Candidate Spotlight: John Erickson

It is election season again, and that means more candidate spotlights so you can get to know the people who are asking for your vote. Today, in the debut episode of a new season of What's Next, Los Angeles: John Erickson, candidate for State Senate in District 24. 

SD24 is the seat being vacated by Ben Allen, who is termed out of office after 12 years representing a sprawling district that stretches from Rancho Palos Verdes and the South Bay, the coastal Westside, Malibu and Santa Monica, and neighborhoods from Westwood and Fairfax east to Hollywood.

The first candidate we’re speaking with in this race is Erickson, a councilmember and former mayor of the City of West Hollywood. Erickson has served on the West Hollywood City Council since 2020 and was re-elected in 2024. During his time in office, he’s supported efforts to expand affordable housing, strengthen tenant protections, and maintain West Hollywood’s role as a center of LGBTQ political life. He points to raising the city’s minimum wage as one of his signature achievements. Erickson served as the city’s mayor from 2024 to 2025. Before entering elected office, he worked in public affairs and advocacy, including as a vice president at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. He now serves as chief of staff for the Alliance for a Better Community.

Campaign Website: https://www.johnerickson4senate.com/

This episode is produced and edited by Daniel Huecias, sponsored by LA Forward. Research provided by the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA.

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

West Hollywood Councilmember John Erickson says his experience on housing, tenant protections, and raising the minimum wage prepares him for the state senate. We talk about him and his campaign on this episode of What's Next Los Angeles. Hi everyone and welcome. I'm Mike Bonnet. Thank you for joining me. It has been a while since our last episode, and we'll be making up for that with frequent episodes between now and election day. We'll be spotlighting and interviewing candidates for city council, for mayor, for the state legislature, and more. We're also going to be doing some episodes focused on some of the issues impacting the city, the region, and the state of California. Today we begin with the race for State Senate District 24. It's a seat being vacated by Ben Allen, who's termed out of office after 12 years representing a sprawling district that stretches from Rancho Palos Verdes in the South Bay through the coastal west side, Malibu, and Santa Monica, and from neighborhoods from Westwood and Fairfax east to Hollywood. The first candidate we're speaking with in this race is John Erickson. He's a council member and a former mayor of the City of West Hollywood. Erickson has served on the West Hollywood City Council since 2020 and was re-elected in 2024. During his time in office, he supported efforts to expand affordable housing, strengthen tenant protections, and maintain West Hollywood's role as the center of LGBTQ political life. He points to raising the city's minimum wage as one of his signature achievements. Erickson served as the city's mayor from 2024 to 2025. And before entering elected office, he worked in public affairs and advocacy, including as a vice president at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. He now serves as Chief of Staff for the Alliance for a Better Community. I sat down with John recently to talk about his campaign. Here is that conversation. Hi, it's great to be here. Glad to have you. So I start all of these the same way. I give candidates an opportunity to give their pitch. Uh speak to the voters. Who are you and why should they vote for you?

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Well, I am a renter, I am a council member, and I'm someone who's put over bold, courageous policies to impact the way of life for my residents and the West Side in general over the last uh almost six years now. You know, whether that was on housing, uh transportation, affordability, these are all issues I've tackled in West Hollywood and have tried to build a strong coalition across Los Angeles County and across the West Side to really make sure that we're not only looking regionally, but also building upon stuff that can be changed and needs to be changed at the state that we find a lot of issues in. You know, my work as a vice president at Planned Parent Los Angeles, my current work as the chief of staff for Alliance for a Better Community, where we work on Latino advocacy issues, or just being an elected official, a local elected official, really have primed me for not only tackling statewide issues and how California needs to step up at a time right now, but how are we addressing minimum wage? How are we addressing development and housing, building affordable housing? How are we addressing climate change and the issues impacting our coastlines and our communities, especially given the attacks? But I think the number one thing that makes me the candidate for this race is I'm the only one that has a record that has actively stood up to the Trump administration for almost a decade now, not only being in elected office, but then being an advocate and a community organizer. And whether that was making sure we organized people to get out to the polls or stood up for reproductive freedom or made sure that our California values and way of life and valuing who we are as a community are championed. I have been at the forefront of those issues and leading them. And when it comes to taking over for a 12-year incumbent who's termed out, uh, this district deserves someone who has that bold, courageous leadership and background. And I know I'm that candidate to replace them.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

How long have you been on the West Hollywood Council?

SPEAKER_01 4:09

Almost six years now.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Uh, what are the top three things that you're most proud of?

SPEAKER_01 4:13

I'm really proud of one, raising the minimum wage in West Hollywood. You know, we have such critical issues impacting everything across the district, but our state and our country, and affordability is number one. Um, we need to make sure that we're doing all we can to help people get a little bit more. And what we're seeing is corporations, the top 1%, really get by on the backs of working people. That's why I'm really proud to be endorsed by the Working Families Party and a number of progressive organizations, as well as the LA County Labor Federation, because they know I'm the champion of working people. And championing minimum wage reform in any city is difficult, but leading it as an example for the rest of the country, something I'm really proud of. Second, you know, being a renter myself, passing strong and strengthened renter protections has been tantamount, especially post-COVID and during COVID when I was first elected. We saw landlords and other people wanting to skip on what they were supposed to do or making sure that people were not safe in their own environments where they had to live and work at the same time. So not only that, but capping the rents at 3% in West Hollywood has been something I'm really proud of. Other cities themselves have used this model type of legislation. And then healthcare, you know, being LGBTQ, being a gay man myself, I've been really proud to not only lead the charge to expand prep and pep access across the state, several statewide bills that we've been advocating for that are now law, but ultimately making sure whether it's reproductive freedom, trans health care, or healthcare in general to make it more affordable, to ask corporations to be paying their fair share, especially when they're getting a lot more money now these days as a result, um, as well as the cuts from HR one that have just destroyed and will destroy our country. And so those three issues are something I'm most proud of, expanding social services within healthcare in the city of West Hollywood. And, you know, just if I can do a small fourth one, I'm most proud of a healthy budget. You know, West Hollywood um has an extremely healthy budget. And when I was mayor, we had a $31 million budget surplus. And not only is that something a lot of cities would hope for, um, but it is something that we then took and invested in a brand new fire station that we are building with LA County Fire, who I'm proud to be endorsed by in this race, but also giving back to social services like Project Angel Food, the LA LGBT Center, Planned Parenthood, because we understand the social safety net that that provides to so many people. And when you can fiscally balance your budget in a responsible way that is not built on the backs of working people, I truly believe that that is a tantamount to what a good leader is. And we all are faced with those consequences. And so those are the three little bit four issues I'm really proud of.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Uh let me step back a bit, ask uh where'd you grow up and what was the arc of your life before you became a council member?

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Well, I was just talking about this this morning, actually. I grew up in Ripon, Wisconsin. I'm uh from a very small town. Well, Ripon is the birthplace of the Republican Party. They're all Democrats now, you know, it's the Abe Lincoln Democrat Party. Um, but you know, I grew up, I had a middle class family, you know. I have a mom and a dad who are wonderful and so supportive. I have two older twin sisters, um, then a wonderful family back in Wisconsin that I miss daily. Um, and when I decided to move to California for graduate school, education is something that has not only opened doors for so many, but for me specifically. Um and education has served as my ability to get to where I am today. And that's why I'm such a champion for teachers and public education, because we see how people are asked to do less, uh, do more with less. My sisters are teachers and school guidance counselors and school psychologists, and they're fabulous people. And, you know, that ultimately was something that really led me to maybe want to be a teacher myself. And when I was in college at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, I started looking at graduate schools and decided to apply to a bunch of different programs. And I got into Claremont Graduate University. And when I graduated in 2009, and that's where I went for both of my master's degrees, and then ultimately my PhD, which I got uh 2019. And that's where I'm gonna do it. So I should have introduced you as Dr.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Erickson.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Well, yeah, Dr. Erickson with the caveatas, I cannot do surgery or any way, shape, and form on you. You know, we've watched every season of Bray's Anatomy, so we're fine there. But um, and you know, I really got started in public office because of my graduate school work. And my old director, Dr. Linda Perkins, who's a dear friend to this day, called me when I was in New York working at the Margaret Sanger's Papers project after my master's degrees and between my PhD and said, there's this internship at the city of West Hollywood, and it's paid. You should, I don't know if you're moving back, but you should apply for it. And I did, and it just changed my life. And I'd really found a city that valued uh the public and the community and different voices, was young and really put its values where its dollars were at as well. And that was something that I just really wanted to be a part of. And I've never looked back.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

Let's assume you get elected, uh, which is what I assume you're assuming. The current senator, uh Ben Allen, has really been known for his work on climate and on sort of election rules, public financing of elections. What do you want to be known for? You're gonna have to deal with dozens of issues every day, but what what are your signature issues gonna be?

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Well, a couple of my signature issues are really gonna be not only healthcare, uh really tackling the major cuts that are coming from HR one. And hopefully we can have a new uh congressional makeup, you know, in the midterms to help offset some of those costs. But it is down the road enough where we are gonna see a huge burden. So the state is going to have to look at real difficult solutions in a tough budgetary year as well. And so really addressing not only community clinics and community-based healthcare clinics, something I have done when I was at Planned Parenthood because I know that's oftentimes the first line of defense. You know, cal care, you know, and universal health care for people is another big issue, but the state should stop shying away from taking on these big issues and really push forward because we're seeing the need for healthcare in a different way that I think people are now hungry for. Um, so healthcare is, you know, top of mind, but how do we stop public health crises from starting and growing and growing? And that's really investing in preventative, preventative care for a number of communities. Second is housing. You know, I'm really proud to be endorsed by every housing organization in uh that could endorse in this race because they know I not only can deliver on results, I can balance what local control looks like because I do understand how critical that is, but also how we need sometimes to get out of our own way when we're actually building housing. And that goes into so many different levels of our society. You know, if we're not building along mass transit and mass core, you know, commercial corridors, well, where are we building? You know, infill housing was taken care of in this last budget cycle, which is a way in which we can look at how we build more affordable housing in these places because it's smaller and more compact, which I think and I agree with is a way to move that forward. How are we building housing or what does housing look like now, specifically after the fires and high fire areas? And how do we rebuild and rebuild back better? The whole time in this office, whether it's me or someone else, we'll be dealing with building back and building back smarter and safer for people. And God forbid, another horrible incident that could occur, right? Um, and housing itself links to so many other issues. It links to climate, because how do we do that safely, especially along the beautiful coastline or within that area? How are we building enough housing to address transportation crises? People are in their cars constantly, which is a major cause of pollution, the number one thing. How are we building mass transit to make sure people can not have to do that but get to and from, which is why I'm a big proponent of the Crenshaw Northern extension and have been in Metro? And as we've seen with the federal government, that money's not coming in anymore. So the state has to play an outsized role, which is why when I was mayor of West Hollywood, we changed the in uh the financing district rules because we're gonna have to pay for that dollar. Um, that's gonna have to match a little bit higher these days because we're not gonna get any help. Um, and you know, I think if there's one thing that I really want to be known for, if it's not those two shiny big examples that are gonna be so easy to tackle on, it's standing up to the Trump administration, especially on tax on my own community, because we need fighters to use these offices as bully pulpits who aren't afraid to take courageous swings at a fascist dictator, frankly, who is hellbent on not only destroying democracy or just common sense and decency. And not whether that's attacks on uh children of all sorts and types of our communities, LGBTQ people, women, I mean, you name it, right? We see uh that hatred in our own communities. And I want to fight back, use this office not only as that bully pulpit, be in our communities, organize coalitions, and make sure that when it comes to attacks on these issues, social issues or issues that make us Californians or angelinos in those ways, that they know that this district knows that I will fight back against all of those rising hate incidents. I mean, we look at anti-Semitism on rising, and that is coming right down from the top. And so we need to make sure that we are building communities and building fighters to work together.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

So you touched on a lot of the policy issues I want to hit on. The top one that I had on my list is one of the top ones you just mentioned, which is housing. And you talked about sort of the tension between state and local. You're running for a state office, you've been a local official. One of the big tensions, legislative tensions for the past decade, really, is how much does the state take away local control in order to make sure that housing gets built, particularly by cities that are refusing to build housing? So which of the recent bills have you supported? And like how do you how do you navigate that tension?

SPEAKER_01 14:32

So I supported SB 79. I'm the only candidate that proudly supported that from the beginning. Um and that's because as a local council member, if you look at the actual bill itself, the language, one, it excludes a lot of areas that I think were led astray by a lot of misinformation, unfortunately. And so that's where education is really critical. I'll give you an example. I was talking to a council member from a city in the district who was gonna throw a fundraiser for me. And they said, you know, your housing policies, the SB 79 of it all is, you know, something that I'm finding tension with, with people coming. And I said, okay, let me sit down because I want to work through this issue with you and really understand where this even applies to the city. And so I called them back and I said, actually, this only applies to this small block of your area, and you're you're fine here and there. And if I give too much away, you'll know what city I'm talking about. So I won't, I won't say I won't say which, but then they said, Oh, okay, that's it. Thanks. See you at the fundraiser. I mean, there's a lot of hyperbole that comes up with a lot of statewide legislation and local control, local land use issues, as you know, are the bread and butter of what we do at the local level. And the sad thing is, is a lot of cities, a lot of council districts, especially in Los Angeles, do play an oversized role in producing housing.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Other people do not. We look at a lot of bad actors that cause a lot of statewide laws to happen like they do. And I specifically looked at SB 79 as a way of saying, well, we've always said we should build along mass transit corridors. And if we're not building there, especially when we have metro planned out for that way, then where are we actually building? And are we actually serious about getting through this issue? Because if we're not building enough housing, middle income housing, affordable housing, and SB 79 does have affordability requirements in the way that it does and was signed by the governor, then we actually are giving our power back to the state because we're just saying, you know what? Our answer is just no to everything.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:31

I like to start from the position always of yes, and. So, yes, how can we do this? And can we talk about how this impacts local cities? And being uh, you know, the vice president right now of California Contract Cities, and our logo is strengthening local control. I'm fully aware of the Lomitas, the Paramounts, the Norwalks, smaller cities that really are saying we're built out. So what does that look like? And the next senator for this district is going to have to deal with the next RENA allocation number set. And so, how do we make that more transparent for community members? Because that always is the number one thing. How do we get this number? What is the formula? How can we figure that out more? But ultimately, our job is to build housing so people can invest in our cities. And as you know, and I think so many people have really come to understand that housing is an economics issue. And so West Hollywood has a healthy budget because we are developing and we are building housing that brings in new residents, new businesses, new taxes, and eyes on our city. It's not like that everywhere for everyone, but uh I have to credit that that is the work that we should be doing. Right. And I just like to work to build towards something rather than against something.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

So West Hollywood is a good example of a city that says yes to stuff and is building. Uh, there's some counterexamples around the state. Uh, what should the penalties or consequences for them be?

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Well, I think we're seeing those consequences right now with the removal of local control. Uh, specifically, we're looking at other things coming about from the state, whether that's gonna be impact fees that are gonna be happening and how fees are too high, uh, and how people are refusing to build housing because they just use their powers internally to say, well, here's all the dollars you have to spend to do it. Um, those are gonna be changed. I think ultimately the arena number allocations are saying if you continue to get into this spot and not build housing, well, then your local control is just gonna go away completely in general. We don't want that because what's the point of being on a city council then if you can't actually steer the history or the land of your city in general to match your general plan? I think in terms of consequences, we are actually seeing that play out on our streets right now because housing is linked to homelessness. It's linked to economic issues and how people afford and where they can live to, and why city budgets themselves are so low because people are not actually in these cities spending money. Homelessness is directly tied to the lack of building housing or the lack of investing in that care. So the penalties themselves come back and are already hitting cities by having to invest more in homelessness care dollars, in social service care dollars, in substance abuse dollars. And so those consequences we're seeing play out, it's just not under the tan the umbrella of building housing.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

So this district, this is a wealthy district, it but it's a place where tons of hospitality workers work, uh service industry workers work, gig economy folks work, uh, who can't afford to live in the coastal or the South Bay communities. Besides increasing housing production, increasing the number of units available, what can the state role be in making sure they can afford to live there?

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Well, I think we really need to look at our minimum wage standards in the state. California's minimum wage needs to be updated, uh, I think drastically. We need to look at further renter protections. I know Ash Carla had a bill uh that got sadly killed this last session, but looking at capping the rents for people, it is stuff that we can achieve if we have the political will to do it. I'm not running for this seat to be the same type of senator as someone I deeply respect, Senator Allen. I'm really running to, and I think we all run for these elected offices at such a higher level to really put out bold, courageous ideas that really impact people. When I first got elected to West Hollywood, I said I'm gonna raise the minimum wage because we did not do that in 2015.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

I mean, when we did not do the Fight for 15 campaign, I was It was the rare occasion when LA was ahead of West Hollywood.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

LA was ahead of West Hollywood. I was completely flabbergasted by the fact that a city that I loved that prioritizes people did not say $15 an hour is enough, which it isn't, by the way. A living wage in the city is like $34 an hour, something like that, even higher. Um, and that's to barely live within, you know, 20 to 30 miles of your face. But gig economy workers, restaurant workers, service-based workers, the entertainment industry itself, these are things that the state has to tackle by not only looking at what different budget cycles look like to invest back into the local economies of the entertainment industry to bring it back, service-based worker industries, uh, Unite Here Local 11, who I'm very proud to be endorsed by this race. How are we protecting those workers so those jobs stay here locally and they can't outsource them? Um, how are we ultimately then looking at what hourly wages are? Because that at the end of the day is where people's pocketbooks are. And frankly, if people are still making such a low amount, they're not going to be able to ever move upward, or frankly, just go out and enjoy themselves for a night and not have to worry about how they're going to pay for gas or groceries the next day.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Uh let me shift to the environment. Yep. Uh this I mean, this district includes the coasts, Santa Monica Mountains, wetlands, really environmentally sensitive area with a lot of environmentally uh aware and concerned voters. You've got so many overlapping threats, right? You've got sea level rise, coastal erosion, you've got wildfire risk, as we've seen, extreme heat in the inland parts of the district. What are the top climate adaptation investments or strategies you'd be pushing at the state level?

SPEAKER_01 22:16

So I proudly serve on two boards. One, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, where I look at sea level rise, coastal erosion, how we're building back our beaches, uh the Biona wetlands, and uh that beautiful nature reserve, and how we're actually using water and making sure our wildlife and ecology systems over there stay safe. Um, the state needs to start investing in that actual district itself and that and that board. You know, I mean, case in point. Um additionally, Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu and the Palisades and everywhere that is in a fire prone area, we need to make sure that the various service-based industries, the conservancies, um, the statewide agencies are all working actually in a in a more uh how can I say healthy or efficient way to clear brush to make sure that when it is high fire season or like we're recording on today, when it's so windy that if the environment was just right and a spark were to occur, that is something that cannot happen. And we're seeing uh a lack of auditing, I think, in that way, and how we're actually investing those dollars and how and who's responsible. Um, there's a lot of finger pointing going on, and I think a lot of less internal look. Additionally, when we look at things like offshore wind, uh how we're protecting and keeping our water, uh, as well as uh the investment just in those dollars as a general sense of climate change itself, the state has to start looking at how we are are actually putting money back to these climate goals, which need to get us to getting people out of their cars, even with the you know, the rule being overturned by the Trump administration was that last year already. There's been a number of bills that have been championed for offshore wind that we can't even build anymore because all the dollars went away.

SPEAKER_02 24:02

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

I think ultimately, though, for anything, it starts at the local level when it comes to climate. And and I think the reason why Senator Allen is such a champion on the climate is because he looked at the smallest issue that would have the biggest impact, the plastic bag ban, uh plastics in general, these things that are going back into our water and back into our bodies that can be fixed and solved through policy change that takes a couple of cycles. Um and so not only continuing that work, but trying to figure out in a more efficient way how we're doing it. And then ultimately energy production.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

I mean, I can tell you that if we don't get an under better understanding or hand at a better grasp at energy production in the city while also supporting our workers, then we're gonna continue to see it go up. What's happening in, you know, the Middle East right now is driving changes, but we are seeing energy producers leave the state and how that will have a ripple effect on local communities, as well as the workers who are, you know, traditionally black and brown community members leaving the state is a big problem because we're gonna see then local cities um go into an even deeper recession because people are leaving their homes, they're leaving their businesses, their places where they've lived for decades. And that type of mass migration of people leaving to go to another state with less regulation isn't what we want. We want them to stay in California. Um and that goes then back to air quality and everything. It's a perfect cacophony of uh a lot of problems, but taking it one step at a time, having individuals on my team that know these issues and having robust policy plans in shape and ready to go, are something I'm I'm ready to start for on day one.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

You're very good at answering questions in a way that segues me to my next question. I'm here to do it. We planned this the whole time. So I wanted to talk about transportation and emissions in particular. Uh transportation, one of the largest sources of emissions. Um, we've got huge transportation corridors, 405, PCH, other major arterials that produce a a lot of emissions. Uh what state level policies can can you back or put forward that would shift more trips to to transit, walking, biking in a district that's really car dependent?

SPEAKER_01 26:16

Oh, so car dependent. I mean, just the fact that I have to get in my car to go anywhere is a problem. And I, you know, I I hate driving. I just, you know, who does it? Who wants to sit in their car when you have this beautiful environment around us? You know, the state needs to start directly investing back again in public transportation, whether that's high-speed rail or mass rail. We are doing that, you know, but we need to make it city easier for cities to finance that, which is why we changed our EIFD rules at the state a few years ago when then assembly member, now Congress member Laura Friedman authored that bill for the city of West Hollywood. When it comes to cars trial, we need to look at how we're actually improving our roads. And I think case in point is something that I'm hyper aware of is uh PCH. So PCH itself has had a number of deaths because of high-speeding cars and cars that just have been able to speed as fast as they want. And we have seen a lot of pushback from not only Caltrans, but you know, local cities who are trying to figure out a way to make it their own, yep, you know, as well. And I respect that because I have many friends on the Malibu City Council. And so what I've really come to find out is that I think Caltrans is something that really seriously needs to be reformed as well, because we're seeing money that is being invested into widening highways versus putting it back into our streets. And you know, I you know you know as much as I do that when it comes down to investment in our streets, local council members, streets, trees, and sidewalks, yeah. When we make it easier to bike, walk, and drive a car, this isn't about getting everyone out of their car. It's presenting another option for livability. And, you know, when I ran for re-election in West Hollywood, you know, the biggest issue that I was facing was a bike lane. And sounds familiar. Yeah, I I don't know if you know that. Um, but fountain, right? Yeah, it's fountain. And but it's a neighborhood street. Yep, it has more accidents and more speeding tickets than any other arterial street, hasn't been updated since the city was founded in 1984. Wow. And these are the things that need to change because people are dying on these streets, or they're just cars in front of a building and a home causing emissions. And so we need to actually make it easier for Caltrans. I mean, we got a grant through CARB to invest in this city uh improvement project. But when we look at different ways in which we can help Caltrans help cities, I think that's the change that's really ultimately needed. And investing those dollars differently back down to the local level. And I can't remember the percentages off the top of my head, right? But working with CalBike and other organizations that know the sense. And that's where Streets for All, Healthy Streets LA. I mean, we're still in LA, as you know, where we're in we're putting shovels in the ground and we're not even matching up to a ballot proposition passed where streets then have to be updated because it's that easy. And you know, there's always construction going on in Los Angeles. Always. Always, especially on our roads, and why not make them better as a result? And it's because of funding. Right. And that's where building housing and all these other things come in.

SPEAKER_00 29:18

Education. Um, this district includes UCLA, major UC and community college campuses. Uh, it's got some really exceptional, affluent K through 12 systems, alongside a lot of schools that are under-resourced and and are suffering. How can you use state policy to tackle inequality between schools that are so vastly different, even when they're just a few miles apart?

SPEAKER_01 29:44

Well, funding formula changes are specifically top of mind for me. We need to look at different things like Prop 13 reform or split roll reform to bring back money into our local schools because those dollars should have already been going there and need to go there. We need to start listening to teachers in school districts more versus just trying to put more on their backs, whether it comes down to uh requirements, um, especially transparency and auditing. You know, we're seeing the expansion of charter schools in a way that does not match, I think, California public education values. I'm proud to be endorsed by CFT and California Teachers Association and a number of other groups, because I really want to take these dollars and invest directly back into the school districts because we're seeing school districts have to go out for another school bond or another bond to help pay for things. And the state is not taking seriously enough about how we are really failing in terms of public education, not only statistically where we are, but we have not directly invested in the infrastructure of what our schools look like. And so teachers having to still buy their own school supplies, teachers staying until 6 p.m. and not getting paid fair. I mean, we have teachers going out on strike because they're just asking for a small raise. That is the issue because it always comes back to affordability. Teachers not even being able to live in the communities that they serve or anywhere near it. That's why it goes back to transportation, back to housing, back to how much they're making, back to supporting unions and communities. But I ultimately think when it comes down to education, is that if we don't get a handle on it now, just like we've seen with the rest of the country, we are going to see private enterprises come in and take over it for us as a result. And with the systematic defunding and dismantling of the Department of Education in general, we are looking at potentially a world in which California teaches a specific curriculum, and places like Texas and other red states teach a very different curriculum. And we've already seen it happening and how we teach and talk about slavery, LGBTQ people, the women's movement, you name it. And that's scary because we're going to have an electorate that is already being led astray because of I think political intervention rather than actually smart educators leading the way. And teachers will be at my decision making and are at my decision-making table because one, you know, my sisters would kill me. Yeah, you know, just to be honest, you know, because they're public education people. And I'm public, you know, I was I got here big through public education and proud of it and very proud of it. But two, uh, I think we always ask teachers to do more, but we don't ask them for their opinions and how we can help them more. And that's where I'm really interested in solving these issues.

SPEAKER_00 32:27

Aaron Powell I want to ask a question about mental health care. Uh state law shapes how cities can use tools like care courts, conservatorships, involuntary treatment. Where do you stand? And those are all controversial things. Where do you stand on expanding or limiting those tools?

SPEAKER_01 32:45

Investing in mental health care, substance abuse, as well as just the well-being of people is first and foremost something that is proven to work. It's not fast. And I think that's the issue that people really are seeing on their streets. People would rather sweep people away rather than actually taking the time to invest in the systematic inequalities that got us to where we're at. That doesn't mean that we don't face an issue or an epidemic of homelessness that really stems from substance abuse, mental health abuse, as well as a system that was set up to help and make people fail and not help people. Um, so I am for investing in care first and housing first rather than punishing people in that way. I've always been that way in West Hollywood. I understand how people are frustrated. I understand parents and family members who are tired of being taxed on the issue. I mean, we saw the debacle at Lhasa happening forever and the need to really change that whole system because dollars were going to overhead or where they went, we don't know because of the auditing report. But the state, you know, expanding care courts and other things, conservatorship laws, those are tools that I think are meant to put a band-aid on a problem rather than fix a problem. And w in West Hollywood, just as a model example, or something that I think can be used, we when I got elected, we created the Weeho Cares team. And now it's a 24-7 behavioral health, mental health crisis response team that goes out every day and responds to issues. And I can tell you after looking into the numbers, just for my city specifically, yes, we might have seen, we may have seen an increase in homelessness. But that's because when we're actually talking to people, they're saying, I'm coming from Los Angeles because I can't get care here or there's not a bed over there. Right. And they can get it there. And whether that's an LGBTQ person or just a person off the street. I'll give you one specific example. When I was mayor, um, I had an individual come to an event that I have once a month in Plumber Park in West Hollywood and said, you know, I'm homeless and I want to get into care. I need help. And I said, Okay, let's let's sit down and let's figure this out. Wasn't anyone dealing with substance abuse or mental health, was completely just living out of his car and down on his luck. Yep. Horrible. Um, he said, I really wanted to get into uh the mayor's mayor bass's homelessness program. Um I was like, Well, you're in West Hollywood, uh, so I can get you into those programs. He had had some bad interactions with some of our providers. I said, okay, let's see what we can do. So I contacted a council member and led that person through that process. And it took two and a half months for one person. Wow. And this person was coherent, smart. And it wasn't because of the lack of will from that council district, it was because they didn't have beds to give in general because of continued lack of putting out care rather than trying to enforce penalties. And luckily, I haven't heard from that person and I know that they got taken care of and they're hopefully doing well and back on the on the up and up. But if it took the mayor of a city two and a half months to get one person into a permanent or semi-supportive bed or shelter, we have 69,999 other people that need to get care. And the state can penalize people or put people into conservatorship laws. It's just another system that takes even longer. Because, as you know, and I think your listeners know, conservatorship is something that does not happen overnight. No, it doesn't. It takes a long time. And so we actually need to look at how we empower cities to invest in these services themselves. We did Project Room Key. We took an old hotel, we got state and state funding as well as county funding to turn the Holloway Hotel into the Holloway in West Hollywood at La Cienega and Santa Monica. And that now is 24 beds of permanent supportive care, 24-7 uh security, and people who are doing great and getting out and getting back into the system of living a life in California. Those are the things that the state needs to start getting back into, not just because the funding might not be there, but because it actually helps tackle these issues.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

One of the biggest issues we're all experiencing right now is uh immigration, the immigration raids. Uh this coastal LA has a lar large immigrant populations from various different places. So you have a large Russian population in West Hollywood, for instance, a lot of mixed status families. What changes, if any, do you support to state laws governing the cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and and and how would you like to see that limited in your district?

SPEAKER_01 37:23

Well, I don't want any cooperation with ICE in any way, shape, and form in DHS. I mean, we are at a place now in our country where we used to have organizations like the FBI and other organizations that were led with integrity. I mean, I'm not saying ICE was always the model example, but now we have thugs out there actually just arresting people to arrest people because they've been getting orders to do so. And so I want ICE out of Los Angeles, I want ICE out of California, and I plan to invest any dollars the state can to not only file litigation, but also make sure we're protecting immigrant communities and mixed status family communities because we are seeing people not go out anymore. Their kids aren't going to schools. That's impacting school numbers and how schools are getting funded. We're seeing parents have to figure out what's going to happen to them if one of them doesn't come home. I mean, my day job at Alliance for a Better Community, which is an incredible place to work, I see firsthand what communities are facing when it comes to not only the fires when we created the Fuerza Fund and how we gave dollars to families who lost their jobs as either housekeepers or landscapers. But when we look down to now immigration rates, how are we making sure they can pay their rent because they're service-based economy workers, gig workers, because they're not able to go out in the same way they they did and earn a living? And then how does that impact the community as well? Fighting for a path to legal citizenship, advocating for that at the state at the federal level, but specifically a couple of laws to making sure that I've already passed, go statewide and even bigger, is getting ICE out of the ability to use any public lands in California to stage. We just passed that in West Hollywood. I know it passed at the county, making sure that federal immigration officers cannot wear masks and cannot hide their identities. Um, I support the bill that uh Speaker Rivas and uh Assemblymember Gonzalez did to make sure that those individuals cannot serve back into law enforcement. Um, and we're gonna have to seriously look at other ways in which California can not only stand with immigrants, but also be a model example as a state, a district, local cities that come together that say, not on our watch. And the terrorizing and dismantling of who we are as people is emblematic of who's in the White House. And we have to, and we have a moral obligation to pass laws that we never thought would have to be passed, but we have to pass them to save and make sure people are safe in their families and communities. And I, and having those individuals at my decision-making table or knowing who they are already, you know, you have Bambi Salcedo from the Translatina Coalition, you have and Halakas Salas at Chirla, you have my own boss, you know, coming up and figuring out new innovative ways to protect people. That's what we have to do. And investing those dollars back into community care and community organizations who have direct connections to people on the ground is something I want to look at district funding for, even in a but tough budget crisis.

SPEAKER_00 40:20

Uh let me ask about LGBTQ plus issues. You and I have both lived through a period of uh incredible advancement for LGBTQ rights, marriage equality, which at least when I grew up was unimaginable, right? Uh we saw it 10 years ago, starting to see advancements in in rights for the transgender community. Seeing a huge rollback now. Um you would be a very prominent LGBT elected official. Uh you have represented West Hollywood for a long time, sort of the gay capital of Southern California. What's your agenda in Sacramento?

SPEAKER_01 40:57

Uh, the gay agenda. You know, um I say that you know, this district was represented at one point by the legendary Sheila Kuel, who I'm so proud to have her endorsement in this race. Um I love Sheila so much. Um and when I think about what my agenda for the LGBTQ community is gonna be, it's gonna be community-centered. It's gonna include how do we expand and fight for trans health care. I mean, the fact that Children's Hospital Los Angeles, not for any other threat, but just doing it themselves, decided to shut down gender-affirming care is is horrifying. The state needs to step in. And I know and general attorney general Bonta is looking into that, but at the end of the day, they made that decision on their own. And so that's a question of, well, what dollars are they getting from the state as a result?

SPEAKER_02 41:45

Right.

SPEAKER_01 41:45

Um, we also need to directly back invest back into communities that we're seeing being most impacted, and that is at the basic level health care, housing, and uh affordability. So when it comes down to um housing, we're seeing more LGBTQ people be kicked out of their homes and not be able to afford a roof over their head, which leads them into pipelines for homelessness or other substance abuse addiction programs, which are already being cut. So, how are we funding those? How are we making sure that uh LGBTQ people who face a higher barrier to earn a living wage or a minimum wage, especially if you're black or brown or wherever you come from, it impacts your social status. How are we looking at uh adjusting those formulas? Access to education, same thing. Um, and I think when I look at healthcare, it is something that I myself have such a personal story on. You know, I could not get on prep as the mayor of West Hollywood. Wow. It took me almost a year to get the insurance, the access, the clearance. I mean, I had to keep getting three months supplies because I wasn't getting connected because of the lack of communication when it comes down to actually getting on preventative-based medication. And I'm a white, cisgendered male who was the mayor of a city and a council member with good insurance who couldn't get it in that way. I mean, it really did start with me wanting to go utilize, I think it was SB94 at the time to get a prescription from a pharmacy that did not require a doctor's note because I could not get a primary health care provider because that's so backed up.

SPEAKER_02 43:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:22

And that wasn't even work. So we had to go back and change the law. I mean, that was another six-month journey. And thank you to amazing people like Scott, uh, Senator Wiener, and other people that championed that change because we saw healthcare companies wanting to put in poison pill amendments to these issues. And that was something that back in 2022 we were still dealing with. Right. Um, but that is case in point in how we're already seeing an HIV AIDS epidemic come back in Florida and other places, because of the cuts to care. Yeah. Globally, it's happening the same way again. Um, and that's because of the homophobic policies that would make Reagan blush.

SPEAKER_02 43:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:59

I mean, Ultimately, as you know, but that's where I want to really spend my time. I mean, when Mpox hit this district, they were asking people who were primarily in SPA four, service provider area four, which is West Hollywood and that whole, this whole district, to go to Santa Clarita to get their shots. I mean, it made no sense. And how does someone without a car, without an ability get to Santa Clarita or further to get a shot that they need two doses of? So I took to, like we all do, the internet, Twitter, and I started tweeting at the LA County Department of Public Health and said, we need to change this. And then we had our first pop-up clinic that stayed in West Hollywood in our library that vaccinated thousands of people in our city because we needed to change that. I'm so thankful that we were able to change that before it got too late to actually tackle MPOX. Um and that came from directly having people in my life impacted by that horrible uh virus. And so that is just case in point of being on the ground and from the community that inf influences all that we do.

SPEAKER_00 45:03

This is a really I mean Senate districts are big. They're all big. Yeah. Uh and it's really diverse. I mean, you've got coastal communities, you've got inland communities, uh, you've got very white communities, you've got very ethnic communities. Who do you see as being the the voices that are underrepresented or ignored or not heard that you want to uh give more attention to?

SPEAKER_01 45:28

I really want to make sure renters know that they have a champion, someone who has not only championed the expansion of rent control, but you know, I've long time advocated for the elimination of the Ellis Act and Costa Hawkins, things that need to be changed actually for us to seriously in real time address uh rental prices and affordability and housing. And I think renters themselves, renters being a majority part piece of this district, know and when they know that someone like myself who has live lives in a rent controlled apartment, uh has expanded tenant harassment protections, frozen rents, um, because it's frankly uh laughable that people can fluctuate from 5% to 10% to 8%. No, you can't set your wallets to that because the market's so volatile. And people that are renting property, especially when the landlord's not investing back into the property, need to be able to have a place where they live. It's a symbiotic relationship, of course, um, one that takes careful science, but that is something that I really hope people know that they will have that person as a champion. And and I think a larger issue is a lot of people are just disenfranchised with politics right now. I mean, I know that when I ran in 2020, people were just sick and tired of the SAMO SAMO. And I won because I think I offered, no, I know I offered a different version of a city that I truly believed in and believe in, as well as this race, I believe in a district that can represent and be bigger than itself than it already is.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 46:57

Um, and there are so many voices, but I've pledged to hold town halls in every city and with every major constituency group within the first hundred days of being elected because those individuals, I want them to know that I will have their backs through thick and thin. We're not always going to agree. Yep. But my door is always open to people because that's how you build coalitions. And as you know, we could not agree on one issue, but we could agree on 99 other issues. And that's what this district deserves. And someone that's presented real results for their communities already is someone that I think this district is craving.

SPEAKER_00 47:34

In the campaign, are there any interest groups or organizations that you refuse to accept money from?

SPEAKER_01 47:40

Oh, yeah. I'm not taking money from oil, tobacco, uh, police, uh, the real estate lobby up, you know, the realtors in that way. I have a very specific set of people. A lot of them probably aren't knocking on your door trying to. No, no. I mean, you know, but look, if they if people need to have a meeting with me, I always will have a meeting with anyone because I think it's emblematic on us to make sure that we are we build those coalitions. And I, that's a promise I've always made to anyone. Yeah, you know, I might not agree with a restaurant association, but I will sit down with them. They know who's in my corner and they know who I am as a person, but we always have to be open. When you get when you serve an elected office, you know, you have to talk to everyone, and your values are still your values, but being open to communication, I think, is someone that my my grandparents and my parents always taught me to be.

SPEAKER_02 48:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:30

Um, so I'm not accepting money from any of those individuals. And frankly, they're not giving me any money. You know, I'm the only candidate. I'm pretty sure I'm the only candidate that has not loaned themselves any money and is not uh transferring any money. I mean, and frankly, look, if I had a hundred thousand dollars to $250,000 to give myself in this race, I probably wouldn't be in elected office right now because I would most likely be doing something else with those dollars in a more effective way, to say the least. I really, at the end of the day, I'm running because I really, and I know this sounds like the corniest answer. I really enjoy helping people.

SPEAKER_00 49:05

Are there any current elected officials locally, statewide, nationally, that that you consider to be role models?

SPEAKER_01 49:12

Oh, well, you know, I've always been fond of you. I mean, I'm not trying to I'm not trying to play to the author, but you know, you've I have been there when you were in elected office, post-elected office, and I've, you know, from when you were with Bill, you know, and I know what it was like, and I've seen what you've had to go through being an out gay elected official. And so I appreciate all that you did to chart path for me in whatever way. But you know, we always should be going fishing for a little bit of stuff. We all need to be given our flowers every now and then. Um, you know, Janice Hahn has been a dear friend for a long time. I'm so proud to have her support in this race. Obviously, Supervisor Horvath is someone that has not only been a dear friend of mine, but I've served with, and now she is the supervisor of this district. Um there are so many people. I mean, when whether it's Sheila Kuhl or Mark Gonzalez or my friend Jose Salache, all people who are supporting me. But I look at Senator Sasha Perez. We both got elected in 2020, you know, at that time. She's incredible. Former Pet Bryan Institute staff member. There you go. There you go. You know, I'm always inspired by the community members themselves that have lived lives that are so much bigger than themselves without being in elected office. I, you know, Bambi Salcedo.

SPEAKER_02 50:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:31

Uh there, you know, there are so many people from our community that do so much for so many people. But those are some of the my biggest fans. I mean, I mean I even look at people like Supervisor Barger, who's supporting me in this race. And she has been a dear friend for a long time. She's supported LGBTQ rights, you know, Planned Parenthood. We might not agree on everything, but she is someone that I think really deeply cares about her district. And that's the best part about politics. And I think we get it right in this, in this sense, is that we don't have to agree on everything, but we can always be friends and we can agree to disagree and still go out and you know, have a beer or have a water or soda, whatever you want. Because that's the principle of politics I like to. I mean, I'm from Wisconsin at the end of the day. So I want to make sure that look, you know, we need more kindness and love in this world.

SPEAKER_00 51:18

Uh let me do a quick lightning round on a couple of uh a couple uh big issues in Sacramento. Uh Calcare, single player.

SPEAKER_01 51:24

I'm supportive. I think I'm the only one supportive of it. Really? I'm pretty sure. Well, you have to ask everyone else. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:29

Uh billionaires tax.

SPEAKER_01 51:31

I supported, already signed it.

SPEAKER_00 51:32

Uh proposed ballot measure to require voter ID and citizenship for voting.

SPEAKER_01 51:38

Absolutely not. Uh it is we do not need that in California.

SPEAKER_00 51:42

Uh proposed ballot measure from Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association to make it more difficult to uh raise taxes at the local level.

SPEAKER_01 51:51

Absolutely not. I've worked tirelessly as a local council member to defeat that every time. And so that would only hurt our communities even more than what's being proposed.

SPEAKER_00 52:01

Any issues I did not ask you about that that are important that you want to address? I think we covered a lot. All right. Uh so my final question is this then. We're living in some really difficult times. I mean, there's neighbors being kidnapped on our streets, you know, the country is at war. Uh, you know, a lot of our governments are are are are losing the faith of the people. A lot a lot of people are are losing hope. If you're running for office, clearly you've got faith, you've got hope. What gives you hope? Where do you draw your strength?

SPEAKER_01 52:30

Um You know, I'm still an emotional softy at the end of the day. You know, I draw my strength from two people. You know, I draw my strength from my grandmother Gladys, who is my biggest role model in my entire life. You know, she took me when I was like eight years old to the Ripon Senior Center food pantry, and she said, put together food baskets. And we worked on really food insecurity issues in my local hometown because she said a fed community is a happy community. It doesn't matter who walks through those doors, you smile, you say, have a great day, and you give them a basket. That's where I got my start in public service. So she has just been, you know, you can probably hear from my voice. I it's hard to talk about her. Um, but then you know, I'm reminded of the time before I decided to run back in 2016 after Hillary lost. I was at home for Christmas, and my niece, who is now, oh my god, a sophomore in high school, it's wild, or junior. Sorry, Emma, if you ever listen to this. Um and I remember we were sitting in the living room, it was Christmas time, and everyone was just down on their luck, and it was just horrible and couldn't believe what had just happened. And my niece was at a certain age where she turned to me and she goes, Uncle John, what happened? And the nice lady on the television. And I said to myself, I was like, Oh my God, she knows. She recognizes not only good and bad, but she realizes a major shift just happened. And she's gonna grow up in a country that I mean, you know, your amazing son, like, that she won't recognize and over my dead body. And at that moment, not only was I helping organize the first women's march, you know, which I proudly am still on the board of, which you I believe spoke at. Um that with my kid in my hands. Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 54:12

And we've read from A's for activists, yes, which he had read that morning.

SPEAKER_01 54:16

And and at that moment, I realized that I owe it to Emma, Brady, Drew, and Bailey to fight like hell. And that's why Emma was the person that swore me in when I became mayor, because I want her as well as anyone else to understand that it doesn't matter where you come from, you know, you can still be the mayor of a city, a council member. You don't even have to do any of that to change the world. I just was talking to a bunch of second graders uh today at uh Larchmount Charter, you know, in West Hollywood. And saying you can change the world even if you don't ever rise up to becoming the president or an elected official, you know. And I I I like to leave people with this, you know, I've always said find the people you want to change the world with and never let them go. And I'm really, really proud that I have a lot of people I'm really holding on to right now. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 55:07

John Erickson, thanks for joining me. Thanks for having me. And that's it for this episode of What's Next Los Angeles? My thanks to Tonyel Besías for editing and producing, and my thanks to LA Forward for sponsoring this podcast. Please also tune in to our sister podcast, LA Podcast, where I am part of a stable of co-hosts discussing and analyzing the latest news about politics, policy, and government in the Los Angeles area. You can find it wherever you listen to podcasts. And stay tuned for more episodes of What's Next Los Angeles. We're going to be talking with more candidates running to succeed Ben Allen on the west side, the candidates running to succeed Maria Elena Barrasso on the east side, to candidates running for city council in the West San Fernando Valley, and to candidates running for mayor of the city of Los Angeles. Until then, thank you for joining me. Peace and take good care.