Religion. He then moved to Southern California and attended Claremont Graduate University and received a Masters in Women’s Studies in Religion, another M.A. in Applied Women’s Studies, and a Ph.D. in American Religious History.

After graduating, he then moved to West Hollywood where he took an internship working for the city council.

“My first day on the job was the grand opening of the new West Hollywood Library.  I quickly discovered why West Hollywood is such a special place and soon found myself moving to my apartment where I still reside.”

He went on to become Council Deputy to former Mayor Abbe Land and then served as a city staff member working to advance policies, initiate programs, and increase awareness around LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, the environment, and civic engagement.

He now serves as Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications, and Marketing at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles.

In 2020, Erickson won a seat on the West Hollywood City Council, where he currently serves as Mayor.

Erickson says the biggest issues facing residents are homelessness, lack of housing, and economic inequality.

“I talk about these issues every day and it’s not lost on me that these are the things that residents and businesses bring up to me because they not only directly coincide with each other but also have lasting impacts on our communities at large.  We need to do more to address homelessness by providing care and direct services to people living on our streets, building more housing so people can afford to stay in their homes in the cities they want to live in, and fighting to raise wages so people don’t fall into homelessness, or not dedicate more than 60 percent (if not more) of their paychecks to their rent,” said Erickson.

He added, “We have to work together to grapple with these problems, so they don’t keep impacting us over the next four years because if we don’t, we’ll be talking about this still in 2028 (and beyond).”

If re-elected, Erickson wants to continue supporting new opportunities to protect renters and increase the city’s supply of affordable housing. He says that is one of the best ways to ensure West Hollywood remains socially and economically diverse.

He also wants to work to ensure the WeHo Care crisis response teams are on the ground 24/7. These teams put mental health and healthcare professionals in the position of assisting the unhoused or residents in need instead of armed sheriff’s deputies. He’s also committed to making the Holloway Drive interim housing project a success in transitioning people to permanent housing and improving care-centric policies that offer better direct services to ending the regional homelessness crisis.

“As the former Legislative Chair of California Contract Cities, I will continue to lead the way on new regional collaborations to solve this humanitarian crisis,” he said.

Erickson said he is running on his record over the last four years and what he has been able to accomplish as a city council member.

“In the four years that I was first elected to the West Hollywood City Council, I have been a leading voice on economic inequality, COVID recovery, social justice, housing and homelessness, and sustainability,” said Erickson.

He says his “Saturdays in Plummer Park” have helped shape his priorities and made him a better, more responsive, and accessible council member. He has been able to regularly meet with community members there to discuss their concerns and help them get connected with services in the area.

“When I ran in 2020, I ran on a set of priorities and principles I wanted to champion while on the council, and now I am running on those accomplishments that we achieved together and pushing to do more in my next term,” said Erickson. He added, “The future of the city is whatever we choose to make of it together.  Whether that is safer streets, more trees, more parks – including dog parks – more affordable housing, and progressive policies that continue to keep West Hollywood on the forefront of progress, cities are never finished.”

He added, “I’m proud of the 40-year strategic initiative that we’re producing and releasing to the public that has had a lot of input from various stakeholders. This will not only shape our vision for the next 40 years but also how we get there together, as a community.”

Photo courtesy of John Erickson.