Embattled Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León has raised $117,285 for his re-election campaign, the latest filings for July 1 to Sept. 30 show. That makes de León one of the top fundraisers this quarter, second only to Assemblymember Miguel Santiago. It’s a striking feat for a Democrat who was called on to resign by President Joe Biden just a year ago.
To recap, de León was among three L.A. politicians caught up in last year’s racist tape scandal. Unlike former council president Nury Martinez, he refused to bow to pressure to resign. And it might be paying off.
According to the Los Angeles Times, de León has picked up contributions from Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, former Councilmember Dennis Zine, and two people also implicated in the tape scandal — former Councilmember Gil Cedillo and former County Labor Federation head Ron Herrera.
The race for District 14 will feature several challengers. Aside from Santiago, Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, tenant advocate Ysabel Jurado and attorney Teresa Hillery are running for the seat.