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LA socialists (heart) billionaires
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Apparently, Los Angeles socialism runs on billionaire money.
That is the increasingly absurd contradiction unfolding inside Los Angeles politics, where hard-line left-wing donors tied to Silicon Valley and Bay Area fortunes are pouring massive sums into candidates and activist movements that regularly condemn wealth, capitalism, and the billionaire class itself.
The checks, however, keep clearing.
Campaign filings show a small network of ultra-wealthy progressive donors helping finance political organizations and independent expenditure campaigns tied to Democratic Socialists of America candidates and criminal justice activists operating in Los Angeles politics.
One major funding vehicle is Smart Justice California Action Fund.
Transparency USA records show Patty Quillin — the wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings — contributed roughly $1.8 million to the organization. Elizabeth Simons, daughter of hedge fund billionaire Jim Simons, contributed nearly another $1 million. Kaitlyn Krieger added more than $134,000.
The earlier donor network also included Quinn Delaney, a longtime progressive activist and heiress who helped finance George Gascón’s rise.
The money is now surfacing in current Los Angeles races.
The same fund has put $800,000 behind efforts benefiting Marissa Roy, the DSA-backed candidate for Los Angeles city attorney, $300,000 into efforts supporting Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, and $200,000 tied to Westside candidate Faizah Malik while opposing Councilwoman Traci Park.
That is not theory. It is a live effort to decide who runs City Hall.
Roy has been linked to a proposal for a temporary freeze on misdemeanors during the first 100 days — exactly the kind of idea........