The Brief

This is an excerpt from Make It Make Sense, our pop-up newsletter on the 2024 election. If you want weekly updates through September on following the money this election season, sign up here.

We’re about eight weeks out from Election Day, which means it’s prime season for political ads in your mailbox. So how do we find out more about who’s paying for them?

In the past month alone, I’ve gotten not one, not two, but three mailers from the same campaign — No on Proposition 33.

It's a statewide ballot measure that would give cities and counties the ability to expand rent control to properties where it’s currently not allowed. And from the looks of it, someone is really, really invested in making sure it doesn’t get passed.

Who exactly is this someone? Well, for starters, some information is printed right on the mailer: “Ad paid for by NO on 33, Californians for Responsible Housing: A Bi-Partisan Coalition of Affordable Housing Advocates, Taxpayers, Veterans, and Small Businesses. Ad committee’s top funder: California Apartment Association”

That’s a lot of words, but they only tell you so much. We know the California Apartment Association helped pay for the ad, but who are the other “affordable housing advocates, taxpayers, veterans and small businesses” that make up this group? (And some of you may be wondering: Is your landlord one of them?)

We’ll help you follow the trail, but first, let’s go over some basics.

Political committees 101

• What’s a political committee? In an election, all political ad spending has to come from a committee. That’s any group of people (it can even be just one individual) who wants to raise or spend money to support or oppose a candidate or ballot measure. 
  
• How they work: Some committees stick around for a long time, putting money behind various measures year after year. One example is the Protect Prop. 13 committee — a project from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, an anti-tax group that has been around for decades. For the most part, committees are ephemeral: They come together for one specific purpose in an election, then disappear.
  
• Who's behind it? All committees have to file a form that outlines their purpose, names of officers and some basic contact details. This information alone may not be enough to reveal the source. You can find a fair amount of information about who contributed money to a committee — and that's where you'll find the really juicy details.

Where to find campaign spending information

For state ballot measures, all the campaign finance information you want to dig through can be found on the California secretary of state’s website. It's campaign finance database is called Cal-Access.

If you’re following the money trail in county or city elections, you’ll have to get that info from the county or city department that tracks campaign finance information (usually the county registrar or city clerk).

Once you get to the secretary of state’s website, you can look up any committee’s name to find out what they’re all about — who’s listed on file as treasurer, previous names the committee has used, who’s contributed money to them and where they’ve spent that money.

What we found on the NO on 33 committee

I looked up the NO on 33, Californians for Responsible Housing committee, and here’s what came up:

• Who started the committee: The names of the officers listed (on a filing called Form 410) are Elli Abdoli, Joel S. Aurora and Tom Bannon, and they’re based out of San Rafael and Sacramento. The committee is sponsored by the California Apartment Association.
  
• Previous names they’ve used: This committee has been around for a while under slightly different names, one of which is “No on Prop 21: Californians for Responsible Housing, A Coalition of Seniors, Veterans, Affordable Housing Advocates, Labor & Social Justice Organizations.” (Prop. 21 was a failed rent control measure from 2020 that is essentially the same as Prop. 33, so it makes sense they’d revive that same committee for this year’s election.)
  
• How much money they’ve raised: They’ve reported raising about $5.1 million dollars between January and the end of June this year. (Remember that the propositions weren’t even finalized for the ballot until late June, so expect this number to be much higher by November.) 
  
• How much money they’ve spent: About $1.7 million between January and the end of June this year.
  
• Who contributed money to them: A quick look through “Contributions Received” finds a handful of small donations from individuals, ranging from $100 to $1,000 each. (This is where you can check if your landlord donated, or anyone else you’re curious about!)  The list shows the vast majority of the money — several contributions of $75,000 to $700,000 each — came from the California Apartment Association Issues Committee. 
  
• Another committee! Yep. Committees often contribute money to other committees. You can look up this committee, too — and when you do, you’ll see a much longer list of individual contributors to this fund. If you look at “Contributions Made,” you’ll also see that the California Apartment Association Issues Committee has put in a significant amount of money to support Prop. 34 in this year’s election, a measure that has to do with health care — but we’ll go down that rabbit hole in another post.
  
• What’s the takeaway? Looking at the contributors to both committees, it’s clear that real estate interests — property management companies, developers, brokers and investment agencies from all around California — are putting in the vast majority of money to this committee. That’s probably not surprising, and this isn’t the only group spending money against Prop. 33, but it does give you a better idea of who makes up the “affordable housing advocates, taxpayers, veterans and small businesses” referenced in the mailer.  

At this point you may be wondering why this group is so invested in preventing Prop. 33 from passing. You can read more about the ins and outs of the rent control measure in our voter guide.

I hope this gives you a good starting point for following the money in other campaign ads, whether that’s through TV, text or mail. Let us know what you find.

We’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at blee@scpr.org.

The L.A. County District Attorney alleges a former Los Angeles Unified information technology employee illegally helped a tech company win more than $22 million in district contracts. Prosecutors say the case is “one of the largest money laundering schemes” in the district’s history.

According to the complaint, between 2018 and 2022 Hong “Grace” Peng worked in LAUSD’s IT department and participated in the approval and recommendation of over $22 million in payments to Innive Inc. for services primarily related to the district’s student data system. In the same time period, prosecutors allege Innive CEO Gautham Sampath paid Peng over $3 million.

“This is the type of evidence that you just shake your head, like you can’t believe it,” said District Attorney Nathan Hochman in a recorded statement about the case.

Hochman presented multiple text messages where Peng and Sampath discussed Innive’s contracts with the district. In one, Peng said Sampath was “lucky” she was on a selection committee. When he asked why, she responded "Because you have me...lol...I broke all law for you already lol."

Peng declined to comment when reached by LAist.

Michael Kraut, an attorney for Sampath, said his client had no knowledge of how the contract was awarded.

 "There's been no wrongdoing in terms of not producing, or theft of this money, or embezzling this money," Kraut said. "This is a case in which my client and his company produced exactly what they were contracted to do in the high tech field for LAUSD and the software."

Kraut said the $3 million was related to other "long-term contractual issues" with Peng and had "nothing to do" with the LAUSD contract.

"The DA's office is going to realize that they have made a mistake in this matter and jumped the gun and in fact, there is no criminal intent or actions by my client or his company," he said.

How did the alleged conduct come to light?

According to the complaint, the district first became aware of the alleged scheme in 2022, when an LAUSD IT employee attended a conference and learned from a former colleague of a possible connection between Peng and Sampath. The district employee alerted a supervisor, who alerted the district's inspector general.

A district spokesperson sent LAist a statement Thursday saying staff will continue to participate in the investigation “as appropriate.”

“We will not comment further on the specifics of the case while legal proceedings are ongoing,” the statement read.

What happens now?

Prosecutors charged Sampath with felony counts related to money laundering, “having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity” and “aiding and abetting a government official to have a financial interest in a contract or purchase” made in an official capacity. Peng faces two felony counts — one related to money laundering and the other with “having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.”

The court issued warrants for Peng and Sampath’s arrests and bail was set at $500,000 for each.

The Los Angeles Metro Board approved on Thursday the agency staff-recommended route of the K Line Northern extension with an amendment.

The amendment calls for additional study of tunneling under Mid-City to inform what that section of the train ends up looking like.

The amendment was billed as a compromise in a political push-and-pull that continued into early Thursday morning between unabashed supporters of the route, including the city of West Hollywood, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who has tried to appease persistent concerns over the project's impact on residents of the Lafayette Square neighborhood.

“ I am very optimistic, and I'm very pleased that we got to an agreement so that we can all move together jointly,” West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said to LAist in an interview before the vote.

Metro staff, Horvath and Bass assured the public Thursday that the approved amendment won’t delay the project, including the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County’s joint plan to potentially front billions of dollars to kickstart the project without raising taxes.

“[The amendment] explicitly ensures that continued study, engagement and refinement in the Mid-City segment will proceed without scheduling, cost or job impacts,” Bass said about the amendment during the meeting.

The amendment was unanimously approved in an 11-0 vote. Metro Board Directors Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker and Holly Mitchell recused themselves since they own property in proximity to the proposed extension.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has championed the K Line Northern Extension.

(

Samanta Helou Hernandez

/

LAist

)

The low-down on the extension

The K Line currently runs from Redondo Beach to Crenshaw and stops at the LAX/Metro Transit Center. Earlier in March, Metro officials recommended a nearly 10-mile route for the train to continue north through Mid City and West Hollywood and terminate at the Hollywood Bowl.

The route would connect to the D Line in Wilshire and the B Line in Hollywood, closing a north-south gap that currently exists in Metro’s rail network. The extension would link to cultural hubs, including the Museum District and Hollywood Bowl, major employers such as Cedars Sinai Medical Center and queer nightlife along Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards.

According to Metro staff estimates, the route that was mostly approved today would serve the highest number of riders and reach the most residents and jobs compared to other alternatives studied.

You can read more about the specifics and the lead up to Thursday’s vote in our earlier coverage.

Didn’t Metro already study tunneling in Mid-City?

Lafayette Square residents have for years expressed fears over the effects of tunneling on property values, noise and vibration.

Based on the concerns, the Metro Board directed agency staff in October 2024 to do further analysis and community outreach. That work, which cost an additional $2.3 million, involved studying 12 different route options through Mid-City and concluded that tunneling will be deep enough to zero out any surface-level disruptions.

It’s unclear what the study prescribed by the amendment approved Thursday will materialize that hasn’t already been addressed.

Once fully built out, the K Line will run from the South Bay to Hollywood.

(

L.A. Metro

)

What happens now?

Thursday’s affirmative vote was necessary before the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County pursue a plan to capture a certain proportion of future property tax growth in a defined area near the project and funnel it towards construction. Critically, this plan wouldn’t involve raising taxes.

“Every time a property is redeveloped or sold, it adds to that increment, which adds to the amount of money that you can raise,” Eli Lipmen, head of transit advocacy group Move LA and supporter of the Metro-recommended route for the extension, said to LAist last week.

Now that the board green-lit the route, West Hollywood City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will pursue creating the district within which property tax growth could be captured.

The completion of that legislative work will trigger a 12- month clock to conduct the additional Mid-City tunneling study and finalize the route there.

It’s all about compromise

A draft version of the amendment that circulated earlier this week did not include the 12-month time cap on the additional analysis, which raised a red flag for the city of West Hollywood.

“If additional outreach and technical work must be done … it should be capped at a reasonable maximum duration to prevent further delays,” Heilman and City Councilmember Chelsea Byers wrote in a Wednesday letter to the Board.

Heilman said he worked through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning with Horvath and Metro and Bass’ staff toward the amendment that the Board approved.

Today’s vote isn’t final project approval, and it will return back to the Metro Board several more times before shovels hit the ground.

The projected cost of the train is fluid until the Mid-City section is finalized. However, earlier estimates had the staff-recommended route for the train extension coming in at around $15 billion. Measure M, the half-cent sales tax county voters approved a decade ago, includes more than $2 billion for the project.

Those funds won’t be available until the 2040s, but the financing plan that West Hollywood and the county are pursuing could expedite the release of that money and construction.

The current Metro K Line train opened to the public on October 7, 2022.

(

Raquel Natalicchio

/

for LAist

)

K Line Northern Extension elicited historic feedback from community

Public officials said the K Line Northern extension was an extraordinary display of community passion and pressure.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who sits on the Metro Board and was listed as a co-author on the draft amendment, said he received “767 emails from West Hollywood.”

“I applaud you,” Butts said during the meeting. “You guys are the strongest advocacy group I’ve seen in 54 years of municipal service.”

The days are getting longer and there's way more pastel out there — yes, it's Easter Sunday on April 5. You may be thinking about getting together with friends and family, so here's a list of the best Easter brunches under $100 per person that your whole fluffle will love.

(In case you didn’t know, a fluffle is an adorable way to say a group of bunnies, so rabbits just got even cuter.)

The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills (West Hollywood)

Celebrate Spring with a lively Easter brunch.

(

Courtesy The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills

)

The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills is hosting a Rooftop Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt when you visit the hotel on Easter weekend.

The menu for Easter Sunday is à la carte and includes crab toast green papaya ($24), lemon ricotta hotcakes ($26), and wood charred spring lamb ($48), among others. Guests with brunch reservations can also enjoy a visit from the Easter Bunny, cookie decorating on the rooftop, plus an egg hunt at 9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. for the kids. Meanwhile, adults can take a ride on the London rooftop Bloody Mary trolley ($26).

Make your reservations on OpenTable

• Location: 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood
  Hours: Brunch is from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

LouLou Santa Monica (Santa Monica)

The Easter-themed champagne flight at LouLou.

(

Courtesy LouLou

)

Perched atop the Santa Monica Place mall is Lou Lou, a French-inspired rooftop spot known for live DJs, drag shows, and more.

For Easter, they're offering an unlimited brunch buffet ($75), including “Le Gigot D’agneau,” a seven-hour roasted leg of lamb, along with dauphine potatoes, flageolet beans, and deviled eggs. Easter-themed cocktails will also be available. Entertainment includes Live DJ Music and a visit from the Lapin himself.

Make your reservations on OpenTable. Parking is FREE for 90 minutes in the surrounding structures.

• Location: 395 Santa Monica Place #300, Santa Monica
  Hours: Brunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
  

Rooftop of the Wayfarer Hotel (DTLA)

The view from the Wayfarer hotel rooftop.

(

Courtesy Wayfarer Hotel

)

Get lost in the skyline of downtown Los Angeles as you nibble Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon and plunge into buttermilk pancakes. This unlimited brunch includes glazed honey ham, roasted Pacifico sea bass, and a roasted leg of lamb with pomegranate chimichurri. Dessert includes a seasonal fruit display, mini cheesecakes, and cookies. The cost is $70 for adults and $35 for children ages 3 to 12.

Make your reservations on OpenTable.

• Location: 813 Flower St., Los Angeles
  Hours: Brunch is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Raymond 1886 (Pasadena)

The Raymond 1886 Hotel's exterior

(

Courtesy The Raymond 1886

)

There's nothing quite like stepping back in time while dining in the craftsman-style dining room at The Raymond 1886. Whether you're outside on the patio or tucked inside a dark booth, it's hard not to feel right at home. Easter specials include a pastry and fruit board for the table, featuring everything from apple coffee cake to spinach quiche, plus seasonal fruit and berries ($40). You also can't go wrong with Grand Marnier-infused French toast ($24) or a garden omelette ($24). Brunch cocktails include familiar mimosas ($15) alongside more inventive beverages like a charred sunset cocktail with mezcal strawberry foam ($18).

Reservations can be made on their website.

The Portofino Hotel & Marina (Redondo Beach)

The view from the Portofino hotel and marina.

(

Courtesy The Portofino Hotel and Marina

)

For a truly family-friendly experience, visit The Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, where the Bayside Ballroom is home to your brunch. The hotel will offer two seatings for an endless dining experience, complete with pancakes and waffles, a smoked salmon station, a full charcuterie and cheese board, made-to-order omelettes, prime rib and a sweet station.

Even more important than the food is the fun, which includes an egg hunt and face painting for the kids following the brunch. Adults also have a chance to win prizes, like an overnight stay in a junior suite. The price is $95 for adults and $45 for children under $12.

Reservations can be made on their website.

Gelson's (Various)

Focus on family instead of fixing things up, thanks to an Easter brunch at home, catered by Gelson's.

Try a spiral-glazed ham that feeds eight ($60) or a vegetable lasagna for 12 ($75) Finish the fiesta with touches like fresh flowers ($8.99+) and smoked salmon deviled eggs with caviar ($45 for 24 pieces).

Online ordering is already open with store pickup from April 3 to April 5. The last day to order is April 3.

The Culver Hotel (Culver City)

Tea for two, or however many you'd like, at the Culver Hotel.

(

Courtesy Culver Hotel

)

The Culver Hotel will host their afternoon tea in the Grand Lobby and Crystal Room, where Easter bonnets are encouraged. Take in the sounds of a live harpist while you relish in housemade scones, chicken curry tea sandwiches, petit fours, and loose-leaf teas.

The cost is $75 per person before adding on garden-fresh cocktails or bubbly. The hotel will also be hosting a full buffet brunch for $95 per person and $45 for children if you'd prefer a little more feasting. Face painting will be offered in the garden for children of all ages.

Make your reservations on OpenTable for both the tea and the brunch.

Bunny Bungalows (The Grove and The Americana at Brand)

Too many brunch cocktails and you'll start thinking this guy is real.

Although not a brunch, it’s easy to curate an afternoon adventure around this family photo opportunity. The Easter Bunny is currently burrowing at the Bunny Bungalows at The Grove and The Americana at Brand. Make your reservations from now until Sunday, April 5, for VIB (very important bunny) photo packages. Caruso Members can get extra perks like petting zoo access on select days, and keep your eyes open for golden egg days, which come with $15 vouchers to select restaurants. Pricing begins at $55.

The International Olympic Committee will prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women's sports, starting at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The new policy, approved by the IOC's executive committee Thursday, requires all athletes to undergo a genetic test to compete in women's sporting events at the Olympics.

The move comes as transgender athletes' participation in sports at all levels — from youth athletics to professional competition — faces intense scrutiny and often partisan debate, including in communities in California.

"At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said today, announcing the ban. "So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category."

The number of transgender women competing in international sporting events like the Olympics is estimated to be tiny, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA Law, a research center focused on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. The push to bar trans athletes from girls' and women's sports has picked up as a raft of new policies in the U.S. target the rights of transgender people.

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to keep trans athletes out of women's sports, through an executive order and legal action, including a lawsuit against California for allowing trans girls to compete in girls' school sports.

" It is basically the IOC bowing down to the pressure on its body by the federal government, and particularly Donald Trump," said Terra Russell-Slavin with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, responding to the new policy on Thursday.

About the new policy

The new Olympic policy limits participation in the women's competitions to "biological females" in order "to ensure fairness, safety and integrity in elite competition."

The IOC had previously allowed individual sports federations to set their own rules for trans athletes — but the topic became a huge focus of controversy in Paris in 2024, when conservative commentators questioned the sex of two female Olympic boxers, including gold medalist Imane Khelif, kicking off an international firestorm.

The policy change faced immediate criticism from some women's groups and LGBTQ organizations.

“By mandating sex testing and excluding transgender and intersex women from competition, the International Olympic Committee is embracing a policy that invites confusion, stigma and invasive scrutiny rather than clarity or safety," Brian Dittmeier, director of LGBTQI equality at the National Women’s Law Center, said in a statement.

Dittmeier also said the decision would "trickle down" to school sports and discourage young athletes. According to a recent survey by the L.A.-based Trevor Project, less than one in three young LGBTQ people reported participating in sports. Many cited fear of discrimination as a barrier.

The policy will require all female athletes to do an SRY gene test to determine if a "Y" chromosome is present. According to the IOC, with "rare exceptions," no athletes who test positive will be able to compete in women's sports at the Olympics.

Groups respond to new rule

InterACT, a group that advocates for intersex youth, said the IOC's new required genetic test discriminates against intersex athletes — athletes whose sex characteristics don't fall into the binary categories of male or female.

"Sex testing invades all women’s privacy, forcing them to give up their personal medical and genetic information for the IOC to determine if they are 'woman enough' to compete," Erika Lorshbough, interACT’s executive director, said in a statement.

Some groups in California celebrated the change, including the California Family Council, a conservative and religious advocacy group that is pushing the California Interscholastic Federation, California high school's governing body for sports, to ban trans youth from girls' sports.

"We're going to see that reflected in the Olympics, which will be coming up in L.A.," Sophia Lorey with California Family Council said in a video on Instagram about the IOC's new policy. "So it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out."

Russell-Slavin with the L.A. LGBT Center said Olympic organizers and local politicians should respond to the ban by affirming their support for trans people in Los Angeles.

" The fact that the policy will be implemented for the first time in Los Angeles is also at direct odds with our values as a city," she said. "I feel very clearly that one of the things that makes Los Angeles so great is our diversity and our inclusion, and this is the opposite."