With the primary election just 11 days away, donations to independent campaigns are mounting fast in high-stakes races for mayor and school board.<\/p>\n
Donations have topped $20 million in the races for three citywide offices, seven City Council seats and three each on the boards of Los Angeles Unified and the Los Angeles Community College District.<\/p>\n
In the reports due Thursday, City Councilman Eric Garcetti reported a cash balance of $1.5 million in his run for mayor, including $450,000 raised in the last month.<\/p>\n
Controller Wendy Greuel, another mayoral candidate, reported $1.6 million in cash, after raising $475,000 in the most recent period. She has raised more than $4.7 million for the race.<\/p>\n
Greuel also has been helped with independent expenditure committees, which have put in more than $1.2 million, primarily from the IBEW through its Working Californians Committee and the Los Angeles Police Protective League.<\/p>\n
The latest campaign figures for Councilwoman Jan Perry, Kevin James and Emanuel Pleitez were not immediately available.<\/p>\n
The campaign of James, the former radio talk show host and federal prosecutor, has been bolstered by more than $431,000 in independent expenditures from Republicans.<\/p>\n
Independent expenditures continue to dominate the school board election, with reform- and union-backed organizations battling to guide the future of the nation’s second-largest school district.<\/p>\n