Outside groups and special interests have set their sights on three Assembly races in Orange County, pouring oodles of money into mailers, advertisements and consultancy efforts to support and oppose the candidates vying for them.
Throughout this election season, outside groups have spent more than $20 million to support and oppose candidates running in just three Assembly district races in Orange County, in addition to the millions those candidates’ campaigns have raised by themselves.
And while this year’s election cycle has shaped up to be a referendum on the power money has in American politics at the national level, the financial weight behind candidates running for seats in the state legislature should be a signal to voters that outside groups believe their representation is for sale, says one political science professor.
Voters in Assembly District 67, which covers portions
Voters in Assembly District 67, which covers portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties, including Artesia, Cerritos, Cypress, Buena Park, Fullerton and West Anaheim, will choose between former Cypress Mayor Paulo Morales, a Republican, and Democrat Mark Pulido, mayor pro tem for the city of Cerritos. The two are vying for the seat currently held by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, who is termed out of office.
According to the California secretary of state’s office, Pulido’s campaign has pulled in more than $1 million this election cycle, outraising Morales’ campaign almost 20-to-1 as of Friday, Oct. 23. Morales’ campaign has raised over $55,000, an uncharacteristically low amount compared to what other candidates have brought in.
In Assembly District 68, which includes Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana, DemocratsJessie Lopez and David Penaloza, who both serve on the Santa Ana City Council, are facing off. The winner will replace Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, who is running for the 34th state Senate district seat.
As of Friday, Lopez’s campaign has reported raising
As of Friday, Lopez’s campaign has reported raising a little more than $658,000, while Penaloza’s campaign has reported raising more than $1 million, according to the secretary of state’s office.
And in the race for Assembly District 72, which spans Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest, voters will decide between Democrat Chris Kluwe, an ex-NFL player turned small business owner and author, and Huntington Beach City Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark, a Republican. They are vying to replace Assemblymember Diane Dixon, a Republican, who is running for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Kluwe’s campaign has raised more than $1.95 million as of Friday, while Van Der Mark’s has raised over $612,000, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Outside groups have spent more than $818,000
Outside groups have spent more than $818,000 to either support or oppose Kluwe and Van Der Mark in their race. The Legislative Action PAC, a group founded to support Republican candidates statewide, has spent more $500,000 on efforts to oppose Kluwe and nearly $190,000 to support Van Der Mark. Meanwhile, the California Democratic Party has contributed more than $1 million to Kluwe’s campaign, a sign that Democrats believe the seat is up for grabs.
But the amount spentict races by outside groups — and particularly by big-tech super PACs — is truly eye-popping
All in, outside groups have spent more than $6 million to support Pulido in his race against Morales, while more than $5.3 million has been spent to support or oppose Lopez. And more than $8.7 million has been spent on supporting or opposing Penaloza, according to the California secretary of state’s office.
That’s over $20 million in independent expenditures between these two races alone.
At the beginning of this year, billionaire Chris
At the beginning of this year, billionaire Chris Larsen, founder of the crypto company Ripple, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper co-founded the super PAC Grow California, which supports moderate, business-friendly candidates on either side of the aisle and pushes back against state unions that have pushed for the billionaire’s tax on the ballot this November.
Since then, Grow California has spent nearly $22 million to support and oppose candidates across the state, according to the California secretary of state’s office as of Friday. Of that, the super PAC has spent nearly $2.6 million to support Pulido and more than $3.7 million combined to both support Penaloza and oppose Lopez.
California Leads, another big-tech super PAC financed by Google, Meta and a San Francisco-based venture capital firm, has spent more than $14.7 million to support and oppose candidates across California this election cycle. Of that, more than $1.2 million has gone to supporting Pulido and more than $2.6 million has been spent supporting Penaloza, according to the secretary of state’s office.
The two groups have not spent any money
The two groups have not spent any money for or against the two candidates running for Assembly District 72.
Grow California says it wants to see “principled, bipartisan legislative leadership and accountable governance” that will prioritize “pragmatic solutions and innovation” to keep California’s economy competitive. California Leads, meanwhile, says it is supporting candidates that will “prioritize innovation, economic growth, and making California a place where people and communities can thrive.”
Shaudi Fulp, who leads the day-to-day operations of Grow California, said in a statement they are backing candidates who “share a practical approach to solving problems and a record of getting things done.”
Voters want leaders who can bring people together
“Voters want leaders who can bring people together and deliver. That’s why we’re seeing coalitions that cross traditional political lines. We’re proud to stand alongside teachers, laborers, community leaders, and others who care about the cost of living and want to see results. That broad support speaks to the trust these candidates have earned in their communities,” Fulp said in a statement. “For us, growing California means building more housing, expanding opportunity, and making it possible for working families to build a future here. We support leaders who can make that happen, and we trust voters to judge them on their records.”
California Leads could not be reached for comment.
But Fred Smoller, an expert in media and politics who teaches at Chapman University, says outside spending by big tech groups likely boils down to one highly contested topic: data center development.
“From what I see, there’s a big push for these data centers, and those decisions are being made by the hundreds of local governments that we have, and I’m sure that the big tech people would like to have those decisions made exclusively by the Assembly,” he said. “There’s a huge pushback from local governments, so now I’m guessing that big tech would love to have those decisions made in the Assembly, and fight it out in one legislature, rather than fighting it in 485 localities.”
TechEquity Action, the advocacy arm of nonprofit organization
TechEquity Action, the advocacy arm of nonprofit organization TechEquity, sees this heavy spending by outside groups happening for similar reasons. In a news release, founder and CEO Catherine Bracy says these big tech groups are spending so much on legislative races like Assembly District 68 “because they’re counting on their dollars to make policymakers ignore public outcry on AI-driven job losses and rising costs from algorithmic surveillance pricing and data centers.”
The group, late last month, launched a $1 million ad campaign to support candidates in four legislative races, including Lopez in Assembly District 68. Lopez could not be reached for comment.
Penaloza, in an email, said his campaign has earned the support of a “diverse coalition” but that he couldn’t speak to the decision-making process of these PACs that have thrown their weight behind him. Under state law, independent expenditure committees are prohibited from coordinating with candidates or their campaigns.
I consider myself to be the pragmatic candidate
“I consider myself to be the pragmatic candidate in this race and our campaign is focused on issues surrounding affordability,” he said. “I don’t believe our current independent expenditure system, which takes control away from candidates, is ideal. But those are the rules that exist right now, and there are obviously groups spending money on both sides of the race for Assembly District 68.”
Penaloza said he is proud to be a labor-supported candidate, and anyone who thinks he is against unions “doesn’t know me and isn’t paying attention to this race.”
Pulido, whose campaign is outraising Morales’ 20-to-1, said he believes these groups are spending so much to support him because of his track record of “delivering results” at the local level on the Cerritos City Council.
I think with anyone who makes a contribution
“I think with anyone who makes a contribution to support a candidate, whether an individual voter or an organization, or a company, I think they’re looking for someone is most reasonable and pragmatic, and will be open-minded to their concerns,” Pulido said. “It was quite unexpected. I think all of us, all the candidates and I’m sure the electorate, were surprised at the level of investment, but that’s understandable.”
According to the secretary of state’s office, no outside groups have spent money to support or oppose Morales. As a candidate going from a city race to the state legislature, Morales said the super PAC spending that’s been done in his district is frustrating because it muddies the political waters and overshadows what races like his are all about: who the people in the community want as their representative.
“When (outside groups are) putting the wrong person forward, it doesn’t help, it actually creates a hindrance,” he said. “What’s frustrating is these large PACs, of course they’re not going to emphasize or highlight or show that, and it overshadows that, and that’s what’s difficult. … You’re bringing in money from an area that doesn’t apply here.
They give a misleading and even a false
“They give a misleading and even a false image of who (a candidate) is, so yeah, it’s frustrating. Is there anything I can do about it? No, not in the current situation I’m in,” Morales said.
Smoller said this influx of outside spending into legislative races certainly seems like a staggering amount, but it hints at a bigger issue.
“I think the larger point is about democracy: Should these people in the jurisdiction choose its leaders?” he said. “It is a national phenomenon, in which huge amounts of money are able to come in … are these districts for sale, or do they belong to the people in the district?
“If they belong to the people in the district, then the money that’s raised should just come from the district.”
