Politics & Government
Spending Tops $7.5 Million in L.A. City Council, School Board Races
Council District 8 and School District 5 continue to be money magnets as the campaigns enter the homestretch.
Total spending in Los Angeles City Council and school board races has surpassed $7.5 million in the waning days of the 2011 municipal elections with about $1.5 million being spent in the last two weeks, according to financial disclosure forms filed Friday with the city Ethics Commission.
Candidates for seven council seats spent $2.84 million, a roughly 30 percent jump in spending since the last filing deadline on Feb. 19. Los Angeles Board of Education candidates vying for four seats have spent $453,698 to date, about $110,000 in the last two weeks.
Spending by independent committees continues to dominate council and, especially, school board contests. Of the $7.6 million spent so far, about $4.3 million has come from committees opposing or supporting candidates.
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In council races, most of the independent spending has centered on District 8, where incumbent Bernard Parks is facing a tough challenge from nonprofit director Forescee Hogan-Rowles. Independent committees put up an additional $113,000 for council races in recent weeks, with $91,000 of that flowing into District 8.
Parks still holds a 3-1 fundraising lead over Hogan-Rowles, collecting $319,000 so far. Unions, however, have pumped in nearly $1 million in independent spending for his challenger. Parks has received about $137,000 in independent help, mostly from business groups.
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In another closely contested council race, District 14 incumbent Jose Huizar has raised $393,207 to date compared with $283,618 by closest challenger Rudy Martinez. Independent spending has topped $130,000 with the majority going to Huizar.
Elsewhere, council incumbents continued to outraise and outspend challengers. District 2 Councilman Paul Krekorian, seeking his first full term, has raised $71,693; Tom LaBonge in District 4 collected $299,700; District 6 incumbent Tony Cardenas widened his fundraising lead to $187,917; and Herb Wesson has brought in $236,367 in District 10.
In the race for the only open council seat, Mitchell Englander has raised $507,224 as he seeks to replace his boss, District 12 Councilman Greig Smith, who is retiring. Closest contenders Navraj Singh and Brad Smith have raised $57,400 and $39,397, respectively.
Independent spending by the teachers union and a committee allied with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues to be the story in school board elections with more than $300,000 in additional spending as of Friday, bringing the total so far to more than $2.7 million.
Incumbents continue to receive the lion’s share of the committee’s support.
District 1 incumbent Marguerite LaMotte has raised $63,145 and been aided by about $586,000 in outside help, primarily school employee unions. Her closest challenger, Eric Lee, has raised $30,227.
Incumbent Tamar Galatzan would appear to have a tough race in District 3 where she has raised $61,320 to $42,585 for challenger Louis Pugliese. But big-name donors to Villaraigosa’s Coalition for School Reform have spent about $423,000 on Galatzan’s behalf.
District 7 incumbent Richard Vladovic continues to pull in money although he is running virtually unopposed. Vladovic has raised $92,832 and benefited from about $533,000 in help from the coalition. His closest challenger has raised $7,668.
The big money is in the District 5 race where the incumbent isn’t running. Luis Sanchez, chief of staff to board President Monica Garcia, has raised $164,845 and received nearly $950,000 in outside help from the mayor’s committee and other groups. Closest challenger Bennett Kayser has raised $18,798 while the teachers union has kicked in $223,000 in help.