• Dignity California SEIU Local 2015 PAC: $100,000 (Jan. 28)
• Int'l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 11 PAC: $125,000 (Feb. 3)
• Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, Transportation Workers Int'l Union SMART Local 105 PAC: $22,500. (Feb. 5)

These three sums are in addition to $30,000 ((previously reported by LBREPORT.com here) given by the UnitedHere! union to the L.A. County Federation of Labor (Jan. 22), producing a net $277,500 L.A. County :Labor Federation warchest.

The Feb. 7 L.A. County Labor Federation filing indicates it is allocating $40,000 to "Field Programs Expenses $40,000" to support electing Ms. Saro from which it spent $10,000 as of Feb. 6.

LB's 6th Council district spans mainly working class areas in South Wrigley, part of Central LB and Cambodia Town.

Contributions to candidate run campaigns are limited to $400. Contributions to non-candidate-run independent campaigns are not. Independent campaigns required by state law to be genuinely independent, and are prohibited from coordinating their activities in any way with the candidate or the candidate's campaign committee. Each LB Councilmember has a co-equal vote on citywide issues including spending priorities, development/land use decisions, housing density and citywide impacting policies (such as homeless related practices.)

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Councilman Andrews cast a Sept. 19, 2017 vote against enactment of "Claudia's Law," a hotel-worker protective ordinance that would have assisted Unite Here's efforts to organize unrepresented LB hotel workers. The measure was staunchly opposed by LB hotel industry/hospitality interests and narrowly failed on a 4-5 vote (Yes: Gonzalez, Pearce, Uranga, Richardson; No: Price, Supernaw, Mungo, Andrews, Austin). The outcome infuriated organized labor interests, who waged a costly petition signature initiative drive to qualify the measure for the LB ballot where LB voters approved it.

Sponsor

Sponsor

In addition to the 6th district, organized labor interests are funding an independent expenditure campaign in the 8th Council district. A "Committee on Behalf of Working Families To Support Tunua Thrash-Ntuk For Council," Sponsored By Labor Organizations" has a warchest of $75,000 to date: $50,000 from "United Food and Commercial Workers Active Ballot Club (California)" and $25,000 from "Dignity California SEIU Local 2015 PAC. The latter is the same entity that contributed $100,000 to the L.A. County Labor Fedeeation. from which $40,000 is now being tapped to support electing Ms. Saro in the 6th district.

Sponsor

Sponsor

As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, an independent expenditure PAC has surfaced supporting incumbents Andrews and Austin, but its $14,500 cash on hand (from BNSF Railway Co: ($3,500); Edison Int'l and Affiliated Companies ($7,500); AES ($2,500) and the Long Beach Collective Ass'n:($1,000). .

Unlike the 6th district, the 8th district has a Reform Ticket candidate in the race, Juan Ovalle, who's raised a sum sufficient to wage a competitive campaign.

Sponsor

In the 6th district, incumbent Andrews has the endorsement of Mayor Robert Garcia and the LB police officers and firefighter union PACs. Ms. Saro has the endorsement of the L.A. County Democratic Party, Councilmembers Roberto Uranga, Rex Richardson and Jeannine Pearce and state Senator (former 1st dist. Councilwoman) Lena Gonzalez. Four other candidates (with considerably smaller campaign resources) are also in the 6th district race: Sharifah Hardie, Josephine Villasenor, Ana Arce and Craig Ursuy.

Councilman Andrews, first elected in April 2007, was re-elected in 2008, 2012 and 2016, in the latter election via a write-in campaign. In 2020, Andrews doesn't face a write-in requirement because of Charter Amendment BBB that he and his Council colleagues put on the Nov. 2018 ballot where Mayor Garcia (who'll also benefit from avoiding a write-in requirement if he seeks a third term in 2022) ran a six figure campaign to approve it.

Sponsor

Sponsor

On another recent Council vote, Andrews and Saro hold contrasting positions. Andrews voted against advancing a property tax increasing debt bond ballot measure (supported by Richardson, Uranga, Pearce and Zendejas) that candidate Saro has indicated she supported [potentially changing the outcome for that measure or similar measures if she were on the City Council.)

If the incumbent or a challenger receives 50%+1 of ballots cast in the March 3, 2020 election, they're elected outright; if not, the top two finishers proceed to a November 2020 runoff.

Vote by mail ballots began flying Feb. 3. If no candidate receives 50%+1 in the March 5, 2020 race, the top two finishers proceed to a November 2020 runoff.

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