Supporters of Göran Eriksson, running for a seat on the City Council in the April 12 election, will hold their major fundraiser at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, 6333 Bristol Pky., Culver City.
Dinner, auctions and music are on the program.
“I hope everyone will join us for a great night of food and fun,” said Mr. Eriksson.
Tickets, at $60, may be reserved by emailing rsvp@ErikssonforCouncil.com, or visiting www.ErikssonforCouncil.com/fundraiser.
Mr. Eriksson has a long record as a successful businessman and community activist. He has earned endorsements from four of the five sitting City Council members: Mayor Mehaul O’Leary, Vice Mayor Andy Weissman and Councilmembers Jeff Cooper and Jim Clarke.
“As I walk throughout to the city and meet Culver City residents,” said Mr. Eriksson,
“I am pleased with the support I have received.
“People understand my platform. It centers on being prudent with our finances, maintaining our quality of life and putting neighborhoods first.”
As chairman of the city’s Finance Advisory Committee, Mr. Eriksson has led the committee in making recommendations to increase community involvement in the city budget process, update the city’s current financial policies and extend the city’s long-term financial forecast. In addition, under his leadership, the committee has developed a Measure Y quarterly fact sheet and communication plan, made recommendations regarding the city’s financial transparency strategy and made recommendations regarding the communication of financial information on the city website.
Mr. Eriksson serves as the vice chair of the School District’s Citizen Bond Oversight Committee. He helps keep the public informed of the expenditures of the bond proceeds and ensures that bond proceeds are used only for the purposes set forth in the Measure CC bond.
“I have the background and experience necessary to keep our city on firm financial footing while making the tough decisions that will guide us into the future,” said Mr. Eriksson, who was a member of the Advisory Committee on Redevelopment. “I believe in protecting our quality of life, enhancing city services and sustainability and moving our city into the future while maintaining its small-town charm. But at the heart of all of that is the need to make prudent financial decisions so that Culver City can continue to provide the services we all have come to expect.”
Decades of Success
There is no doubt why the city has been keen to capitalize on his business savvy – Eriksson has been in international sales, marketing and business development for more than 30 years.
Mr. Eriksson is president and founder of esi Techtrans, Inc., an international business development consultancy he founded in 1987. He is chairman of the board and CFO for Euro VAT Refund Inc., the company he co-founded with his wife, Britta, in 1992. That firm is a leading VAT financial service corporation that specializes in VAT reclaim and management.
Mr. Eriksson served as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in 2012. He is a member of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Culver City Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CCARES), the Exchange Club, a graduate of the Citizens Police Academy and has coached soccer in AYSO for several years.
Mr. Eriksson is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lund University Foundation, Inc., where he raises funds for a project to curate, translate, and digitize the Ravensbruck Archive, a rare body of survivors’ real time testimony, which now resides at the Lund University Central Library. Ravensbruck was a concentration camp built solely for women and children, the only one of its kind. The Archive includes 500 interviews done at Lund of the women of Ravensbruck, among 21,000 evacuated to Southern Sweden.
A 20-year homeowner in Culver City, Mr. Eriksson together with Britta, his wife of 30 years, has two sons, Niklas and Philip, who have grown up in Culver City. They are now studying at Loyola University Medical School and U.C. Davis, respectively.
Geoff Maleman can be reached at GMaleman@aol.com
