This is an excerpt from Make It Make Sense, a pop-up newsletter about the 2024 election that included a miniseries on campaign finance through September. Make It Make Sense will be back in November to analyze the results of the general election. Sign up here.
Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon is in a tough race to retain his City Council seat this November. But there is an additional pool of money at his disposal to get his name in front of voters.
LAist reported that De Leon formed a ballot task force earlier this year to support three statewide proposals. As of Sept. 21, the commission had spent nearly $380,000, according to financial disclosures.
The committee is separate from Mr. de Leon’s City Council re-election campaign, in which he has already raised more than $700,000, but his name will appear on campaign materials supporting state ballot measures. This has been recognized, and in effect this will further increase Mr. de Leon’s profile.
There are no limits on the amount a state ballot task force can raise or spend.
District 14 race
The 14th District is home to approximately 270,000 residents and includes neighborhoods such as Downtown Los Angeles and Highland Park. De Leon previously served as state Senate majority leader and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate before being elected to the 14th District City Council in 2020.
Two years later, in 2022, de Leon, two other City Council members and union leaders were discussing how to consolidate their power in L.A.’s redistricting process when a racist Leaked audio recordings reveal secret conversations using derogatory language. Mr. de Leon has faced repeated calls to resign but has refused, and is currently the only person in the group featured in the leaked tapes to retain his job.
His opponent is Isabel J. Jurado, a tenant rights attorney who defeated him in the March primary by less than 400 votes.
There’s a lot of interest in this election, especially since the Los Angeles City Council seat is one of the most powerful jobs you can hold in local government. Will voters give de Leon another term? Jurado’s victory will strengthen the progressive coalition in Congress, but how will it affect Los Angeles’ trajectory on issues like rent control and police funding? (For more information about this election, check out the City Council District 14 Voter Game Plan Guide.)
What is the prize money for this race so far?
Below are numbers just taken from the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission website, showing how much money has been raised and spent through September 21st.
Mr. de Leon has a steady lead in fundraising. But campaign finance doesn’t necessarily predict the outcome of a race, and the March primary showed that.
At the time, eight candidates were running for the District 14 seat. One of them, state Rep. Miguel Santiago, far outpaced both Mr. de Leon and Mr. Jurado, raising more than $500,000 in campaign contributions. He ended up finishing third in the race, but Jurado, who raised about half as much money as Santiago in the primary, came in first. De León was the second-highest fundraiser in the category, raising a total of approximately $346,000.
Wild Card: State Ballot Task Force
Keen observers noticed earlier this year that de Leon established a committee at the state level to support three ballot proposals: “Kevin de Leon Builds a Better California Ballot Task Force” I believe – I support Proposals 3, 32, and 33.” You can view more information about the commission on the California Secretary of State’s website.
The move raises questions about whether it’s fair to receive additional publicity from the state’s voting task force. Let’s unpack some other details to better understand what the committee does.
What exactly is his committee supporting?
Proposition 3 would amend the state constitution to include the right to marry and remove language that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Proposition 32 would increase the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour. Proposition 33 would allow cities and counties to enact rent control policies for properties where they are not currently permitted.
Where did the money for this committee come from? From another committee that Mr. de Leon previously established (before the tape leak scandal) to support his future bid for lieutenant governor in 2026. Transferred $600,000. Of that amount, $50,000 was transferred last year and $550,000 was transferred in July.
Is this tactic legal? Yes, it’s not uncommon. Elected officials, especially state legislators, always have committees to support voting initiatives, even in years when they are actively running for office.
During the March primaries, state Rep. Jackie Irwin and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn formed a ballot task force to support Proposition 1, which would create bonds to pay for mental health services and housing. did. Although both men were running for re-election at the time, it wasn’t necessarily a close race.
In 2020, LA City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez created a ballot task force to support Propps. 15 and 19 related to property taxes. She did not run for office that year.
But when a candidate uses a statewide ballot task force in a tough election year, the tactic could raise eyebrows. I’ve seen this happen before.
Rep. Wendy Carrillo, who ran against De Leon and six other candidates in the March primary, also created a ballot task force to support Proposition 1, the mental health measure. De León created a ballot task force during the 2020 election, when he was running. His first term as a City Council member was to support three statewide proposals on the ballot. The commission reported spending $116,000 to support three policies that ultimately failed: Proposition 15 (commercial real estate tax reassessment) and Proposition 16 (affirmative action reform). Proposition 21 (variation of proposal) Proposition 33 of 2017 would allow cities and counties to expand rent control). The money was used as a last-ditch effort in the final two weeks before Election Day.
Were Vote Committee funds spent on the 2024 election? This year, the committee reported spending $379,487 as of September 21, with $217,393 still available It was. Together, these numbers approach the amount Mr. de León has raised himself ($736,560 as of September 21) and give him even more money to work with to influence voters. Committee filings show that most of the funds were spent between July and September. And there’s still a month left until voting day.
What’s the deal?
If you’ve received campaign emails about a proposal with Kevin de Leon’s name on it, you now have a better understanding of the context and campaign finance mechanisms that made it possible. We hope that highlighting this gives you an idea of how candidates can use windfall funds in their elections, and helps you keep a close eye on where the campaign ads you see actually come from. I am.
