A left-wing Los Angeles city councilwoman is facing intense scrutiny after publicly declaring she refuses 'billionaire checks' for her re-election campaign, despite records showing she has accepted significant funding from several ultra-wealthy donors.
Grassroots Rhetoric vs. High-Dollar Reality
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents District One, recently posted a social media clip appealing for small-dollar donations. In it, she decried how 'corporate PACs and special interests are lining up to pour millions into this race' due to her progressive policies.
'Your contribution goes straight to organizing: powering voter outreach, multilingual materials, neighborhood canvassing, digital tools, and the grassroots infrastructure it takes to beat corporate money,' Hernandez wrote. She emphatically added: 'No backroom deals. No billionaire checks.'
However, an examination of campaign finance records reveals a different story. According to reports, Hernandez, who earns an annual salary of $240,000, has received substantial financial support from multiple billionaire-linked donors.
The Wealthy Backers Behind the Campaign
Patty Quillin, the philanthropic wife of Netflix co-founder and billionaire Reed Hastings, has written multiple cheques to support Hernandez's campaigns. This is notable as Quillin and her husband reside in Santa Cruz, hundreds of miles from Los Angeles in a different part of California.
Similarly, billionaire hedge fund heiress Elizabeth Simons has also provided funding. Simons is the daughter of the late billionaire investor and Democratic donor James Simons. She and her husband, Mark Heising, run the Heising-Simons Foundation and live in Atherton, an affluent Silicon Valley suburb where homes can cost over $40 million.
Open Secrets data indicates that Quillin has written several cheques to Hernandez, with some reaching six figures. Simons and her husband contributed $85,000 to help Hernandez win her council seat in 2022. Simons has also backed political action committees supporting other progressive candidates, including New York City's socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, to the tune of $250,000.
A Park in Crisis and a Challenging Re-election Fight
The controversy over donations comes as Hernandez fights a difficult battle to retain her council seat. Constituents and political opponents heavily criticise her for the deteriorating state of MacArthur Park, an iconic green space in the heart of her district.
The park has become a focal point for the city's crises, with widespread reports of open-air drug dealing, gun violence, and rampant homelessness. Local business owners say the situation has forced some to close early, and the area's firehouse is reportedly the busiest in the United States.
Hernandez's challenger, Maria 'Lou' Calanche, has capitalised on this frustration. At a recent public meeting which Hernandez did not attend, Calanche erected a cardboard cutout of the councilwoman to symbolise her absence. 'This district is too important for a no-show,' Calanche told locals. 'Meanwhile, encampments have swallowed our streets. Parents can't even take their kids to the park.'
Hernandez has historically opposed efforts to clear homeless encampments from the park, even after funding was secured for clean-up operations. She has referred to MacArthur Park as 'the Ellis Island of the West Coast,' framing it as a symbol of resilience and diversity.
However, her policies, which include redirecting city funds towards needle distribution and safe smoking kits, have been labelled counterproductive by critics like former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso. 'We've created a drug haven. It's a foolish idea,' he stated.
The Daily Mail has contacted Councilmember Hernandez for comment on the contradiction between her public fundraising appeals and her donor history. As the re-election campaign intensifies, the gap between her grassroots messaging and the reality of her campaign financing is likely to remain a central issue for voters.
