John Erickson

“I will confront climate change and the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks with bold action that centers environmental justice. That starts with our coastline. I oppose the administration’s push to expand offshore drilling. This district runs from Malibu to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and the spills in Santa Barbara in 1969 and Huntington Beach in 2021 showed what drilling costs our communities. Even when leases are federal, the State Lands Commission can refuse the pipelines and onshore facilities drilling depends on, and California should use that authority. As a member of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, I’ll bring environmental advocates and local governments together to protect endangered species and fund the restoration of sandbanks and dunes. On land use, I’ll accelerate wildfire prevention and proactive brush clearance in high-fire-risk areas, expand urban tree canopies, and prioritize equitable access to green space in neighborhoods hardest hit by extreme heat, guided by advocates like Climate Resolve, Sierra Club, and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust. As we move away from fossil fuels, I’ll bring environmentalists and energy producers to the same table and make sure oil and refinery workers get job training for green jobs with equal pay and benefits.”

“I share the concerns about the resource burden, land use, and pollution that come with data centers. These facilities use enormous amounts of water and power, and they run cooling equipment and generators that produce constant noise, increasingly next to homes and farmland. We need to be smart about where and how they get built. As a councilmember and president of the California Contract Cities Association, I believe new data center projects should move forward only with local community input and consent. They should pay for their own renewable power, and they should give back to the community by adding to the grid and lowering utility prices for neighbors. Residents should not pay for the infrastructure these facilities need, and the industry should be transparent about the water and energy it uses. Siting decisions should rest on a careful review of resource use and environmental impact, with input from the local community. California has the workforce and the expertise to lead in innovation without causing harm. Let’s keep these jobs here without lowering our standards to those of other states.”

“I’m a product of public schools, and I’ve taught at the college level. Students can’t meet science standards without qualified teachers in the classroom, and California ranks 28th in the nation in per-student funding. For the fourth largest economy on earth, that is indefensible. We don’t have a shortage of qualified Californians. We have a shortage of Californians willing to work for inadequate pay. I’ll introduce incentives to recruit more teachers, retain excellent ones, and support their continued education, including tuition-free pathways so student debt doesn’t deter people before they start. Pay and benefits have to reflect the value of the work, and affordable workforce housing near schools would let teachers live where they teach. Districts also can’t hire and plan when funding is uncertain. I’ll push to fund the Proposition 98 guarantee as calculated, without deferrals, and fight federal education cuts with state dollars so schools have a safe, equipped environment for 21st-century learning. Before I author an education bill, I’ll go to the people who do the work. I plan to convene an education kitchen cabinet of teachers, school leaders, and families to tell me what’s working and what isn’t.”

“I believe access to quality, affordable health care is a fundamental right, and that when families are healthier, communities are stronger. As someone who was in elected office during COVID and the MPOX outbreak, I know a health care system is only as strong as its weakest point of access. Right now that weak point is federal cuts. I’ll fight to defend Medi-Cal enrollment as new federal paperwork rules take effect. People without insurance don’t stop getting sick; they show up in the emergency room, where the bill lands on taxpayers anyway. The state must act fast to fill the gaps these cuts create. I’ll also fight to remove barriers to primary care, mental health services, reproductive health care, and preventive treatment like HIV/STI testing and PrEP/PEP. To address the shortage of providers and long wait times, I’ll keep building programs that bring people into the health care field. Environmental threats are health threats, which is why I’ll push for stronger heat mitigation policies in the neighborhoods hit hardest by extreme weather. Long term, I support a Medicare for All, single-payer model so every Californian can get timely, affordable, culturally competent care.”

“I was in elected office when COVID and MPOX hit my community hard. We made sure residents and small businesses were protected and that medical care reached the people most at risk. That experience taught me that a health system is only as strong as its weakest point of access, and that outbreaks spread faster where people can’t get care. Prevention starts with coverage. Protecting Medi-Cal access is one of the best ways to prevent future pandemics, because people without insurance put off care until they’re sick enough for the emergency room. I’ll fight to keep Californians enrolled as federal cuts take effect and use state dollars to fill the gaps Washington leaves. I’ll also remove barriers to preventive care, from primary care to HIV/STI testing and PrEP/PEP, and strengthen the preventive and behavioral health services our communities rely on. Our food system matters too. California feeds the country, and I support helping smaller growers and producers through regional food hubs, shared cold storage, and cooperative distribution. With the Trump administration undermining public health, California has to lead. I’ll listen to public health experts and make sure state policy follows the evidence, not politics.”

“Trust grows when policymakers show their work. I come to every policy decision the same way: I meet with the experts and the people affected, take input from the community, and study a proposal in full, beyond what its backers present. That process changed my mind on Flock license plate cameras. I had spent years investing in modern public safety tools and initially saw them as another one. When I learned the data was being misused by federal and out-of-state agencies, and that the cameras’ accuracy and public safety benefits were unproven, I voted no. Public data builds trust too. As a councilmember, I helped create West Hollywood’s Climate Change Dashboard so residents could see our progress for themselves. In Sacramento, I’ll bring the same approach. I believe in coalition building from the start, which means bringing researchers and experts to the table before a bill is written, not after. Scientists can help by explaining findings in plain terms and engaging local officials directly, since that’s where much of this work gets implemented. With the Trump administration attacking science and slashing research funding, California needs leaders who make decisions based on evidence and say so publicly.”

“I’m often out cycling and hiking across this district, and transit is central to my climate work. On the City Council, I led regional climate policy that included Metro line expansion, bike safety improvements, and e-bike charging stations. I’m proud to have the support of Streets for All. The evidence is in the ridership. Metro’s numbers climb as new lines open, so expansion works when it’s delivered. To fund it, I’d look at fixing the gas tax shortfalls that burden local governments. I’d hold Metro projects to the same standard I’ve called for on high-speed rail: hard reporting requirements and consequences for delays. On safety, I believe in smart, community-based approaches. Our WeHo Cares program put mental health and substance use professionals on the street, and street homelessness fell 54 percent. I want to expand that model across the region, including where people in crisis end up on transit. New transit should be built to support the community. I am in favor of transit-oriented housing, paired with strong eviction protections and action on Ellis Act and Costa-Hawkins misuse so longtime residents aren’t pushed out by development.”