Councilmember Kevin de León is facing a tough reelection campaign because of his role in the racist leaked audio scandal two years ago. To help make his case, the veteran Sacramento politician is tapping his state campaign war chest to pay for self-promoting ads advocating for three ballot measures.
” Because this is a state ballot measure committee, rather than a city committee, De León has fewer constraints on how he uses the money and doesn’t have to report his spending to the city’s Ethics Commission, Politico reported. As long as the ballot measure ads don’t expressly tell people to vote for him, this is allowed under California law. But just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right. This kind of campaign fund shell game sours the public on career politicians.