Kevin de León faces a tough reelection bid. But campaign money isn’t a problem so far

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Dakota Smith and David Zahniser at the helm.

Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León is in the political fight of his career as he seeks another council term representing downtown and the Eastside.

De León came in second behind tenant rights attorney Ysabel Jurado in the March 5 primary, clawing his way into the runoff even after some assumed he would be quickly vanquished by the scandal over a secretly recorded conversation featuring racist and derogatory remarks.

Now, De León is making some major fundraising moves. Campaign filings made public this week showed he raised $292,460 for his runoff campaign, compared with $123,807 raised by Jurado, during the filing period that ended June 30.

That’s the most raised by any City Council candidate in the Nov. 5 runoff election.

On top of his fundraising, De León also has transferred $600,000 from one of his state-level committees — created several years ago for a possible run for lieutenant governor — into another committee called Believing in a Better California.

Believing in a Better California, which De León has operated for several years, will promote three measures on the state ballot dealing with a higher state minimum wage, rent control and gay marriage.

Promoting those measures will allow De León to also boost his visibility. One glossy piece from De León’s ballot committee, which was viewed by The Times, highlights his support for Prop. 32, which seeks to raise the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour.

Neither De León, a former state lawmaker, nor a representative for his ballot committee responded to requests for comment.

De León is barred from transferring the proceeds of his state committee into his city reelection committee. But he can roll that money — even if the contributions are years-old — into other committees focused on political causes.

“Unfortunately, it’s par for the course, especially for career politicians,” said Sean McMorris, a program manager for California Common Cause, which pushes for transparency in political spending and many other reforms.

Common Cause would like to see more restrictions on such campaign spending, such as ensuring that the font showing the politician’s name isn’t bigger than the font of the ballot measure that they are promoting, McMorris said.

In his direct fundraising, De León drew contributions from former Councilmember Jan Perry and Robert Arcos, a former LAPD assistant chief whose name has been mentioned as a possible contender for the top LAPD chief job. The Los Angeles Port Police Assn. also gave to De León.

“Since the start of our campaign, we have garnered the support of 1,104 dedicated donors, with many contributions coming directly from the residents and local businesses of Council District 14,” said De León campaign consultant David Meraz.

Former Councilmember Gil Cedillo and Ron Herrera, former head of the County Federation of Labor, also gave to De León. Both men also took part in that infamous 2021 closed-door meeting.

Jurado, who has never held office, pulled in donations from a group that includes Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez. Her campaign manager, Naomi Villagomez Roochnik, shrugged off De León’s first-place fundraising finish.

“We were outraised in the primary election and we came in first,” said Villagomez Roochnik. “People are excited for different leadership.”

Although fundraising is an important part of a campaign, it’s not necessarily the deciding factor in city elections. In 2022, for example, Councilmembers Cedillo and Mitch O’Farrell raised far more than their opponents but still lost their respective reelection campaigns.

In other races, in a district that takes in Koreatown, Mid-City and parts of South L.A., attorney Grace Yoo raised $117,601 in her bid to unseat Councilmember Heather Hutt.

Yoo said in a statement that she is “deeply humbled and grateful for the overwhelming support.” Her donors included former City Controller Laura Chick, who held that post from 2001 to 2009.

Hutt raised $82,594 from individuals and groups, including a political action committee sponsored by Local 770 of United Food and Commercial Workers union.

Small business owner Jillian Burgos, who is running to replace departing Councilmember Paul Krekorian in the southeast San Fernando Valley, reported raising more than $54,275. That figure includes a $20,920.78 loan to her runoff campaign.

City Controller Kenneth Mejia and the Streets for All PAC, which backed the bus and bike lane measure known as HLA, gave to her campaign.

Burgos’ opponent, former State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, raised $204,826, according to the latest filing. Among his donors are the East Area Progressive Democrats and Hugh Esten, director of communications for Krekorian. (Nazarian formerly worked for Krekorian at the city and in the state Assembly.)

Burgos and Yoo raked in significant amounts of public matching funds for their campaigns compared with their respective opponents. De León and Jurado have raised nearly the same amount in matching funds, which are provided through a taxpayer-funded program overseen by the city’s Ethics Commission.

State of play

— VETO VICTORY: The City Council upheld Mayor Karen Bass’ veto of a planned ballot measure to rework discipline at the LAPD, effectively killing it. The vote handed a victory to the mayor, who said the measure had too much ambiguity. Police Protective League President Craig Lally was comfortable with the outcome, saying it ensures that the department’s disciplinary panels, known as boards of rights, would continue to be made up entirely of civilians. “That is good for rank-and-file officers,” said the union president.

— A SPEEDY FOLLOW-UP: Councilmember Tim McOsker, who backed the planned Nov. 5 ballot measure, quickly followed up with a call for a comprehensive review of discipline at the LAPD. His request drew support from five other council members — Monica Rodriguez, Eunisses Hernandez, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, John Lee and Council President Paul Krekorian.

— SYNAGOGUE SECURITY: The City Council withdrew a proposal to provide up to $2 million in security grants for synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions. Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield drafted the proposal in the wake of violent confrontations outside a synagogue in L.A.’s Pico-Robertson neighborhood. Backers of the motion said the state is now offering grants for the same purpose.

— SKYSCRAPER SALE: Los Angeles County has tentatively agreed to buy the Gas Company Tower, a prominent downtown office tower, in a foreclosure sale. The $215-million purchase price is a big discount from four years ago, when the 52-story skyscraper had an appraised value of $632 million. Still, County Supervisor Janice Hahn is voicing doubts, saying she opposes efforts to move county workers out of the Civic Center, which includes the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, a building named after her father.

— NO SURPRISE: CASH HELPS: L.A. launched a 12-month research project that saw some of L.A.’s poorest families receive $1,000 monthly payments in taxpayer funds. The families were better off, according to researchers, with some people landing better jobs, leaving unsafe living conditions and escaping abusive relationships.

— LIMA LAWSUIT: Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Frank Lima is suing the city after he was disciplined by the department following his arrest last year during a peaceful protest supporting hotel workers. Lima, who is also general secretary-treasurer of the International Assn. of Firefighters, said his free speech rights were violated.

— SERVING SENIORS: L.A.’s free senior meal program is scheduled to expire at the end of the month, columnist Steve Lopez writes. Councilmember Heather Hutt is still fighting to extend the program, which was created as part of the city’s response to COVID-19.

— CALLING FOR ‘CARE FIRST’: The county’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to reaffirm that its jails won’t be used to hold homeless people arrested as part of the enforcement of anti-camping laws. The move came days after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state agencies to remove encampments in their jurisdictions and encouraged cities to do the same.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s program to combat homelessness did not launch any new operations this week.

• On the docket for next week: The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to discuss a proposal from Supervisor Lindsey Horvath to prohibit protesters and others from blocking entry to and exit from medical facilities, places of worship and educational institutions.