'Dark money' casts a shadow over L.A. elections, with mystery group pumping out attack mail

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The first time Highland Park resident Paul Zappia received a mailer criticizing Eunisses Hernandez, his representative on the Los Angeles City Council, he tossed it in the trash.Then another arrived in his mailbox.And another, and another after that.

Each came from a group called Neighbors First, which has been attacking Hernandez, a democratic socialist, over her votes against police hiring and her opposition to a law barring homeless encampments near schools.Zappia, who supports Hernandez in the June 2 primary, said he looked up Neighbors First on its website but couldn’t find any information — not a staff directory, a phone number or even an email address — about the group.“It 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,” the 36-year-old graphic designer said.Zappia and other L.A.voters are getting their first major taste of “dark money,” with well-funded groups weighing in on local candidates — 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.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’t have to say who paid for those messages.

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.A second group, which goes by the name American Middle Ground, appears to be taki...