Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Reason Bonin Doesn’t Listen to His Constituents Revealed



An analysis of contributions to Councilman Mike Bonin reveals that two-thirds of the donations to his campaign fund since November 2012, when he first announced for office, have come from those with addresses outside of Council District 11, in many instances far away from Los Angeles.

Residents of Council District 11 have long found Bonin unresponsive to their concerns.  The analysis, which was conducted by CPA Tom Carter, Venice residents Angela McGregor and Lisa Lubchansky, and Mar Vista resident Jackie Hung, shows that he is giving his time and attention to those who live outside CD 11 and even outside of Los Angeles.

“The time and energy involved in such far-flung fundraising and the required travel subtracts mightily from the time and focus he should be devoting to his constituents,” said Mark Ryavec, the president of Venice Stakeholders Association. 

“Apparently Mike listens to those who pay for access,” said Ryavec.  “We certainly have had no success getting his attention to the horrendous problems we face with homeless encampments in Venice so maybe we are not paying enough.”

Bonin received $591,620 (64.4%) from 1218 donors (60%) outside CD 11, with multiple donations from donors with addresses in Pasadena (26), Long Beach (26), San Pedro (25), Beverly Hills (76), Santa Monica (124), Sacramento (11), Simi Valley (6), Newport Beach (8), Irvine (17), San Diego (7), Studio City (11), Encino (17), Burbank (9), Sherman Oaks (19), Woodland Hills (6), Tarzana (5), Valencia (6), Calabasas (7), Glendale (7), Redondo Beach (8), Manhattan Beach (15), Malibu (9), Gardena (7), Houston and Dallas, TX (14), Chicago, IL (9), Arlington, VA (3), Washington, DC (14), New York City (9), and 16 cities in Massachusetts (26).  

By comparison, Bonin received $326,846 (35.6%) from 800 donors (40%) who listed an address in the Council District 11 communities of Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, West Los Angeles, Mar Vista, Venice, Del Rey, Playa Vista, Playa del Rey and Westminster.  The analysis leads to the question: “Who does Mike Bonin represent when he received more contributions from Santa Monica - 124 - than from 90291 - Venice’s main zip code – at 116.”