Although we’re still pouring through the endless campaign filings to figure out who raised what from where and spent on what or where one report that caught Calpeek by surprise was in the L.A. Mayor’s race.
While it’s no surprise that billionaire Rick Caruso has “raised” over $23 million (yes, the same amount that meets the threshold for determining if buying a PowerBall ticket is really worth the $2 investment). Caruso’s haul accounts for a staggering 65% of all the Mayoral candidate money combined. Yet what caught our eye was to see that L.A. Mayoral candidate Ramit Varma has “raised” $4.2 million. Sure, the candidate known for his numerous GQ style billboards may have contributed $4 million of the $4.2 himself, but in this race where personal checks from personal wealth aren’t uncommon, we did have to wonder why the candidate with the second-highest amount of money “raised” isn’t being brought into the debates?
Talk around the water cooler raised the question of who is determining participation and what the Snooty Society of Political Debates requires to participate (no, that’s not a real organization). If it’s based on polling, then according to the LA Times polling, candidate Gina Viola should be at a podium as she tied L.A. City Attorney and Mayoral candidate Mike Feuer at 2% and outpolled L.A. City Councilmember and Mayoral candidate Joe Buscaino, and if it’s based on your balance sheet, then shouldn’t Ramit be invited to the table?
Calpeek enjoys a good debate and we think the Snooty Society of Political Debates should host all 12 candidates on stage at once and then let the voters decide.