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UniteHere! Union Gives $30,000 To LA County Federation of Labor For Independent Campaign Supporting 6th District Council Candidate Suely Saro; Presumed Retribution For Andrews' Vote Against 2017 Union-Sought Hotel Workers Ordinance


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(Jan. 27, 2020) -- LBREPORT.com has learned that the UniteHere! Local 11 union PAC has contributed $30,000 (to the L.A. County Federation of Labor's PAC for estimated deployment as phone banking in an independent campaign to elect Suely Saro in LB's 6th City Council district.

The L.A. County Fedeation of Labor lists the Jan. 22 contribution and its estimated phone banking in a Jan. 23 filing with the LB City Clerk's office.

Within days, vote by mail ballots will begin circulating for the March 3 election in which Ms. Saro seeks to unseat 6th district Councilman (current Council Vice Mayor) Dee Andrews. The organized labor PAC presumably targets Andrews for joining a slim Council majority on Sept. 19, 2017 in voting against Council enactment of "Claudia's Law," a hotel-worker protective ordinance that would effectively bolster UniteHere!'s efforts to organize unrepresented LB hotel workers. LB's hospitality industry and hotel intersts opposed the measure and urged its defeat, which the Council did on a 4-5 vote (Yes: Gonzalez, Pearce, Uranga, Richardson; No: Price, Supernaw, Mungo, Andrews, Austin.)




The Council vote infuriated UnitedHere! and its allies who mounted a costly petition intiiative signature gathering campaign that put Claudia's Law on the November 2018 LB ballot where LB voters approved it.

The $30,000 sum contributed by UniteHere! to the L.A. County Federation of Labor for an independent campaign supporting Ms. Saro is legally prohibited from coordinating its efforts with Ms. Saro's candidate-run campaign.

As of Jan. 18, the Saro campaign reported $28,234 cash on hand with $10,115 in outstanding debts. The Andrews campaign reported $35,531 cash on hand with $266 in outstanding debts. The Andrews campaign also retains the endorsements of Mayor Robert Garcia and the LB police officers and firefighters union PACs.

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LBREPORT.com is aware of at least one other independent expenditure PAC focusing in part on the 6th district race: "Ethical Leadership PAC, supporting Al Austin and Dee Andrews for City Council 2020" [Andrews and Austin both voted against the UniteHere! sought hotel ordinance.] It surfaced in August 2019 and has received funding contributions totaling $14,500 to date:

  • BNSF Railway Co: $3,500 (Dec. 28)
  • Edison Int'l and Affiliated Companies: $7,500 (Dec. 28)
  • AES: $2,500 (Jan. 7)
  • Long Beach Collective Ass'n: $1,000 (Jan. 22)

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Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.


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