It’s election season, and residents have until Nov. 7 to visit the polls or drop off their mail-in ballots. During this election, Long Beach will choose its new mayor—either Suzie Price or Rex Richardson, both current city council members.
Both mayoral candidates have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from hundreds of donors. Among the donors are various Political Action Committees formed by unions, associations, industry professionals and elected officials.
Political Action Committees are organized specifically to raise money to donate towards political campaigns. They wield significant power in the nation’s democratic process, as the winners of elections are often the candidate with the largest budget for their campaigns.
In 2020, 87.71% of elections for the house of representatives and 71.43% of senate races were won by the top spender, according to opensecrets.org. A multicandidate PAC (one that has over 51 contributors and contributes to at least 5 federal candidates) can donate a maximum of $5,000 to a candidate’s campaign during an election cycle, while smaller PACs can donate a maximum of $2,900 to a candidate’s campaign during an election cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission.
So far, dozens of PACs have donated to either candidate in the Long Beach mayoral run-off election.
Candidate Price has accepted more donations from PACs connected to police associations and the real estate industry. Meanwhile, Richardson has attracted donations from multiple PACs connected to organizations that represent the interests of healthcare workers and the construction industry.
Both candidates received donations from labor unions in various fields, with Richardson getting donations from PACs that support the interests of healthcare, retail health, grocery, packing and cannabis workers and Price receiving donations from PACs that support the interests of longshoremen and marine clerks.
Some organizations have donated to both candidates. Different chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers donated to both candidates. The Long Beach Firefighter Association PAC and the Plumbers Local Union No. 78 PAC also donated to both candidates.
Below is a list of PACs that made monetary donations to each mayoral candidate:
Richardson:
ARTPAC Artists Reforming Tomorrow – According to ARTPAC’s website, it is led by artists and political professionals with the goals of getting “pro-artist” politicians elected in the Los Angeles area.
Building California Together PAC – The mission and members of this PAC could not be confirmed through an online search. However, this PAC donated another $10,000 to the AA Victory PAC and $2,000 to the state senate campaign of Scott T Wilk in 2020, according to Power Search.
California Metals Coalition PAC – This PAC was established in 2003 to raise funding from the metalworking industry to support candidates, officials and policies that benefit the metalworking industry, according to its website.
California Nurses Association PAC – A PAC formed by the California Nurses Association (also called National Nurses Organizing Committee), an organization of registered nurses that claims to have over 100,000 members across the nation. According to its website, the California Nurses Association is in favor of expanding Medicare. The California Nurses Association advocated for the passage of AB 394 in 1999, which established the maximum number of patients a nurse can be assigned during one shift.
Evergreen PAC – No information about this PAC was available online.
Community Legacy Fund Local PAC – No information about this local PAC was available online, however a federal PAC under the same name is connected to a Sacramento-based certified public accountant named J. Richard Eichman who has worked with PACs in California since the 1980s. The local PAC is listed in Richardson’s campaign contribution documents as also being Sacramento-based. Documents on opensecrets.org lists Eichman as the treasurer for the Duck PAC, Pacific Coast Producers, Almond Alliance of California PAC, the American Olive Oil Producers Association, California Cotton Growers & Ginners Association and the Gold & Silver PAC.
California Professional Firefighters PAC – California Professional Firefighters is a state-wide organization with over 30,000 members that supports firefighters.
IBEW PAC Educational Fund – A PAC representing the interests of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
ImPAC California – This PAC donates funds to candidates it believes will support Black communities, especially in terms of economic opportunity.
Long Beach Firefighters PAC – A PAC that makes political donations in the interest of the 400 members of the Long Beach Firefighters Association.
Plumbers Local No. 78 PAC – A PAC of a chapter of a plumbers’ association.
UFCW Local 324 PAC – A PAC for a Buena Park-based chapter of a union representing healthcare, retail health, grocery, packing and cannabis workers in Southern California.
California Sierra Club PAC – According to its website, this PAC donates to candidates it believes are “pro-environment.”
Laborers Local 652 PAC – The PAC of a chapter of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, which represents workers in the construction and energy industries across the U.S. and Canada.
UFCW Local 770 PAC – A PAC for a Los Angeles-based chapter of a union representing healthcare, retail health, grocery, packing and cannabis workers in Southern California.
Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry Local 345 PAC – The PAC for a chapter of a union that represents over 3,000 members working in landscaping, irrigation, sewers, storm drains and specialty piping.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 40 PAC – The PAC of a North Hollywood-based chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
SEIU United Healthcare Workers West PAC – The PAC of a union representing over 100,000 healthcare, public sector and property services workers.
Service Employees International Union Local 99 Independent Expenditure PAC – The PAC of Los Angeles-based chapter of a union representing healthcare, public sector and property services workers.
Pro-labor Candidates PAC – No information about this PAC could be found online.
Southern California Contractors Association PAC – This PAC donates funding to candidates it believes are “pro-construction,” according to its website.
Orange County Professional Firefighters Association PAC – The PAC of a union that represents firefighters in Orange County. According to a story by the OC Register, this PAC donated nearly $634,000 to political campaigns between 1999 and 2009.
American Airlines Inc PAC – A PAC representing the interests of American Airlines. This PAC spent over $770,000 in the 2019-2020 election cycle, according to opensecrets.org. The same website reports that this PAC has donated $226,500 to democratic candidates and $244,560 to republican candidates in 2022.
District Council of Iron Workers PAC – This PAC was formed by an association of professional ironworkers and makes donations in the interest of the iron industry.
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 92 PAC – This PAC for a chapter of an international union of boilermakers working in heavy industrial construction. This chapter is active in Southern California and Southern Nevada.
Los Angeles County Electrical Contractors PAC – The PAC of an association formed in 1901 by professionals who work in the electrical contracting industry.
Los Angeles/ Orange Counties Building And Construction Trades Council PAC – The PAC of an umbrella group of 48 local unions and district councils of professionals in 14 different trades. According to its website, the group has a labor agreement with the Port of Long Beach.
Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36 PAC – The PAC formed by the chapter of an international union of professional painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor layers and related trades people.
Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 398 PAC – A PAC formed by a chapter of a union that represents plumbers and pipefitters that work with piping for drinking water, sanitary systems, heating, cooling and more.
Southern CA District Council of Laborers PAC – A PAC that represents 14 local chapters of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), a union for construction workers. The Southern CA District Council of Laborers called for the resignation of LA City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin De Leon and Gil Cedillo following a leaked recording of the three having a racist conversation.
Sprinkler Fitters United Association Local 709 PAC – A PAC formed by an association representing over 1,000 professionals, apprentices and retirees from the metal and building trades.
United Nurses Association of California/ Union of Health Care Professionals PAC – A PAC formed by a union representing over 32,000 nurses and other healthcare workers.
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 PAC – A PAC belonging to the union that represents the 3,600 firefighters and emergency medical personnel working in the City of Los Angeles.
Huntington Beach Firefighters Association PAC – A PAC belonging to the association that represents the firefighters of the City of Huntington Beach.
Price:
Long Beach Police Officers Assn PAC – A PAC formed by the union that represents officers, sergeants and lieutenants in the Long Beach Police Department.
Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs PAC – This PAC is controlled by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs board of directors, who evaluate candidates and policies in order to make donations it feels will benefit police.
Torrance Police Officers Association PAC – A PAC for the association that represents both active and retired Torrance police officers.
California Grocers Association PAC – In the beginning of the pandemic, an ordinance was passed mandating increased “hero pay” for grocery store workers. The California Grocers Association filed a lawsuit against the City of Long Beach in an attempt to get the ordinance repealed. Attempts to have the ordinance repealed were unsuccessful, and Kroger closed a Ralph’s in East Long Beach and a Food 4 Less in North Long Beach. The Signal Tribune was unable to confirm whether or not Kroger was a contributor to the California Grocers Association, but a 2020 publication by the association confirms that Kroger is one of its advertisers.
California Apartment Assoc. PAC – This PAC represents the California Apartment Association, which donates funds to advance the interests of rental housing owners and managers, and the rental housing industry as a whole. It supports candidates it feels are sympathetic to property owners and managers.
California Real Estate PAC – This PAC represents the California Association of Realtors. According to opensecrets.org, it donated $5,000 to democratic candidates in 2019-2020.
Apartment Association, California Southern Cities IPPAC – This PAC represents the Apartment Association California Southern Cities, which is dedicated to protecting private property rights and the interests of the rental housing industry.
Accountability PAC – This Long Beach-based PAC advocated for the end of lock-down in December 2020, and says on its Facebook page that it represents the interests of small businesses, restaurants, schools and churches.
International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13 PAC – The PAC for a Los Angeles-based chapter of an international union that represents longshoremen.
IBEW Local 47 PAC – The PAC of a Diamond Bar-based chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Marine Clerks Political Action Committee Local 63 – A PAC connected to the association for marine clerks working in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
AFSCME 1902 PAC- Californians for Clean and Reliable Water – The PAC of a union that represents the workers of California’s water districts.
Long Beach Firefighters Association PAC – A PAC that makes political donations in the interest of the 400 members of the Long Beach Firefighters Association.
Plumbers Local Union No 78 PAC Fund – The PAC of a chapter of a plumbers’ association.
[A previous version of this article mistakenly said the Accountability PAC was a leadership PAC connected to Florida congressman Bill Posey. A Long Beach-based PAC by the same name donated to Price’s campaign. The Signal Tribune regrets this error.] [A previous version of this article mistakenly said Washington-based Evergreen PAC donated to Richardson. A PAC by the same name donated to Richardson’s campaign. The Signal Tribune regrets this error.]
I see a few things that need to be fact checked. The most notable is the information about the Accountability PAC. The article is incorrect. Accountability PAC is actually a local PAC.
Incorrect PAC attributed in Article above.
Please see clerks records for FPCC ID.
Accountability PAC is not out of Florida there is another PAC there not associated with the Long Beach Accountability PAC. See FPCC filing ID 1434463 for correct information.
After looking at this, all I can say is: REPEAL CITIZENS UNITED