LOS ANGELES—With a little over a month away from the June 7 primary election, Los Angeles’s top mayoral candidates have spent millions on their campaigns, with real estate developer Rick Caruso outspending his opponents.
Caruso has spent $23.8 million in the race so far, much more than his closest competitor Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), who spent $1.17 million.
The filings, which were released April 28, are for activity from Jan. 1 through April 23. In total, Caruso raised just over $23 million this year—pouring $22 million into his own campaign—and has roughly $640,000 cash on hand left.
While Caruso opted out of the city’s matching funds program, which is when the city will fund a campaign based on certain criteria, Bass received $1 million.
Caruso’s donations mainly poured in from realtors, property developers, and several executives from Netflix, Disney, Delta Airlines, and Imagine Entertainment. An executive director of the George Lopez Foundation also donated to the campaign.
A few notable actors also donated to his campaign, including Golden Globe winner Don Johnson, who played the role of James “Sonny” Crockett on Miami Vice in the 1980s, and Embeth Jean Davidtz, who played “Miss Honey” in the 1996 film Matilda.
Bass also received monetary donations from famed actors, too. Pulp Fiction star Samuel Jackson donated to Bass’s campaign, alongside two-time Academy Award winner Jane Fonda, and 13 Going on 30 actress Jennifer Garner.
Trailing behind the two frontrunners is Los Angeles Councilman Kevin de Leon, who raised just over $576,000 this year and spent just over $510,000 in the same period.
De Leon also received funds from the city’s matching funds program, totaling $742,000. However, de Leon is losing momentum and only raised over half of what was raised last quarter—from September to December—totaling $1.1 million.
City Attorney Michael Feuer raised $217,600 since the start of the year, spending about $440,000, according to campaign filings. He also received $742,200 in matching funds from the city. In comparison, Feuer rose $883,150 in the last quarter.
Councilman Joe Buscaino, one of the earliest candidates to announce a bid for mayor, also lost steam compared to his earlier campaign momentum, raising just over $128,000 this year. Last quarter, Buscaino raised $176,887.
The next filing deadline is May 26, covering campaign activity from April 24 through May 21. Angelenos will have their chance to vote during the June 7 primaries, with the top two contenders facing off on Nov. 8, 2022.
