Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is openly advertising a program whereby the city — that is, the taxpayer — will do a six-to-one match on any donation given to her campaign.
But the scandal is even worse than some shocked critics realize. The Los Angeles Public Matching Campaign Funds Program has been in place apparently since 2019 and is accessible to multiple candidates who apply. That means that numerous woke leftists are getting taxpayer money from the city government in order to run for office. This isn’t just about Bass; it’s a bigger problem that might merit state or federal investigation.
You can watch Bass’s video below. In it, she proudly and enthusiastically declared, “Your donation to our campaign is more critical right now than ever before. Let me explain. Thanks to L.A.'s supermatch program, every qualified donation from Los Angeles residents is matched six to one by the city.”
It seems that she lost all of her money paying off homeless people to vote for her or some such admirable cause, because she claimed she is fresh out of cash. “But after the primary, we had to start over from scratch, so we need you to rush your matching donation right now to help fuel this campaign,” Bass urged. “Chip in five dollars right now and the city turns it into 35. Chip in $25 right now, and the city turns it into $175. Make your matching donation today. Thank you so much.”
When you donate to our campaign, the city can match your donation 6 to 1! If you donate $5, the city turns it into $35. Our campaign is powered by YOU!
— Karen Bass (@KarenBassLA) August 18, 2026
Click the link in our bio to make your matching donation today!https://t.co/shTvSCpGGg pic.twitter.com/C4RTvTWIIi
It is against California campaign regulations to use public funds for advertising certain ballot measures that candidates wish to promote. It is also illegal to use public funds for political ads and advance polling purposes. It would therefore seem that the Los Angeles program is at least potentially in violation of these state regulations.
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Multiple sources I looked at, including official documentation from the Los Angeles city government, seem to be rather reluctant to define what public financing means, but the Campaign Legal Center explained that, as you might expect, it means a government program for providing taxpayer money to certain candidates.
It’s all very well to say that the city is matching donations, but the city doesn’t generate any of its own money. It has to use other people’s money. In other words, the city is forcing Los Angeles taxpayers, whether Democrat, Republican, or independent, into becoming donors to Bass’s campaign and other campaigns through the matching funds program.
You might remember that Bass broke an electioneering law by filming herself voting at a dropbox while encouraging others to vote for her, and using the video as a campaign ad. So it would hardly be shocking if it turned out that she and other city Democrats were also in violation of state campaign laws through the matching funds program. And even if the program is not illegal, it is certainly scandalous.
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