That Supreme Court decision, Buckley v. Valeo, happens to turn 50 years old this week. It's Buckley, and not the often-excoriated 2010 Roberts court decision in Citizens United v. FEC, that created the conditions for the ultrawealthy to transform their vastly unequal economic power into lopsided political power, and for a billionaire like Elon Musk to contribute a staggering $291 million to help elect Republican candidates, including Donald Trump, in 2024.
It's very nice for Larry Stone if he's paying only $3,000 a year in property taxes on a $3.8 million home. I'm guessing he has a very nice pension, too. However, property taxes are a significant burden on other seniors like me, who pay more than five times as much on a much cheaper house, and with a limited fixed income. In fact, my Social Security income isn't even sufficient to cover my property taxes.
According to Oxfam International's "Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power" report this week, a billionaire boom has coincided with the rise of the richest exerting political influence, with billionaires 4,000 times more likely to hold office than less wealthy people globally. And if those billionaires aren't running for office, they're pouring money into campaigns. Per Oxfam, one in six dollars spent by all U.S. candidates, parties, and committees in the 2024 elections came from 100 billionaire families.
Venture capitalist Peter Thiel has written his biggest political check in years, donating $3 million to a California business group leading the fight against a proposed billionaire wealth tax. The move positions the Palantir co-founder as one of the earliest and most prominent financiers of an emerging campaign to stop the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act before it reaches voters. Thiel made the $3 million contribution on December 29 to the California Business Roundtable,
The Tory and Labour candidates who Nigel Farage beat to win his Westminster seat of Clacton have described a Reform campaign that felt like a juggernaut, as police began assessing claims of overspending by the Reform UK leader. The candidates spoke after a former aide alleged that Reform UK falsely reported election expenses in Clacton, where Farage won in last year's general election.
The claims have been made by a former Reform councillor, who the party said was expelled several months ago. Richard Everett, a former member of Farage's campaign team, told the Daily Telegraph he believes Reform exceeded the 20,660 spending limit set by electoral law in the Essex constituency and failed to declare some costs, although he said Farage was "blissfully unaware" of the omissions.
The dairy industry sought a deal with President Richard Nixon to write a huge campaign check to his reelection campaign-in exchange for price supports that would artificially raise the cost of milk. But federal law strictly limited the amount it could donate. So Nixon's henchmen devised a workaround: Dairy companies would funnel $2 million through various Republican Party committees, which could then transfer the cash to Nixon's campaign.
Sacramento lobbyist Greg Campbell pleaded guilty Thursday to a conspiracy charge tied to a federal investigation of Democratic political operatives. The case involves Gov. Gavin Newsom's former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, and a former advisor to gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra. The three allegedly conspired to siphon funds from Becerra's dormant state campaign account between February 2022 and September 2024.
What changed? Republicans long characterized Silicon Valley as a bastion of liberalism. But over the past half-decade, many of tech's wealthiest titans rebelled against the Biden administration's criticism and policing of their industry. Last year, many tech barons threw their support behind the GOP, which they saw as more aligned with their often-libertarian ideals and their companies' economic interests.
A commentary in the Opinion section of Sunday's newspaper, Bay Area local leaders need protection against violence, mischaracterized details of a state law, due to inaccurate information provided by the League of Women Voters of Oakland.
A defendant in the bribery and corruption case surrounding former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao allegedly took a secret, compromising video of Attorney General Rob Bonta. That's just one of the explosive accusations in a letter obtained by ABC7 I-Team's Dan Noyes that appears to have sped up the FBI investigation. The letter may also help to explain why the Bonta spent $468,000 of campaign contributions on legal fees, to help him deal with FBI investigators.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday for allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA funds and using a substantial portion of the dough to fund her 2022 campaign to join the House of Representatives. The Justice Department said Cherfilus-McCormick's family healthcare company received a $5 million overpay for a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021. Rather than return the funds, the Democratic lawmaker routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source, according to the Justice Department's announcement. She conspired with multiple people, including her older brother, Edwin Cherfilus, to pull off the scam.
Lincoln submitted a complaint to the California Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate late filings of Lopez's 2020 campaign expenditures and missing documents, resulting in a $1,263 fine. The FPPC found many of Lopez's campaign statements were not filed on time, that expenditures totaling $14,104 were not recorded and that $4,500 was not processed through a bank account. Lopez told the Post he paid the $1,263 fine, resolving the case.
On Sunday, Massie posted a photo of Adelson and wrote, Israeli citizen Miriam Adelson bought the Dallas Mavericks for $3.5 billion; now she's buying politicians. She's spending millions in Kentucky to buy Ed Gallrein, my primary opponent, a Congressional seat in Kentucky. Why? Because I won't vote to send your tax dollars overseas. Miriam Adelson is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
Sliwa wanted to be the voice of the voiceless' The Masters of the Universe, the billionaires, decided that I should not have the right to represent all of you, to be the voice of the voiceless, the working class people who are the backbone of this city, Sliwa told his supporters Tuesday night. He alleged that he had been offered $10 million to drop out of the race and boost Cuomo's campaign but insisted that he did not have a price.
"On Sunday morning, our dear friend and dedicated community leader, Candace, experienced a devastating fire that damaged both her car and home, destroying many of her personal belongings. We are deeply grateful she is safe, but the fire has created unexpected logistical and financial challenges," Calcagni explained in the online fundraiser. "Anyone who knows Candace knows how tirelessly she works to uplift others. She shows up for her community every day, and now it's our turn to show up for her."
With less than two weeks to go until a hotly contested gubernatorial election in Virginia, the Republican candidate, whom her Democratic opponent's campaign calls "so far right, she's wrong for Virginia," is trying to appeal to a broad swath of voters. However, newly unearthed campaign-finance records, obtained by The Advocate, show that Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle‑Sears donated thousands of dollars to a far-right Christian organization that has described in vitro fertilization as "child trafficking."
