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:
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