An analysis of
contributions to Councilman Mike Bonin reveals that two-thirds of the donations to his campaign fund since November
2012, when he first announced for office, have come from those with addresses outside
of Council District 11, in many instances far away from Los Angeles.
Residents
of Council District 11 have long found Bonin unresponsive to their concerns. The analysis, which was conducted by CPA Tom
Carter, Venice residents Angela McGregor and
Lisa Lubchansky, and Mar Vista resident Jackie Hung, shows that he is giving
his time and attention to those who live outside CD 11 and even outside of Los Angeles.
“The time
and energy involved in such far-flung fundraising and the required travel
subtracts mightily from the time and focus he should be devoting to his
constituents,” said Mark Ryavec, the president of Venice Stakeholders
Association.
“Apparently
Mike listens to those who pay for access,” said Ryavec. “We certainly have had no success getting his
attention to the horrendous problems we face with homeless encampments in Venice so maybe we are
not paying enough.”
Bonin received
$591,620 (64.4%) from 1218 donors (60%) outside CD 11, with multiple donations
from donors with addresses in Pasadena (26), Long Beach (26), San Pedro (25), Beverly
Hills (76), Santa Monica (124), Sacramento (11), Simi Valley (6), Newport Beach
(8), Irvine (17), San Diego (7), Studio City (11), Encino (17), Burbank (9), Sherman
Oaks (19), Woodland Hills (6), Tarzana (5), Valencia (6), Calabasas (7),
Glendale (7), Redondo Beach (8), Manhattan Beach (15), Malibu (9), Gardena (7),
Houston and Dallas, TX (14), Chicago, IL (9), Arlington, VA (3), Washington, DC
(14), New York City (9), and 16 cities in Massachusetts (26).
By
comparison, Bonin received $326,846 (35.6%) from 800 donors (40%) who listed an
address in the Council District 11 communities of Pacific Palisades, Brentwood,
West Los Angeles, Mar Vista, Venice, Del Rey, Playa Vista, Playa del Rey and Westminster.
The analysis leads to the question: “Who does Mike Bonin represent when
he received more contributions from Santa Monica
- 124 - than from 90291 - Venice’s
main zip code – at 116.”
