About John M. Erickson

In the four years that he was first elected to the West Hollywood City Council, Mayor John Erickson has been a leading voice on economic inequality, COVID recovery, social justice, housing and homelessness, and sustainability. His monthly Saturdays in Plummer Park — where he meets with constituents to discuss concerns, get connected with services or just meet others in our vibrant community — have helped shape his priorities and make him a more responsive, accessible Councilmember.

Some of his proudest accomplishments to date include:

• Passing the highest minimum wage in the country and policies for vacation/sick time for all employees who work in our city’s businesses

• Implementing better renter protections, which included capping rent increases at 3% for rent stabilized housing once the COVID Emergency Order ended, and increasing the supply of affordable housing in the city

• Creating WeHo Cares – a mobile behavioral health team specially trained to respond to with a harm-reduction, trauma-informed, and culturally competent approach

• Creating a program to purchase and distribute drink-spiking test strips to local bars, restaurants, and patrons in West Hollywood, which became State law that requires all bars and nightclubs to have this service available

• Sounding the alarm over lack of MPOX treatment and brought the first testing and vaccine clinic to West Hollywood

• Fighting climate change by encouraging alternative transportation, such as improved  bike safety and e-bike charging stations, and creating a Climate Change Dashboard

• Reconfiguring city funding through a DEI lens and investing in our schools and at-risk communities by focusing on grants and other incentives to help BIPOC communities that impact people from all walks of life 

• Increasing social services funding (a total of over $7 million) to a wide range of non-profit groups addressing the LGBTQ community, housing inequality, helping our seniors, and providing a guaranteed income pilot program for older adults to help offset bills and keep them housed during this time as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic

• Making historic investments in the City’s sober and recovery community, including the preservation and renovation of the iconic Log Cabin

• Helping local restaurants continue to recover from the pandemic by making outdoor dining “outzones” permanent

• Leading statewide efforts to respond to the rise of retail theft and its impact to local businesses, as well as working with law enforcement to curtail the rise in pickpocketing and address this impact on customers

• Serving as the City’s representative to the Clean Power Alliance, National League of Cities, the Los Angeles County City Selection Committee, the Santa Monica Bay Watershed Council, and as the Legislative Chair of the California Contract Cities Association, where he has succeeded in bringing a more collaborative and forward-thinking perspective to solving the region’s toughest problems

In addition to his Council duties, John is Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications, and Marketing at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. His volunteer advocacy work includes serving as a National Board member of the National Organization for Women and Past President of the ACLU of Southern California.                

Johnn received his Ph.D. in American Religious History from Claremont Graduate University and a Dual-Master’s Degree from Claremont Graduate University. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a B.A. in English and Women’s Studies.