Political Campaigns

Federal authorities investigating alleged union corruption have been examining a labor coalition's backing of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas' 2008 campaign and whether his supporters illegally used city property and a nonprofit group in his earlier runs for office, people familiar with the matter say. In addition, investigators have questioned people about whether Ridley-Thomas played any improper role in the hiring of a longtime...

The abrupt resignation last month of a disgraced GOP politician has generated a whirlwind special election for Orange County's 72nd Assembly District seat and set up a sharp-elbows contest between two well-known political figures in the Republican stronghold. Mike Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) quit Sept. 9, a day after the televised broadcast of remarks about his sexual encounters that he had made to a fellow legislator during a lull in a July legislative hearing. Unbeknownst to Duvall, the remarks were broadcast over an open microphone.

The radio ads have aired daily across the state since she declared her bid for governor in September. "I'm Meg Whitman," one begins, "and I want to talk to you about California. . . ." The costly airtime -- with the primary election still seven months away -- is just one way the former eBay chief is spending the $19 million of her personal fortune that she has plowed into the race. The first-time candidate, a Republican, has also paid for an army of advisors, pricey plane rides and a big technology tab. She spent $6 million in the first half of the year.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg may have narrowly won a third term this week but he also earned -- or, rather, very handsomely paid for -- a less-welcome distinction: becoming the latest in a long line of politicians to prove that money can't buy everything. It's something Californians know, having rejected a number of rich candidates, and something President Obama can attest to; his path to Washington was paved in 2004 when he beat a wealthy rival who spent $30 million in a U.S. Senate primary.

He likes to trace his political activism to his days as a high school volunteer for conservative icon Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign. She talks proudly of being a Goldwater Girl. He insists there's plenty of money in Sacramento; it's just allocated incorrectly. She says state government tries to do too much. When their campaigns are not busy trading attacks -- and there have been plenty of those -- Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby, 59, and longtime GOP activist Linda Ackerman, 65, are pushing to outdo each other in conservative credentials.

To help Los Angeles voters prepare for the March 3 primary election, Times editors sent questions to the 10 candidates for mayor and the six seeking the 5th District City Council seat, the only council race that does not have an incumbent. Excerpts will appear in print over the days leading up to the voting. Today's installment comes in response to this question: Los Angeles likely will face a deficit of $400 million to $500 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year, as well as steep shortfalls in the years that follow.

Nelson Mandela emerged from retirement to make a rare, surprise campaign appearance at an African National Congress rally for presidential candidate Jacob Zuma. Mandela, the 90-year-old former South African president and anti-apartheid icon, has repeatedly insisted that he is no longer actively involved in politics. But he campaigned in the rain alongside Zuma, the ANC leader, in rural southeastern South Africa, where Mandela grew up.

When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid came home recently to address the Nevada Legislature, a small but vocal band of Republican protesters gathered at the state Capitol. They waved signs, razzed Democrats and marched outside. But the group fell silent when asked the chances of ousting Reid at the polls next year. "It's going to be tough," demonstrator Carol Howell, 65, finally said. Inside, Reid illustrated one reason why. Speaking to a bipartisan group of lawmakers, he touted hundreds of millions of dollars headed for Nevada under the economic stimulus legislation he helped push through Congress.

Struggling newspapers should be allowed to operate as nonprofits similar to public broadcasting stations, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) proposed. Cardin's bill would allow newspapers to choose tax-exempt status. They would no longer be able to make political endorsements, but could report on all issues including political campaigns. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax-exempt, and contributions to support coverage could be tax deductible. Cardin said in a statement that the bill aimed to preserve local newspapers, not large newspaper conglomerates.

Faced with wide-ranging questions on complex issues and strict time constraints, 11 candidates for a vacant congressional seat vied to distinguish themselves from the pack at a League of Women Voters forum in Baldwin Park on Wednesday night. All but one of the 12 contenders in the May 19 special election for the 32nd Congressional District seat took advantage of what is likely to be the only public forum open to them all. And it enabled those without much campaign money to get some free exposure.