Donations made to L.A. City Councilman Kevin de León’s reelection campaign may have exceeded state law limitations.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating contributions made by a nonprofit that provides food to low-income families in De León’s district, according to the Los Angeles Times.
An anonymous complaint filed to the agency last November claims contributions from World Harvest Family and Charity Services employees and the founder’s family may have violated state laws, the Times reported. Section 84308 of the Political Reform Act restricts contributions to government officials from individuals or organizations with business before their agency to $250.
The Times reports that De León’s campaign accepted $6,900 in donations during the 2023-2024 election season from seven people who work for the nonprofit, with an additional $3,600 donated from the founder’s wife and daughter.
The Fair Political Practices Commission is California’s campaign and ethics watchdog agency, which investigates elected officials from the local level up to the governor.
In May 2023, De León, who represents Boyle Heights, El Sereno, parts of downtown L.A., and Northeast L.A. in CD14, awarded World Harvest a $480,000 contract and increased it to $1.91 million in February, The Times said.
Alicia Romero, a secretary at World Harvest who signed the contract, contributed $1,000 to De León’s campaign in September 2023 and another $900 in May 2024, according to the L.A. City Ethics Commission.
However, a campaign representative informed Glen Curado, World Harvest’s founder and chief executive, that Romero was ineligible to donate due to her status as an “officer” of the nonprofit. The campaign returned as much as $1,000 to Romero. City ethics laws prohibit officeholders from accepting contributions from high-ranking officials of companies with substantial contracts with the city.
David Meraz, a campaign consultant for De León, denied any wrongdoing. “Our campaign has always been transparent and in full compliance with the law regarding donations,” Meraz told the L.A. Times.
In an interview with The Times, Curado called the FPPC investigation “stupid” and said no one from the state agency had contacted him.
De León, a former state lawmaker, will face off against tenants rights attorney Ysabel Jurado in next week’s runoff election.
