Questions have emerged regarding the independence of outside groups supporting Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s reelection campaign as she faces Councilmember Nithya Raman in the November 3 election.

Central to the scrutiny is Unidos Con Karen Bass, an independent expenditure committee that has raised and spent more than $1 million in support of Bass. The committee is led by Solomon Rivera, who until recently worked closely with the mayor as her deputy chief of staff. Rivera left his official city role in late August and shortly thereafter became the principal officer of Unidos, which is permitted under California law to raise unlimited contributions but prohibited from coordinating directly with Bass’s campaign.

Ethics experts and former city officials have expressed concerns that Rivera’s involvement in Unidos creates a “rebuttable presumption” of coordination, a legal standard that assumes cooperation between a candidate’s campaign and an independent group led by former staff or affiliates. Under these rules, any coordinated spending by Unidos could be considered a direct contribution to Bass’s campaign, thereby subject to the city’s donation limits of $1,800 per donor.

Neama Rahmani, who served as director of enforcement for the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, stated that such presumption exists to prevent insiders from circumventing campaign finance laws. Rahmani indicated that if he were still with the commission, he would likely pursue an investigation into Unidos’s activities.

In response, Unidos attorney Stephen J. Kaufman denied any improper coordination. Kaufman asserted that Rivera has not communicated with Bass or her campaign in a manner that would violate the independence requirements. He expressed confidence that Rivera could rebut any legal presumption of coordination if an inquiry were initiated.

Similarly, legal experts outside the campaigns acknowledge the complexity of enforcing separation between candidates and independent committees. Washington-based election law attorney Caleb P. Burns noted that while former staff involvement raises “potential violations” of campaign finance laws, the presumption mandates active rebuttal. He emphasized that independent expenditure committees operate in a legal gray area shaped by recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings affirming such groups’ fundraising and speech protections under the First Amendment.

Adding to the debate is another pro-Bass independent expenditure committee, Building LA, which has spent approximately $850,000 on mailers and billboards supporting the mayor. Kurt Gonska, Bass’s former campaign manager during the primary, now serves as a consultant for Building LA. Critics, including Sergio Perez, a former Ethics Commission director of enforcement, have questioned the committee’s independence given Gonska’s previous role. Perez suggested it is unlikely that Building LA operates completely separate from the mayor’s campaign strategy.

Gonska has rejected these claims, noting that the political environment has shifted since the June primary, when multiple candidates were competing and Bass was preparing for a runoff against reality TV star Spencer Pratt. He stressed that his current work with Building LA is distinct from the earlier campaign approach and denied communicating with Bass or her team since joining the independent committee.

The concerns over coordination come amid a mayoral race where independent expenditure groups have outpaced the candidates themselves in fundraising and spending. While Bass and Raman must abide by city-imposed limits on individual donations, outside committees supporting both have secured substantial five- and six-figure contributions.

Among Unidos’s notable donors is the Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents thousands of city workers and has worked with Bass on municipal contracts. The involvement of such groups further complicates the dynamics of campaign financing and advocacy in the current election cycle.

As the November election approaches, the lines between candidate campaigns and independent expenditure committees remain a focal point for both legal scrutiny and political debate in Los Angeles.