Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass solicited $22 million from lobbyist-linked donors

An investigation has revealed that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has solicited at least $22 million from donors for two nonprofits associated with her office, despite a 2023 ethics pledge intended to limit lobbyist influence.

The donations were directed to the Mayor’s Fund Los Angeles and the Getty House Foundation. According to reports, more than 300 payments were made by corporations and organizations that also employ city lobbyists. Some of these donors include companies such as Amazon, McDonald’s, AltaMed, and HDR.

While Bass implemented what she described as the “most strict ethics reforms ever implemented” by these organizations to restore trust in City Hall, the investigation suggests the safeguards did not prevent companies paying city lobbyists from contributing to the nonprofits at her request. Bass serves as an advisor to the board of the Mayor’s Fund, while the Getty House Foundation is associated with the city-owned residence where she lives.