Candidate for L.A. mayor qualifies for city matching funds

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

A lesser-known candidate competing to become Los Angeles’ next mayor has qualified for matching funds, according to his campaign.

Emanuel A. Pleitez will report raising a total of $212,954 in fundraising documents filed with the city’s Ethics Commission later today, according to campaign manager Erin Fair. The total raised in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $102,711, she said.

These numbers represent a sliver of the donations raised by the front-runners, City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Greuel, as well as Councilwoman Jan Perry. The three Democrats had reported raising millions by the end of the third quarter, and have not yet released their fourth-quarter numbers, which are due by the end of business today.

Attorney Kevin James, the sole Republican among the major contenders, has also raised more money than Pleitez is reporting.

But Pleitez’s reported haul allows the 30-year-old candidate to receive city matching funds for the first $500 of every individual’s contribution, Fair said. She added that nearly 80% of the donations were contributed online, and that the average contribution was $124.

Pleitez is a Los Angeles native and Stanford graduate who is the chief technology officer for Spokeo, a technology firm based in Pasadena. He has worked for Democrats and unsuccessfully ran for Congress, but has never held elected office.

ALSO:

Hilda Solis may be eyeing run for Board of Supervisors

Villaraigosa endorses Feuer in race against City Atty. Trutanich

‘Super PAC’ in mayor’s race draws money from powerful GOP donor

-- Seema Mehta