LA Mayor Bass Solicited AT&T Donations for Favored Charities With $60 M City Contract Under Review

LA Mayor Karen Bass has steered $38 million in "behest payments" from donors with pending city business to her favored nonprofits — a legal but largely undisclosed practice unique to California. What behest payments are: A California-specific system letting elected officials solicit unlimited donations for third-party organizations (typically nonprofits) rather than their own campaigns. Because the money doesn't go directly to the politician, it sidesteps normal contribution limits — but donors often have active business before the city at the time of giving. The findings: The Center Square investigative reporter Adam Herberts reports Bass persuaded donors — including AT&T, Charter Communications, Amazon, an engineering firm, and Pepsi — to give a combined $38 million to her favored charities. In one example, AT&T received a $30 million city contract extension within days of making a requested donation. Disclosure forms tied to these payments frequently fail to note the donor's pending city business, despite legal requirements to do so. Getty House Foundation & Mayor's Fund: Two nonprofits connected to Bass — the Getty House Foundation (linked to the city-owned mayoral residence) and the Mayor's Fund — have moved roughly $22 million across 300 payments since 2022. Neither organization is subject to the California Public Records Act, and Bass doesn't formally sit on either board, limiting public accounting of donors and spending despite her role soliciting funds. Anonymous donors & disclosure gaps: At least 23 anonymous donors have given at the mayor's request, raising questions about how funds are solicited and tracked. Bass has touted stricter disclosure rules barring lobbyists from donating — but the rules don't extend to the lobbyists' corporate clients, who can still give freely. What's next: This is part of an ongoing investigative series; Herberts says he has requested an interview with the mayor's office to address the undisclosed city business tied to these payments. Read the full investigative series at TheCenterSquare.com. #KarenBass #LosAngeles #BehestPayments #GovernmentAccountability #CenterSquare #thestatesman