Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Gonzalez leads legislative pack in cop union cash

"Pro-police advocates bragged" that AB 392 was “toothless,” says Sacramento Bee

"Weber had proposed a stronger version, but the law enforcement lobby owned enough votes to force a compromise."
"Weber had proposed a stronger version, but the law enforcement lobby owned enough votes to force a compromise."

As the role of police labor unions has come under increasing scrutiny in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the financial means by which the organizations wield power and influence comes under the spotlight.

"Law enforcement associations have poured more than $7 million into the campaigns of California lawmakers in the past two decades, and that leads to real power in Sacramento," Daniel G. Newman, president of MapLight, a nonprofit political money tracker, told the Sacramento Bee.

Lorena Gonzalez, highest recipient of police union money ($163,900), in 2018 gave back $2000 from private prison contractor Core Civic.

"Not everyone has millions of dollars to spend on politics and our current campaign fundraising system often bends policy toward the interests that fund campaigns."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Bee opinion editor Gil Duran indicates in a June 12 account that police unions don't always get their way with legislators who benefit from campaign largesse. Still, the trail of police reform is often murky.

The paper's research revealed that the biggest cop union money recipient in the legislature, with $163,900 in contributions, is San Diego Assembly Democrat Lorena Gonzalez.

Ben Hueso got $3000 from the Los Angeles Police Protective League PAC.

"I've been a strong supporter of criminal justice reform, including new safeguards to hold police officers accountable for their actions, and I co-authored Dr. Shirley Weber's AB 392 to reform the use of force by the police," Gonzalez said in a statement to the paper.

"After Newsom signed it into law, however, some pro-police advocates bragged that it was toothless," the Bee observed. "Weber had proposed a stronger version, but the law enforcement lobby owned enough votes to force a compromise."

Other California legislators who've been bankrolled by cops, including state Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco, have now promised to "redirect $20,000 in law enforcement donations to community groups and refuse future contributions." His fellow Democrat Lena Gonzalez of Long Beach pledged to do the same, the paper added.

Lorena Gonzalez employed a similar disgorgement ploy in 2018 when it came to light that her campaign had accepted $2000 from private prison contractor Core Civic, operator of a controversial lockup run for the federal government along the border in San Ysidro.

According to state disclosure records, police donations to San Diego's Gonzalez have included $4400 from the Long Beach Police Officers Association PAC in 2017; the California State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police Pac with $8400; and the Los Angeles Police Protective League, with $27,800.

The records show that Assembly Democrat Weber, a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, got no money from the police unions. But a host of other locals did, including Democrat state Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, with $18,800 this year from the Los Angeles Police Protective League PAC.

The same group gave state Senate Democrat Ben Hueso $3000 for his 2018 reelection campaign, per the data. This year, Hueso is running for the District 1 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to be vacated by termed-out Republican Greg Cox.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Dim Sum Tour, Warwick’s Holiday Open House

Events November 24-November 27, 2024
"Weber had proposed a stronger version, but the law enforcement lobby owned enough votes to force a compromise."
"Weber had proposed a stronger version, but the law enforcement lobby owned enough votes to force a compromise."

As the role of police labor unions has come under increasing scrutiny in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the financial means by which the organizations wield power and influence comes under the spotlight.

"Law enforcement associations have poured more than $7 million into the campaigns of California lawmakers in the past two decades, and that leads to real power in Sacramento," Daniel G. Newman, president of MapLight, a nonprofit political money tracker, told the Sacramento Bee.

Lorena Gonzalez, highest recipient of police union money ($163,900), in 2018 gave back $2000 from private prison contractor Core Civic.

"Not everyone has millions of dollars to spend on politics and our current campaign fundraising system often bends policy toward the interests that fund campaigns."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Bee opinion editor Gil Duran indicates in a June 12 account that police unions don't always get their way with legislators who benefit from campaign largesse. Still, the trail of police reform is often murky.

The paper's research revealed that the biggest cop union money recipient in the legislature, with $163,900 in contributions, is San Diego Assembly Democrat Lorena Gonzalez.

Ben Hueso got $3000 from the Los Angeles Police Protective League PAC.

"I've been a strong supporter of criminal justice reform, including new safeguards to hold police officers accountable for their actions, and I co-authored Dr. Shirley Weber's AB 392 to reform the use of force by the police," Gonzalez said in a statement to the paper.

"After Newsom signed it into law, however, some pro-police advocates bragged that it was toothless," the Bee observed. "Weber had proposed a stronger version, but the law enforcement lobby owned enough votes to force a compromise."

Other California legislators who've been bankrolled by cops, including state Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco, have now promised to "redirect $20,000 in law enforcement donations to community groups and refuse future contributions." His fellow Democrat Lena Gonzalez of Long Beach pledged to do the same, the paper added.

Lorena Gonzalez employed a similar disgorgement ploy in 2018 when it came to light that her campaign had accepted $2000 from private prison contractor Core Civic, operator of a controversial lockup run for the federal government along the border in San Ysidro.

According to state disclosure records, police donations to San Diego's Gonzalez have included $4400 from the Long Beach Police Officers Association PAC in 2017; the California State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police Pac with $8400; and the Los Angeles Police Protective League, with $27,800.

The records show that Assembly Democrat Weber, a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, got no money from the police unions. But a host of other locals did, including Democrat state Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, with $18,800 this year from the Los Angeles Police Protective League PAC.

The same group gave state Senate Democrat Ben Hueso $3000 for his 2018 reelection campaign, per the data. This year, Hueso is running for the District 1 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to be vacated by termed-out Republican Greg Cox.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Eating dinner while little kids mock-mosh at Golden Island

“The tot absorbs the punk rock shot with the skill of experience”
Next Article

Trophy truck crushes four at Baja 1000

"Two other racers on quads died too,"
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader