West Hollywood City Council member John M. Erickson is running for California State Senate District 24 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

He faces Brian Goldsmith. Both candidates are Democrats.

Erickson said on his campaign website that he grew up in Ripon, Wisconsin, where he volunteered at food banks with his grandmother and traveled to the state capitol advocating for veterans' and women's rights.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: California State Senate, District 24
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Current office: West Hollywood City Council member (since 2020)
  • 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 has held several roles in government and advocacy. He served as a city council intern at the West Hollywood City Council in 2010 and later worked as a council deputy at West Hollywood City Hall, according to the city of West Hollywood website. He also worked as community events technician for the city of West Hollywood from 2011 to 2017, according to BallotReady.

Erickson said he was appointed to the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls in 2017. He worked as a legislative representative at Los Angeles World Airports from 2017 to 2018 and as vice president of public affairs, communications and marketing at Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles from 2018 to 2024, according to BallotReady. Erickson said he served as chief of staff at Alliance for a Better Community in 2024.

Erickson said he also served as mayor of West Hollywood. He has served as president of the ACLU of Southern California, a national board member of the National Organization for Women and vice president of the California Contract Cities Association, according to the city of West Hollywood.

He has been endorsed by the California Professional Firefighters, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, SEIU California, the California Teachers' Association, the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County Action Fund, Equality California, YIMBY Action and the California Nurses Association, among others, according to his campaign endorsements page.

On the issues

The following positions are based on Erickson's responses on his campaign website. They reflect the candidate's own statements.

Housing: Erickson said he has a history of implementing renter protections and that eviction safeguards are key to preventing homelessness. He said the Ellis Act and Costa Hawkins have damaged affordable housing supply and that the legislature must address both laws. He said he would support cities that use statewide housing bonuses and incentivize approval for new housing, including community land trusts.

Healthcare: Erickson said he would work to remove barriers to primary care, mental health services, reproductive healthcare and preventive treatments including HIV/STI testing. He said he supports a Medicare-for-all model and wants to protect Medi-Cal access. He said he would continue developing programs that incentivize people to enter the healthcare field.

Education: Erickson said he would lead efforts to counter federal education cuts with state dollars. He said school funding should not be partisan and that the state budget should not be balanced on the backs of students or teachers. He said he would introduce legislation to recruit and retain teachers.

Economy: Erickson said the state must focus on job creation and retention through competitive tax incentives, streamlined permitting processes and investment in workforce development.

Environment: Erickson said he would confront climate change with action on clean energy, sustainable land use and wildfire recovery. His priorities include accelerating wildfire prevention, expanding urban tree canopies and investing in resilient infrastructure, he said. He also said he would work with the insurance commissioner to ensure homeowners insurance remains available and affordable statewide.

Candidate responses were collected via BallotReady and the candidate's campaign website. South Bay Tide did not interview the candidate for this profile.