Super-Sized Special Interest Funds Fuel Irvine Campaigns

  • October 23, 2024, 11:49 pm America/Los_Angeles

We’ve seen how much Irvine City Council candidates have raised for their campaigns through individual donors and personal loans to themselves. However, independent expenditures from special interest groups and political action committees (PACs) also fuel campaigns. Expenditures from special interest donors are often difficult to track. However, the public can check updated independent expenditures (Form 496) on Irvine City Council races here. The Voice of OC touched on Irvine City Council candidate funds, but let’s take a closer look at the numbers and major players.

Most PAC-Funded Campaigns as of October 23, 2024:

1) James Mai $193,200
2) Tammy Kim $186,300
3) Mike Carroll $167,700
4) John Park $130,000
5) William Go $95,400
6) Ayn Craciun $20,000
7) Tom Chomyn $18,900
8) Parrisa Yazdani $8,738
9) Jeff Kitchen $8,338


The PAC Money Breakdown

A Better Orange County, Sponsored by California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses:

Total Spending $210,000

This PAC is set up by McDonalds and Chipotle franchise owners and executives that oppose California’s minimum wage hike. In fact, this PAC has recently attacked two Democrats in races unrelated to Irvine who are known for their staunch support in raising the State minimum wage.

1) Support Go – $70,000
2) Support Carroll – $70,000
3) Support Mai – $70,000

1962 PAC of the Lincoln Club of Orange County:
Total Spending $340,700

This PAC has a long history of supporting rightwing Republican candidates seeking elected office in Orange County. In the 2022 midterms, the Lincoln Club of OC spent nearly $1 million supporting conservative Orange County candidates. However, 96 percent of this spending went to candidates that eventually lost. In this election, at least in Irvine, Lincoln Club continues to spend big.

Supports
1) Support Park $121,282
2) Support Mai $97,672
3) Support Carroll $72,282
4) Support Chomyn $18,934
5) Support Kitchen $8,338

Opposes
1) Oppose Craciun $24,441
2) Oppose Liu $14,075
3) Oppose Johnson $5,687

Orange County Professional Firefighters Association 3631 PAC:
Total Spending $200,000

1) Support Kim $150,028
2) Support Mai $16,916
3) Support Carroll $16,721
4) Support Go $16,403

Political Action Committee of Irvine Police Association:
Total Spending $60,000

This Irvine Police PAC is comprised of over 230 Irvine Police Department Officers. The Irvine Police Association Board’s top officers include Officer Justin Patterson (President) and Officer Jon Jarrett (Vice President & PAC Chairperson).

1) Support Kim $16,308
2) Support Carroll $8,738
3) Support Go $8,738
4) Support Mai $8,738
5) Support Park $8,738
6) Support Yazdani $8,738


Unite Here Local 11 PAC:
Total Spending $40,000

Unite Here Local 11, represents over 32,000 workers employed in hotels, restaurants, airports, sports arenas, and convention centers throughout Southern California and Arizona.

1) Support Craciun $20,000
2) Support Kim $20,000

North OC Business Alliance Council Ad Committee’s Top Funders: “Monument Properties – Bell Gardens LLC” (Business Alliance):
Total Spending Unknown

This PAC has yet to file any required reports with the City or anywhere else. Likely by design, the public cannot locate the donors to this new group or track where this dark money is coming from. The only way to determine the goals of this PAC is to see who they support and who they oppose. There have been numerous reports of voters receiving mailers from this PAC throughout Irvine, including the District 2 area (Cypress Village, Woodbury, Great Park, Portola Springs).

For example, in District 2, Business Alliance supports City Council candidate Yazdani through large support mailers. This PAC also attacked Yazdani’s political opponents Jeff Starke, William Go, and Mohamed Kothermydeen. Curiously, registered Republican Gang Chen running in this District has neither been supported or attacked by Business Alliance. Furthermore, in support mailers for State Senate candidate, Steven Choi, Business Alliance used Yazdani and District 4 City Council reelection candidate, Mike Carroll as endorsements. This would indicate that Business Alliance is supportive of Republican or Republican-adjacent candidates.

Here is the Business Alliance support mailer for District 2 candidate, Parrisa Yazdani. This mailer doubles as support for Yazdani and an attack on the other candidates running in the District.

Here is another attack mailer from Business Alliance PAC against District 2 City Council Candidates, Jeff Stark and William Go.

The Business Alliance PAC also used their preferred Irvine City Council candidates as endorsements for Republican State Senate Candidate Steven Choi.