Los Angeles City Hall (Photo: Evan Symon for the California Globe)
Enough Benjamins for George?
Los Angeles DA George Gascon’s fundraising pales compared to 2020
By Thomas Buckley, February 23, 2024 5:39 pm
In his successful quest to defeat Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey in 2020, current DA George Gascon got about $3.7 million dollars from the Smart Justice California Action fund.
True – that money was largely aimed at the general election and not the 2020 primary, but it is still telling that the very very progressive Smart Justice PAC and the very very rich women behind it – Quinn Delaney, wife of a San Francisco developer (note – I’d start saving your money, Quinn), Kaitlyn Krieger, wife of the guy who co-founded Instagram, Patty Quillin, wife of the guy who started Netflix, and Elizabeth Simons, daughter of a hedge fund billionaire – have given Geroge’s not-at-all-a-sure-thing re-election campaign only $30,000 in the past few weeks.
It is possible they are banking on Gascon getting through the March 5 primary and then dropping bags of cash on that race, but even a kid in a California public school can figure out that $3.7 million is insultingly larger than $30,000.
That does not mean that Gascon’s campaign is broke; but it does mean he does not have the funds to make the two-thirds of the public that hates him to stop doing so by election day.
In the time period between January 22 and February 17 (note- all numbers below are for this time period only) , Gascon raised about $137,000, spent about $45,000, and has about $110,000 cash still on hand. A couple notable donors to Gascon include the CEO of Planned Parenthood, LA ($2,500) and the SEIU Local 2025 which chipped in $7,500.
The fundraising leader, as he has been through the campaign, is Nathan Hochman. Hochman lists about $418,000 received, $954,000 spent (tv ads are not cheap) and he has $272,000 cash on hand. One donor may stand out for movie buffs: longtime producer Peter Guber dropped $5,000 on the Hochman campaign.
“I am overwhelmed and inspired by the growing support for my campaign from all parts of this County, from people with an array of political beliefs and economic means,” Hochman said. “These supporters have one thing in common: They are tired of Gascon’s policies, which have made them feel less safe than they did three years ago, and they want change.”
Following closely in second is Jeff Chemerinsky, raising $133,000 in, $273,000 out, and has cash on hand totaling about $364,000. In a bit of a blast from the past, Chemerinsky received a $500 donation from former state treasurer and sister of Jerry Brown Kathleen Brown.
Jon Hatami raised $81.000, spent $290,000, and has $215.000 remaining for the next two weeks.
John McKinney raised $63,000, spent $135,000, and has $78,000 on hand while Debra Archuleta raised $90,000, spent $112,000, and has $77,000 left.
Eric Siddall raised $77,000, spent $106,000, and has $64,000 remaining. Siddall did receive a $1,000 donation from Carmen Trutanich, the former LA City Attorney.
Maria Ramirez raised $30,000, spent $4,000, and has $58,000 cash on hand, Craig Mitchell raised $42,000, spent $84,000, and has about $40,000 left.
Daniel Kapleovitz raised $28,000, spent $20,000, and has $13,000 left while David Milton raised $4,000, spent $40,000, and has $45,000 remaining.
Lloyd Masson had not filed his paperwork with the LA County Registrar by the deadline of midnight.
Polls show the race for the top two spots in the primary are quite up for grabs, though there are certain hints the overall turnout for the March 5 vote may be lower than normal.
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Appreciate so much your fine coverage of this race, Thomas Buckley.
It’s interesting to see the list of the very very rich Democrats who are funding the lawlessness and destruction of California?
According to the website InfluenceWatch, it appears that Quinn Delaney and her husband Wayne Jordan co-founded the Akonadi Foundation in 2001 which is a radical left racial justice grantmaking group primarily focused in Oakland, CA. It has given 1,900 grants totaling $43 million to racial-advocacy groups primarily located in the Bay Area. Nearly all the Akonadi Foundation’s funding comes from its co-founders. In 2019, all donations to Akonadi came from Jordan and Delaney, amounting to over $4 million. Nearly all the rest of the foundation’s $7 million in revenue that year came from its endowment and the sale of assets.
In 2021, Delaney contributed to the successful campaign to elect radical left Chesa Boudin as San Francisco district attorney who was defeated in a recall election. They also contributed to the reelection campaign of California attorney general Rob Bonta. In 2019-2020, Delaney and the three other mega donors spent $22 million on criminal justice ballot measures, including to elect George Gascon as district attorney of Los Angeles.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, in 1996, Wayne Jordan listed himself as employed by Contra Costa College, a community college in San Pablo, California. Shortly after, he had also listed his employment as “real estate developer” and “attorney.” In 1998, Jordan founded Jordan Real Estate Investments, a real estate company based in Oakland, CA with projects throughout the United States.
In the 1990s, Quinn Delaney worked for the San Francisco-based investment bank Hambrecht and Quist, and for her husband’s real estate company, Jordan Real Estate Investments. Delaney has worked as an attorney for the National Center for Youth Law and the ACLU of Northern California. She sat on the board of the latter for a decade. Delaney sits on the boards of the East Bay Community Foundation, Oakland Museum of California, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Women Donors Network Action Fund, the Center for Community Change, and the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. She was formerly a board member of the Tides Foundation. Delaney is a commissioner on the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Delaney is an advisor to California Donor Table, Fund Her, Emerge America, and Way to Win.
Since 1996, Wayne Jordan has made over $7.5 million in federally reportable contributions to Democratic candidates and PACs. Jordan was the only Black individual to appear on the list of top 100 political donors since 2009. The largest recipient has been American Bridge 21st Century, an anti-Republican PAC created by David Brock, which has received over $700,000 from Jordan.
In 2008, Jordan and Delaney were jointly one of the largest donors to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and they hosted a fundraiser at their home. They were also major donors to his 2012 presidential campaign and hosted at least one fundraiser which the president attended. Delaney and Jordan have given over $1 million to the Obama Foundation.
It’s curious as to how two attorneys became so wealthy in such a short amount of time and how they are able to give away millions of dollars to Democrat candidates and PACs? Hmmm?
https://www.influencewatch.org/person/quinn-delaney/
https://www.influencewatch.org/person/wayne-jordan/
This is great bonus information, TJ. Thank you for it!
And yes, the super-speedy wealth accumulation IS curious.
Curious indeed. It could have been from the usual ways like money-laundering, human and drug trafficking, embezzlement, labor racketeering, etc. We’ll probably never know with the captured and corrupted Justice Dept. and intelligence agencies.
These people sound evil and demonic.
It’s interesting to see the list of the very very rich Democrats who are funding the lawlessness and destruction of California?
According to the website InfluenceWatch, it appears that Quinn Delaney and her husband Wayne Jordan co-founded the Akonadi Foundation in 2001 which is a radical left racial justice grantmaking group primarily focused in Oakland, CA. It has given 1,900 grants totaling $43 million to racial-advocacy groups primarily located in the Bay Area. Nearly all the Akonadi Foundation’s funding comes from its co-founders. In 2019, all donations to Akonadi came from Jordan and Delaney, amounting to over $4 million. Nearly all the rest of the foundation’s $7 million in revenue that year came from its endowment and the sale of assets.
In 2021, Delaney contributed to the successful campaign to elect radical left Chesa Boudin as San Francisco district attorney who was defeated in a recall election. They also contributed to the reelection campaign of California attorney general Rob Bonta. In 2019-2020, Delaney and the three other mega donors spent $22 million on criminal justice ballot measures, including to elect George Gascon as district attorney of Los Angeles.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, in 1996, Wayne Jordan listed himself as employed by Contra Costa College, a community college in San Pablo, California. Shortly after, he had also listed his employment as “real estate developer” and “attorney.” In 1998, Jordan founded Jordan Real Estate Investments, a real estate company based in Oakland, CA with projects throughout the United States.
In the 1990s, Quinn Delaney worked for the San Francisco-based investment bank Hambrecht and Quist, and for her husband’s real estate company, Jordan Real Estate Investments. Delaney has worked as an attorney for the National Center for Youth Law and the ACLU of Northern California. She sat on the board of the latter for a decade. Delaney sits on the boards of the East Bay Community Foundation, Oakland Museum of California, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Women Donors Network Action Fund, the Center for Community Change, and the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. She was formerly a board member of the Tides Foundation. Delaney is a commissioner on the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Delaney is an advisor to California Donor Table, Fund Her, Emerge America, and Way to Win.
Since 1996, Wayne Jordan has made over $7.5 million in federally reportable contributions to Democratic candidates and PACs. Jordan was the only Black individual to appear on the list of top 100 political donors since 2009. The largest recipient has been American Bridge 21st Century, an anti-Republican PAC created by David Brock, which has received over $700,000 from Jordan.
In 2008, Jordan and Delaney were jointly one of the largest donors to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and they hosted a fundraiser at their home. They were also major donors to his 2012 presidential campaign and hosted at least one fundraiser which the president attended. Delaney and Jordan have given over $1 million to the Obama Foundation.
It’s curious as to how two attorneys became so wealthy in such a short amount of time and how they are able to give away millions of dollars to Democrat candidates and PACs? Hmmm?
(https://www.influencewatch.org/person/quinn-delaney/)
(https://www.influencewatch.org/person/wayne-jordan/)