One week after the primary, the 12 candidates for Los Angeles County district attorney had raised nearly $6.8 million combined, according to campaign finance filings. It aroused some much more than others. Nathan Hochman, who previously ran for state attorney general as a Republican, has raised more than double the amount of his next closest competitor, former federal prosecutor Jeff Chemerinsky. This year's race includes one of the largest primary fields in the office's history.
As of Monday, George Gascón, who is running for re-election, had raised $435,000. At this point in his 2020 bid, he has raised $341,000 in his candidate committee, but he has also received about $2.5 million from outside committees supporting him. However, based on candidate panels alone, he is still far behind his rivals.
So far, fewer than 5,000 individuals, organizations and political action committees have participated in the funds raised. Most support one candidate, but about 100 have supported more than one candidate. Of those who divided their support, more than half chose to include the district attorney. Atty. Eric Siddal in their contributions.
Criminal justice reformers, unions and progressive advocacy organizations support Gascón
Many of the major criminal justice reform donors who propelled Gascón to victory in 2020 still support him. Together, Patty Quillen, philanthropist and wife of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings; Quinn Delaney, founder of the Auckland-based Decriminalization Organization; Elizabeth Simons, president of the nonprofit news organization The Marshall Project; Caitlin Krieger, co-founder of the Criminal Justice Reform Organization, spent $3.7 million to elect Gascón in 2020.
They all support his re-election.
Other advocacy-minded donors include Progressive Era PAC and the advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood. Ann Devereaux Mills, who worked to pass California's three-strikes reform, and Ann Rosenbaum Irwin, founder of Smart Justice California, contributed to his first race and donated to his re-election campaign.
It has also received contributions from the California Long Term Care Providers Federation, Service Employees International Union Local 2015, Laborers Local 94 Political Action Fund, Laborers Local 300, and the National Federation of Healthcare Workers.
Gascón planned sweeping reform changes from the moment he was sworn in, including banning prosecutors from seeking the death penalty, ending the practice of trying juveniles as adults, ending cash bail, and ending the use of sentencing enhancements. Almost all of Gascón's rivals said they would roll back some of the changes he approved on his first day in office.
District Attorney's Office, law enforcement and bail bond companies
Since Gascón became district attorney, he has been locked in a battle with members of his own office. Now his internal opposition has largely divided its support among county MPs. Atty. Maria Ramirez, district representative. Atty. John McKinney, District Attorney. Atty. Jonathan Hatami and Siddall. McKinney received the most support from within the district attorney's office, with nearly $18,000 contributed from 45 employees. Seventy-one members of the Attorney General's staff contributed to support a candidate other than Gascón, who himself received only two contributions. But the firm employs roughly 1,000 lawyers, so that's a small portion of its staff.
Los Angeles County. Of the deputy prosecutors, the union representing prosecutors under Gascón endorsed its former immediate deputy president, Siddall, who served on its board for 10 years. The union contributed $7,500 to the candidate committee and $3,000 to Ramirez. The group also donated $1,500 each to McKinney and Hatami. The Society had a tense relationship with Gascon.
So far, contributions from police officers and other law enforcement personnel have been low, totaling about $29,000. Glendale Police Officers Association. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Debra Archuleta, Hatami and Ramirez contributed to the PAC. Burbank Police Officers Association. He supported and gave to Archuleta. El Monte Police Officers Association. The PAC was handed over to Hatami who was working in the area.
In the 2020 race, police organizations will participate, including the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, and the Peace Officers Research Association. California's governor spent millions supporting his opponent, Boycott. Atty. Jackie Lacey. These organizations have not yet provided any support to any candidate's campaign this year.
Gascón directed prosecutors to no longer require cash bail for any misdemeanor and nonviolent crimes, a policy the Los Angeles County Superior Court recently adopted, though it is currently facing a lawsuit.
Hatami has been an outspoken opponent of Gascón's broad no-bail policy and has said he will push for no-bail for all non-violent misdemeanors and for bail for all felonies and violent misdemeanors. Hatami received about $17,000 from bail bond companies and their employees.
Real estate and finance returns Hochman
As in his 2022 campaign for California Attorney General against Rob Bonta, Hochman received financial support from real estate and financial interests. More than 120 people working in the real estate industry contributed $792,000 to Hochman. About 60 wealth management investors and bankers contributed a total of $118,000.
Gerald Marcel, a major Republican donor and large real estate owner, is Hochman's biggest supporter ever. Through his own contributions, as well as from his family and businesses, Marcel transferred approximately $550,000 to committees supporting Hochman. He is also a major opponent of Gascon. Marcel spent $1.3 million on Gascón's recall campaign and contributed to Hochman's attorney general's campaign.
Other industry donors include Bradley Mindlin, founder of real estate investment firm Oro Capital Advisors, and his wife, Lisa Mindlin, who together contributed $44,000. Jeffrey A. Kaplan, an attorney and mobile home park owner, and his wife, Tracy Kaplan, donated a total of $12,000. Real estate developer owners Brian, Mark and Marshall Ezralow donated a total of $19,000.
The real estate investment industry has also played a role in the effort to recall Gascón, but some of the attorney general's biggest opponents in the field have yet to back a challenger. Jeffrey Palmer, a billionaire real estate developer and major Republican donor, spent $2.2 million trying to recall Gascón and $116,000 supporting Hochman's run for attorney general.
Douglas Emmett Properties, a real estate investment firm co-founded and headed by Dan Emmett and one of Southern California's largest office building owners, spent nearly $580,000 on the recall effort and $100,000 on Hochman's campaign for attorney general.
Neither of them contributed to a candidate in this session.
Real estate developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso gave Siddall $7,500. Caruso had previously supported Gascón's recall efforts and donated $45,000 to support his opponent Lacey. Caruso also hosted a fundraiser ahead of the 2020 election to support Gascón.
Chemerinsky's growing support
More than a third of Chemerinsky's support came from working lawyers. Nearly 380 attorneys across Southern California from a wide range of firms and public agencies have donated nearly $370,000 in total to his campaign.
Chemerinsky's father, Irwin, a respected legal scholar and dean of Berkeley Law, gave $7,500, the maximum contribution to the nominee committee. Overall, Jeff Chemerinsky received $30,000 from dozens of contributions from law professors and others in the academic community, more than any other candidate.
His largest contribution came from Charlene Marsh of Dallas, who gave $42,500.
Many of Gascón's biggest supporters remain largely quiet
In Gascón's 2020 election and recall attempt, a significant portion of the millions raised for Gascón came from deep-pocketed donors. To date, most of these individuals have contributed a fraction of their previous donations or not at all, perhaps hampered by the lack of an external committee with no contribution limits.
George Soros, a major Democratic donor and founder of the Open Society Foundations, spent $2.25 million on Gascón's previous race in November.
Stephen Robinson, owner of an Anaheim craft brewery and husband of Janet Crowne, a member of the Chicago-based billionaire Crowne family, has poured nearly $100,000 into the effort to recall Gascón. He and Crown spent $12,000 supporting Siddall and contributed $3,000 to Hochman.
Gascón is expected to make it through the primary, so his former supporters may be waiting for the second half of the race to see who he will face.
