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Digging Into the Money Raised in the District 15 L.A. City Council Race

Illustration of L.A. city hall used as a piggy bank by a person's hand putting green dollar bills into it
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Tim McOsker has a huge financial advantage over Danielle Sandoval in the race for the councilmember seat in Los Angeles City Council District 15.
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This article is published in conjunction with Crosstown.

When Joe Buscaino opted to run for mayor instead of trying for a third and final term as the councilmember representing District 15, four people stepped up to replace him. In the June primary, 19,250 ballots were cast.

Tim McOsker, a businessman and nonprofit director with long ties to City Hall, finished first with 37.7% of the vote. Danielle Sandoval, an entrepreneur who has served on neighborhood councils, came in second with 29.4%. Since no one earned a majority, they will slug it out in the Nov. 8 runoff.

McOsker had a tremendous financial advantage in the first round, raising $596,000, according to documents filed with the City Ethics Commission. That dwarfed the $71,400 secured by Sandoval.

The disparity continues in the runoff. Through Nov. 2, McOsker had outraised Sandoval more than eight-to-one. According to Ethics Commission disclosures, he has pulled in $458,623. Sandoval has $52,302.

pie chart showing amount of money in donations for 2022 la city council district 15 candidates. Danielle Sandoval received $52302 and Tim McOsker received $458623

The district at the southern tip of Los Angeles encompasses the economic engine of the Port of Los Angeles, and the neighborhoods of San Pedro and Wilmington. It is connected by a thin strip to more northern parts of the city, and includes communities such as Watts and Harbor City.

Here is how the candidates’ fundraising breaks down.

Tim McOsker

McOsker is part of a family long active in civic affairs in San Pedro. He was chief of staff to Mayor Jim Hahn, and recently helmed the nonprofit AltaSea.

The $496,000 in contributions he has reported in the runoff includes a $37,000 personal loan. Residents of ZIP code 90732, in his home base of San Pedro, have given him $53,532, more than any other area.

Tim McOster stands with his hands in his pockets at a Port of L.A. berth between a warehouse and a ship
Tim McOsker, former AltaSea Chief Executive Officer, is running for the Los Angeles City Council seat in Council District 5, which covers San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles. | Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

According to an Ethics Commission dashboard that tracks the location of campaign donations, $185,000 came from inside the city, and another $28,100 was identified as potentially within the city. The dashboard lists $190,000, or about 45% of his contributions, as being from outside Los Angeles but inside California. Approximately $26,000 is sourced from outside the state.

McOsker has received approximately 792 donations during the runoff period. An estimated 416 were for $800, the largest individual amount allowed in a council contest. He also has approximately 87 donations of $500, and approximately 61 donations of $100.

bar chart showing the number of donations 2022 la city council district 15 candidates received. Tim McOsker got 792 donations while opponent Danielle Sandoval got 217.

His donor rolls include approximately 72 contributions from people who work as attorneys, and more than 50 donations from people identified as either a president or CEO of a business.

Former Mayor Jim Hahn, who now serves as a Superior Court judge, gave McOsker $500.

Danielle Sandoval

Sandoval resides in Harbor City. She served as the president of the Harbor City Neighborhood Council, and also was on the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council. She has worked in the hospitality industry.

She secured the endorsement of the Los Angeles Times, but the newspaper rescinded it after a report detailing wage theft accusations from employees of a restaurant she once owned. Other endorsements were also pulled.

Danielle_Sandoval_CD5_candidate_Jane_Fonda
Danielle Sandoval, center, is running for L.A. City Council-District 15 and was endorsed by the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, as announced by Jane Fonda, third from right, who held a press conference at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, September 1, 2022. | Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

According to the Ethics Commission dashboard, Sandoval raised about $12,600 from inside the city, and $16,700 is described as from potentially within the city. An estimated $18,100 comes from outside the city, but inside California.

The ZIP code producing the most contributions for her is 90731 (also San Pedro). It has netted Sandoval $8,122.

Sandoval has received 217 donations in the runoff period. That includes 26 of the maximum allowed of $800. She counted 43 contributions of $100 each.

bar graphic showing the number of $800 contributions 2022 la city council district 15 candidates received. Tim McOsker got 416 while opponent Danielle Sandoval got 26

She has received more than 20 donations from people listed as professors, teachers or who are otherwise engaged in education. She has 11 contributions from people identified as longshoremen.

How we did it: We examined publicly available campaign finance data from the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission in the period up to Nov. 2, 2022. Some of the data on an Ethics Commission dashboard may be updated and not fully reflected in this article. More information about our data is here.

Have any questions? Write to us at askus@xtown.la.

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