Good morning. It’s Monday, April 27. You can expect a relatively crisp day (high of 70) with some sun in the afternoon.
In today’s newsletter, we have a local astronomy club’s pandemic boom, the Torrance man identified by law enforcement as the alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman and your look at the week ahead. But first, the latest in city politics.
A new tranche of campaign finance data offers a revealing look at local races.
A pedestrian and Los Angeles City Hall are reflected in the window of the Los Angeles Police Dept. Headquarters. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Money isn’t everything. But it can make a world of difference in local politics.
Campaign cash is also a signal of viability — there are still cities where someone can win on little more than a dollar and a dream, but L.A. isn’t one of them. Each L.A. City Council district, for instance, has roughly a quarter-million people, and reaching them costs real money. (That doesn’t mean the biggest spender wins. But a certain threshold of spending is generally necessary for a candidate to be competitive.)
The latest campaign finance filings, covering Jan. 1 through April 18, were released late last week, just weeks before the June 2 primary. Along with hinting at which political consultants may soon be shopping for second homes, these regular contribution and expense reports offer a revealing look at the races.
A few big takeaways:
PARK’S ADVANTAGE: Westside Councilmember Traci Park raised nearly $225,000 during the filing period — more than any other incumbent or council hopeful. Park, a centrist Democrat backed by fire and police unions, represents a coastal district that includes the Palisades. She’s in a head-to-head race against DSA-endorsed public interest lawyer Faizah Malik, who raised nearly $180,000 during the same period. (Under L.A.’s rules, a candidate who clears 50% in the June primary wins outright. With only two candidates running, this race will be decided in June.)
OUTPACING BASS: Mayor Karen Bass was outraised by two of her opponents during this filing period, though not by much. Bass brought in nearly $495,000, compared to Republican reality TV star and Palisades fire victim Spencer Pratt’s roughly $538,000 and Councilmember Nithya Raman’s nearly $531,000. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Adam Miller raised about $223,000; he also loaned his campaign $2.5 million. And leftist challenger Rae Huang brought in about $165,000. But the mayor — who has been raising money for her reelection for years — still has far more cash on hand than any of her opponents.
MOM’S MONEY: City controller candidate Zach Sokoloff’s mom Sheryl Sokoloff made a jaw-dropping $2.5 million contribution to an outside group supporting her son’s candidacy. (This donation actually came in a few days after the filing period in question.) It’s a seemingly unprecedented sum in the controller’s race and will likely help boost Sokoloff’s name ID. But incumbent City Controller Kenneth Mejia is already hitting back hard, accusing Sokoloff of trying to buy the race.
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THE WEEK AHEAD
MONDAY: Three candidates vying to replace termed-out southwestern San Fernando Valley Councilmember Bob Blumenfield will take the debate stage Monday night in Reseda. Barri Worth Girvan (backed by labor, the county Democratic party and her boss, County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath), businessman Tim Gaspar (backed by Blumenfield, business groups and the police union) and Christopher Robert “CR” Celona (no endorsements listed) are all hoping to snag the rare open seat on the council.
It’s also Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium, which is sure to be a big draw.
WEDNESDAY: Nick Reiner, who is charged with murdering his parents Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, will have his next court date.
THURSDAY: Incumbent Hollywood Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez will face off against three challengers — Colter Carlisle, Dylan Kendall and Rich Sarian — at a candidate forum at Los Angeles City College.
FRIDAY: May Day is Friday, with protests and marches expected downtown and in the MacArthur Park area. The annual season of Jazz at LACMA also kicks off Friday evening with vocalist and composer Michelle Coltrane.
READING MATERIAL
TORRANCE MAN: The 31-year-old arrested in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is a highly-educated Torrance resident who described himself as “Friendly Federal Assassin” in writings sent to family before the attack.
CITY OF STARS: The Los Angeles Astronomical Society (the largest amateur organization of its kind) celebrated its 100th anniversary this weekend at Griffith Observatory. President Keith Armstrong told L.A. Material that the group had nearly doubled in size since the start of the pandemic: “A lot of people in the club took on astronomy as a Covid hobby, because it's something you could do out in the open, away from other people. When you're trapped inside of a house all day, there's nothing like the expanse of the cosmos to kind of work as an emotional ballast,” Armstrong said.
ID, PLEASE: A Republican-backed voter identification measure has qualified for the California ballot, meaning state voters will decide its fate in November.
THROUPLE LEGALITIES: More California cities are seeking to bless polyamorous unions. But lawyers warn it will get messy.
MINDY WEISS KNOWS IF YOUR MARRIAGE WILL LAST: The ubiquitous Hollywood party planner sits down with frequent client Russell Westbrook to dish on the worst age for a birthday party (85, because intended guests keep dying), her biggest party disaster (a wedding cake that inexplicably exploded) and the wedding trend to watch this summer (maximalism and “fabric bombing”).
RAW MATERIAL
For today’s peek inside our subscriber-only Discord server, @Michael MacDonald spots a Mario Kart in the wild at CicLAvia.
AND FINALLY… A poem to pair with your morning coffee: “In That Other Fantasy Where We Live Forever” by Wanda Coleman.
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