LA Activists Linked to Major City Contracts Aim to Elect DSA Supporter as City Attorney

A cadre of progressive activists and attorneys in Los Angeles, who recently secured a staggering $177 million in contracts with City Hall, is now financially backing a DSA-endorsed candidate for the city’s chief prosecutor role. This move is sparking significant concerns about oversight.

According to campaign documents examined by The California Post, Marissa Roy, a candidate from the far-left spectrum, has amassed $462,629 in campaign funds. This amount puts her in close competition with the current City Attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, who holds $686,341 in her campaign coffers.

The revelation of Roy’s substantial campaign funds comes on the heels of a recent city council decision to allocate taxpayer money to nonprofit groups. These funds are intended to support a program offering legal assistance and resources to tenants facing eviction.

Analysis of filings from the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission indicates that a significant portion of Roy’s campaign contributions is fueled by the legal professionals associated with these nonprofit organizations.

By the reporting deadline of December 31, a total of 145 attorneys had collectively donated $186,380 to Roy’s campaign. This figure represents about 43.6% of the $427,664 she raised, excluding a $35,000 personal loan, as shown by campaign finance records.

Rick Caruso, a real estate developer and founder of the nonprofit Steadfast LA, expressed concerns about the potential conflicts arising from the intersection of taxpayer funding and political contributions. He noted that this overlap poses significant ethical questions.

“These same organizations that just received $177 million are now supporting a candidate who is a member of the DSA,” Caruso said.

“That raises serious concerns about the propriety of granting these funds in the first place, and whether some of that money could ultimately be used to support a campaign that would eliminate the oversight these groups now face by placing one of their own in office.”

Feldstein Soto, the current city attorney whom Roy is looking to unseat, has raised concerns about oversight and financial accountability tied to earlier tenant-rights contracts with the same groups — including allegations some failed to submit receipts or basic reports showing how taxpayer money was spent or what the programs actually delivered.

But the financial ties go deeper.

On Jan. 31, a fundraiser for Roy was hosted by Becky Dennison, Housing Justice Policy Manager for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) — the same nonprofit that just secured the largest slice of the city’s massive tenant-rights contract.

Under the deal approved by the city council, LAFLA will receive roughly $106.6 million over three years to run eviction-defense legal services.

The package also directs tens of millions more to politically active housing organizations, including the Southern California Housing Rights Center, the Liberty Hill Foundation and Strategic Actions for a Just Economy.

Activists with the groups packed City Hall chambers and pressured councilmembers during the debate.

LAFLA attorney Shayla Myers has represented advocacy groups in major cases that have blocked the city from enforcing codes aimed at keeping sidewalks clear of homeless encampments and neighborhoods safe.

“At minimum, there should be an independent investigation into why $177 million in taxpayer money is being funneled to organizations whose actions appear to undermine the city’s ability to address homelessness,” Caruso railed.

Roy’s campaign has also received donations from attorneys tied to Public Counsel, another legal advocacy group heavily involved in Los Angeles housing litigation that is slated to receive funding from the $177 million package.

Campaign filings show contributions from Public Counsel attorneys including Kathleen Murray, Doug Smith and Faizah Malik, who is also a Democratic Socialists of America candidate running in the City Council District 11 race.

As for her far-left policy positions, Roy has already signaled she would dramatically shift the city’s enforcement approach if elected.

She has publicly criticized LA’s anti-camping ordinance restricting sitting, sleeping or storing property near schools, parks and other sensitive areas — one of the city’s primary tools for regulating homeless encampments.

Roy has also been tied to a 2022 proposal calling for a 100-day moratorium on misdemeanor prosecutions that would have halted the filing of thousands of low-level criminal cases, including trespassing, vandalism and public intoxication.

The political web extends further into City Hall.

Roy has built ties with City Controller Kenneth Mejia, another DSA-backed official whose office audits city spending and tracks taxpayer dollars.

The controller’s office should be closely scrutinizing the hundreds of millions of dollars flowing to tenant-rights organizations tied to political activism. Instead, much of the scrutiny has come from the City Attorney’s Office itself.

Former Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick said independent financial oversight is essential when large public contracts are involved.

“The controller’s job is to follow the money,” Chick said.

“When you are talking about contracts involving tens or hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, there must be independent oversight to make sure the public knows exactly where that money is going.”

Scott Meyers, a candidate running for Congress in California’s 30th District, said the political overlap raises broader concerns about influence inside City Hall.

“The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ goals overlap seamlessly with the Democratic Socialists in City Hall who voted for this deal,” Meyers said.

“And their comrade, fellow DSA member City Controller Kenneth Mejia, would never be expected to audit those $1,025-per-hour legal bills.”

The California Post has reached out to Roy’s campaign and to the office of City Controller Kenneth Mejia for comment about the campaign donations and connections to the taxpayer-funded organizations.

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