With just 21 weeks until the Council District 14’s primary election, candidates have raised $879,254.48 in contribution funds to date.
Data made available this week from Los Angeles’ Ethics Commission reveals all CD-14 candidates’ campaign contributions and expenses from July 1 to September 30. City rules cap individual donations at $900 dollars per person.
Although the primary election is not until March 5, 2024, and the general election in November of next year, there are currently 13 candidates –five women and eight men– in the race for a seat at the Los Angeles City Council.
The sitting incumbent, Kevin de León, just announced his reelection campaign at the end of September and had no problem raising $117,208, despite still facing the fallout of the leaked city council recordings controversy of last year.
Art Chacon, president of the Central Basin Municipal Water Board of Directors, gave $900 to de León’s campaign. USC’s Chief Strategy Officer for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Richard Nasssar, contributed the same amount to de León. Ron Hererra, the former President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor who participated with de León in a recorded racist conversation and resigned after it was leaked last October, is another financial supporter of the incumbent’s campaign with a maxed out donation of $900.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, a former ally of de León, has the most donations at the time of writing, with a whopping $360,848.17 in campaign contributions thus far. Some high profile contributors that are advocating for Santiago include the likes of Josh Lowenthal, fellow member of the California State Assembly, and several representatives of Southern California casinos, donors that prompted outcry from CD-14 hopeful Nick Pacheco.
“I can’t even think of a reason to seek donations from casinos when running for City Council,” Pacheco wrote on his X account this week, “What’s the back room deal?”
Pacheco, who represented CD-14 as a councilmember from 1999-2003, said he’s running a grassroots and transparent campaign in a recent social media post, but has not reported any campaign contributions as of yet.
Other candidates who’ve racked up well over $100 thousand in contributions include assemblymember Wendy Carrillo and attorney Ysabel Jurado, racking up $180,761.87 and $101,643.86, respectively.
Teresa Hillery brought in $73,577.99 in contributions, Samir Bitar $23,786.59, and Eduardo Vargas collected $21,351.00.
Nick Pacheco, Genny Guerrero, William Rodriguez Morrison, Barry Boen, Juan Marcos Tirado, and Nadine Diaz have not reported any contributions at this time.
The next quarterly contribution statement will be due on January 10, 2024, per the 2024 City Candidate Guide’s timeline, but candidates can file for contribution amendments until then.
More can be read on the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission’s website
