\u201cIt is really frustrating that groups like these can spend a lot of money in a local race, but that it is almost impossible for me to find anything out about them,\u201d the 36-year-old graphic designer said.<\/p>\n
Zappia and other L.A. voters are getting their first major taste of \u201cdark money,\u201d<\/a> with well-funded groups weighing in on local candidates \u2014 all while keeping their donors anonymous. The Supreme Court paved the way for the phenomenon in a series of rulings, concluding that political spending is free speech.<\/p>\n Highland Park resident Paul Zappia has been receiving \u201cdark money\u201d campaign mailers attacking City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n In L.A., Neighbors First has sent mail pieces boosting more moderate City Council candidates and criticizing those backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, which pursues leftist policies. Because it is a 501(c)(4) charitable organization, Neighbors First doesn\u2019t have to say who paid for those messages. <\/p>\n On the Westside, the group has offered praise for Councilmember Traci Park, who is seeking to fend off a challenge from DSA-backed attorney Faizah Malik. In South L.A., the group has sent mail pieces critical of Estuardo Mazariegos, who is running to replace Councilmember Curren Price with the DSA support.<\/p>\n A second group, which goes by the name American Middle Ground,<\/a> appears to be taking a similar approach, sending glossy mailers that promote Park and attack Hernandez over their stances on public safety and homelessness. Its mail pieces and website don\u2019t identify its donors.<\/p>\n Neighbors First was formed last fall as a nonprofit public benefit corporation, with San Rafael-based attorney Steven S. Lucas serving as its chief financial officer, according to paperwork filed with the secretary of state.<\/p>\n Jennifer Rivera, a former senior aide to City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, who was defeated by Hernandez, confirmed in a text message to The Times that she is one of the group\u2019s consultants.<\/p>\n According to Ethics Commission records, Rivera worked until last June<\/a> as a registered lobbyist<\/a> for McCourt Partners<\/a> LLC, the real estate firm founded by Frank McCourt, the former Dodgers owner who is still half-owner of the Dodger Stadium parking lots.<\/p>\n Rivera lobbied city officials last year on a proposed gondola linking Union Station with Dodger Stadium, a concept first pitched by McCourt in 2018.<\/p>\n Hernandez, whose district includes the stadium, has been the project\u2019s most outspoken political foe, warning that it would disrupt the neighborhood, harm a park in Chinatown and push out longtime renters and businesses.<\/p>\n Jessica Sause, a spokesperson for McCourt Partners, said in an email that \u201cneither Frank McCourt nor any of his entities have contributed to Neighbors First.\u201d<\/p>\n Rivera didn\u2019t respond to other questions about Neighbors First, saying simply that it is \u201cworking to uplift the voices of everyday Angelenos.\u201d A form<\/a> filed with the Ethics Commission provided a bit more information, saying Neighbors First spent about $366,000 between Jan. 1 and March 31 on activities related to police funding, affordable housing, emergency response and other issues.<\/p>\n Over the last year, Rivera also has been involved with a nonprofit called Vibrant LA, according to a slide deck presented by the group and reviewed by The Times. That document laid out strategies for electing centrists to the council.<\/p>\n The slide deck identified Rivera as Vibrant LA\u2019s executive director and San Francisco-based political consultant Jay Cheng, who spent several years heading up the advocacy group Neighbors for a Better San Francisco,<\/a> as the group\u2019s political advisor.<\/p>\n Rivera didn\u2019t respond to questions from The Times about whether she is still involved in Vibrant. Cheng, in an interview, confirmed that he advises Vibrant LA but is unaware of Neighbors First. He touted the success that Neighbors for a Better San Francisco had in that city, working to recall Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin and elect a centrist majority on that county\u2019s Board of Supervisors. Vibrant LA has formed a fundraising committee and will be active in supporting moderates, Cheng said. <\/p>\n Sause, the McCourt spokesperson, didn\u2019t respond to a Times inquiry asking whether McCourt or his companies contributed to Vibrant.<\/p>\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778323040_574_.jpeg\")
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