Secretive Committee Hypocritically Uses Image of Councilmember Curren Price – Who was Questionably Charged and Hasn’t Even Been Tried
Using last-minute big bucks from Robert Urteaga, a corrupt politician from Montebello who was convicted of Grand Theft, a “Dark Money” political action committee called “Valley Working Families for Imelda Padilla for City Council 2023” has spent $357,000 to promote their candidate.
Using altered photographic images of Councilmember Curren Price with Marisa Alcaraz – his deputy and policy advisor who is now the people’s candidate for City Council – Padilla’s PAC engaged in racist innuendo with multiple mailers to voters. Padilla is the candidate backed by former Councilmember Nury Martinez’ political machine in the contest to succeed Martinez, against Marisa Alcaraz in the San Fernando Valley’s 6th Council District. Martinez resigned from the seat late last year after her racist recorded comments were made public.
On June 19, 2023 – just a week before the June 27th deadline foir ballots to be returned – Imelda Padilla’s PAC received $10,000 from Urteaga’s company, Upward Solutions, LLC, according to reports on the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission website.
“The machine behind Imelda Padilla has no shame,” said Steve Barkan, a member of the Alcaraz for Council campaign team. “It is hypocritical and corrupt for them to try to smear Marisa – especially when Imelda’s backers are using $10,000 from a convicted felon to pay for their attacks.”
Other organizations that have approved and recently contributed to the same “Dark Money” committee include the Valley Industry Commerce Association, and a corporate landlord PAC that last year received $250,000 from Donald Trump’s “L.A. Money Man,” according to the Ethics Commission and the Secretary of State’s campaign finance disclosure websites.
Sources:
https://ethics.lacity.org/viewcomm/IE/9517&type=DOC
Materials with altered photographs
https://bhweekly.com/issues/pdf/2023_1224.pdf
Urteaga convicted
https://www.upward-solutions.com/#contact
Urteaga = Upward Solutions, LLC
https://www.dailybreeze.com/2008/10/15/trash-fight-reveals-montebello-councilmans-criminal-past/
Urteaga convicted, politician, admits crime
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/geoffrey-palmer-trump-donor-los-angeles-214130/
Trump’s Los Angeles Money Man
https://ethics.lacity.org/viewdoc/106869
Dark Money receives money from VICA
