Los Angeles mayor faces backlash over taxpayer-funded campaign matching scheme
Mayor Karen Bass promoted a city program that multiplies resident donations six-to-one with public funds, sparking criticism that taxpayer money is being used for her re-election.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released an online advertisement urging residents to give to her re-election campaign, highlighting a city-run “super match” that multiplies each qualified donation by six using taxpayer dollars. The video, shared on the campaign’s X account, claimed a $5 contribution would count as $35 and a $25 contribution as $175 toward the campaign. The matching program, in place for mayoral races since the early 1990s and expanded to a 6-to-1 ratio in 2019, requires candidates to meet specific fundraising thresholds and hold public events.
Republican Party of Los Angeles County chair Roxanne Hoge and other public figures denounced the scheme as a way for officials to enrich themselves with public money, despite its legality. The controversy has drawn attention online, with commentators labeling the practice “grotesque” and “outrageous.” The program caps matched donations at $1,799 per donor and limits total matched funds to just over $1.5 million in the general election.
Why it matters
It raises questions about how public funds are used in local election financing and the transparency of campaign practices.
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