West Hollywood City Council member John M. Erickson is running for California State Senate District 24 as a Democrat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces fellow Democrat Brian Goldsmith.
Erickson has served on the West Hollywood City Council since 2020. On his campaign website, he said he grew up in Ripon, Wisconsin. He volunteered at food banks with his grandmother and traveled to the state capitol advocating for veterans' and women's rights from an early age.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Education: High school diploma, Ripon High School; bachelor's degree in English/women's studies, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (2009); master's degree in applied women's studies, Claremont Graduate University (2011); doctorate in American religious history, Claremont Graduate University (2019)
Experience and public service
Erickson's background spans city government and nonprofit work, according to his campaign website and the City of West Hollywood's council page:
- City council intern, West Hollywood City Council (2010)
- Community events technician, City of West Hollywood (2011–2017)
- Legislative representative, Los Angeles World Airports (2017–2018)
- Appointee, California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (2017), according to his campaign
- Vice president of public affairs, communications and marketing, Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles (2018–2024)
- Chief of staff, Alliance for a Better Community (2024), according to his campaign
- West Hollywood City Council member (2020–present)
- Mayor, West Hollywood, according to his campaign
- President, ACLU of Southern California (volunteer)
- National board member, National Organization for Women (volunteer)
- Vice president, California Contract Cities Association (volunteer)
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Erickson's responses on his campaign website. They reflect the candidate's own statements.
Housing: Erickson said eviction protections and keeping up with the cost of living are key to preventing homelessness. He said the Ellis Act and Costa-Hawkins Act have damaged affordable housing supply and that the legislature must address both. He said he would support cities that use statewide housing bonuses and incentivize approval for new housing projects, including community land trusts.
Healthcare: Erickson said he would work to remove barriers to primary care, mental health services, reproductive healthcare and preventative treatments including HIV/STI testing and PrEP/PEP. He said he supports a Medicare-for-all model and protecting Medi-Cal access.
Education: Erickson said he would lead efforts to counter federal education cuts with state dollars. He said school funding should not be partisan and the state budget should not be balanced on the backs of students or teachers. He said he would introduce incentives to recruit and retain teachers and support their continued education.
Economy and budget: Erickson said the state must focus on job creation and retention through competitive tax incentives, streamlined industry-specific permitting and investment in education and workforce development. On budgets, he said addressing gas tax funding shortages and allowing local congestion pricing could fund infrastructure needs.
Environment and public safety: Erickson said he would confront climate change with action on clean energy, sustainable land use and wildfire recovery. He called for accelerating wildfire prevention, expanding urban tree canopies and investing in resilient infrastructure. On public safety, he said he favors investing in gun control and crime prevention tools for first responders.
Endorsements
Erickson has received endorsements from the California Professional Firefighters, Sierra Club, California Nurses Association, SEIU California, California Teachers' Association, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County Action Fund, Equality California, YIMBY Action and the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, among others, according to his campaign endorsements page.
Candidate responses were collected through BallotReady and the candidate's campaign website. The Platinum Tribune did not interview the candidate for this profile.
