good morning. Welcome to LA on the Record. I'm Rebecca Ellis. With the help of my colleague David His Zernizer, we bring you the latest election news.

It wasn't that long ago that the former Los Angeles County Sheriff was like this. alex villanueva He was burning cash to campaign.

The year is 2022, and Villanueva is seeking reelection for a second term as the county's top police officer.He ultimately lost to the former Long Beach Police Chief. Robert Lunabut it's not about money.

The unions representing Hawthorne Police Department, El Monte Police Department and Los Angeles School Police Department each donated $1,500. Bay City's Italian Deli was no different. A month before the election, Mr. Villanueva had raised about $2.9 million, compared to Mr. Luna's $1.3 million.

Now, as Mr. Villanueva tries to run for office again, this time for a seat on the county Board of Supervisors, many of the donors who supported him in the past are nowhere to be found.

Mr. Villanueva owes his campaign company, TAB Communications, $17,000, according to his latest fundraising report. He lent himself $7,500. As of Jan. 20, he had just under $7,800 in cash on hand, the report said.

The precarious financial situation could put a damper on Villanueva's campaign to take over as director. Janice Hahn The District 4 election, to be held on March 5th, covers a swath of southeastern LA County, including Long Beach and Torrance.

So far, Villanueva has raised about $71,000 in cash, not including loans. Hahn has raised $617,000 in cash and has just over $300,000 in cash, according to his latest campaign finance report.

I said, “You're kidding.” Eric Hacopian, a political consultant with EDH & Associates, is not involved in the race. “If we had raised donations from somewhat close candidates for city council, everyone would have done better than that.”

Fernando GuerraThe director of Loyola Marymount University's Los Angeles Research Center said Villanueva's accomplishments are what you would expect from a little-known candidate running in a sleepy city, and one of the most recent sheriffs vying to represent a 400-square-mile district. He said it was not. .

“It's very little and it's not competitive in any way,” Guerra said. “These numbers are not comparable to even a medium-sized city, let alone a jurisdiction of 2 million people.”

Villanueva disagreed with that assessment over the phone.

“My message is getting out,” he said.

Some have speculated that the anemic fundraising numbers are a sign that voters are tired of Villanueva. Mr. Villanueva is a controversial figure who regularly clashed with county colleagues and oversight groups during his single term.

But his supporters point to another reason: He's not asking for it.

charles lyonsThe real estate developer and frequent donor said he recently met Villanueva at a birthday party at Gaucho Beach Restaurant in Long Beach. He said he believed Mr. Hahn was too closely aligned with the “machine” and would have donated to Mr. Villanueva as he did in 2022.

However, Villanueva never took to the pitch.

“That's my policy. … I'll give money to anyone who asks for it,” he said. “He didn't ask me for money.”

Mr. Guerra said Mr. Villanueva would need to raise about $5 million to have a real chance against a strong incumbent like Mr. Hearn.

“It's impossible for him to get his message across,” he added.

So what is that message? The county is straining under the strain of an overworked sheriff's department and a worsening homelessness crisis. Villanueva said Hahn should take responsibility after serving two terms as president.

Hahn fired back, reminding voters that two years ago they categorically rejected a “failed and disgraced” former sheriff. she also This week's news In 2023, the county Board of Supervisors found that Villanueva violated the county's discrimination and harassment policies and recommended that he not be rehired.

“Nor should voters rehire him,” Hahn's campaign said in a statement Wednesday.

Villanueva said he believed the release of records revealing the commission's decisions was “timely to have an impact.”

“It’s called campaigning,” he said. “investigate”

State of play

— Battle for cash: Villanueva is not the only local candidate struggling to remain competitive on the fundraising circuit.In South Los Angeles, Rep. Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) recently reported that he had only $18,358 on hand for his City Council campaign during the fundraising period that ended Jan. 20.Former city commissioner Aura Vasquez — Someone who, like Jones Sawyer, is trying to unseat a city council member. heather hat — had $17,747 on hand.pastor eddie anderson Yet another candidate in the race was found to have pocketed about $4,200, according to the latest ethics filing.

— View from the valley: Meanwhile, in the San Fernando Valley, former city ethics commissioner Serena Oberstein She recently reported having only $17,566 on hand for her campaign to unseat her City Council seat. john lee Those who reported having $238,000 or more.political consultant lindsay buberMr. Oberstein, who represents Oberstein, said his client's fundraising efforts have been outstanding, with more than $100,000 raised in 11 weeks. These efforts show “how many people are ready for change,” she says.

— With friends like these: LA Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America announced This week, it announced that it had reaffirmed its support for the congressman. Nitya Raman, after months of debate within the group about her position on Israel and the war in Gaza. The left-wing group also accused Raman of seeking and receiving support from the government. Israel Democratic Party-Los Angeleswhich bills itself as the “voice for the Democratic Party of Los Angeles County's Jewish and pro-Israel communities.”

— Double duty: The Israel Democratic Party has actually proposed the following policy: double support In Raman's race, she not only supported her, but also one of her opponents, Vice City Ati. ethan weaver. DSA-LA criticized DFI-LA's “unconditional support for Israel” and said “the violence committed by Israel is in direct opposition to DSA-LA's efforts to liberate Palestine.”

— Rescue the renter: The City Council voted Friday to approve an ordinance that prohibits landlords from evicting tenants who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic, but allows them to receive financial assistance from the city. The tenants had until Thursday to repay their COVID-19 lease obligations under the city's Tenant Protection Act.

— Dial 911: From January to September, the city's 911 emergency hotline received more than 5,000 calls from individuals speaking languages ​​other than English or Spanish. Now, Los Angeles city leaders are trying to accelerate the hiring of 911 operators who can respond to such calls.

— Photo frame: In a new legal filing, city attorneys said: heidi feldstein soto He pointed to a Knock LA reporter who published photos of Los Angeles Police Department officers on a police watchdog website last year, saying he and activist groups share financial responsibility for the problems caused by the publication of the images. The move surprised free speech advocates, some of whom said the city's actions had “no place in the context of the First Amendment.”

— Gender gap: Los Angeles political leaders are increasingly concerned about the lack of female leaders in the Los Angeles Police Department's upper echelons as they begin the search for a new police chief.

— Street sales: Los Angeles County is moving forward with an ordinance that would set clear rules for street vendors in unincorporated areas of the county. The rule, which requires these sellers to register with counties, comes five years after California decriminalized street vending statewide.

— Uncontrollable reaction: Environmental regulators are sounding the alarm over toxic air caused by a fire at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, one of Los Angeles County's largest landfills. Officials monitoring the Castaic facility said they found elevated levels of benzene, a carcinogenic chemical.

quick hit

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor's signature program to combat homelessness will be carried to the edge of Chinatown this week, targeting encampments near the Hilda L. Solis Care First Village, a transitional housing facility for L.A.'s homeless population. did. About 15 people went inside, according to the mayor's team.

• On next week's calendar: boyle heights beat A forum will be held on February 10th for City Council candidates running in the Eastside district currently represented by Councilman Kevin de Leon.You can check the details here.