Los Angeles Police Protective League

In May 2017, the LAPD union backed Measure C, which provides police officers accused of wrongdoing with the flexibility to seek resolution through an all-civilian discipline board, in addition to a traditional board comprising two command officers and one civilian examiner.[8] The measure, despite opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union for its purported weakening of LAPD's disciplinary system, was passed by Los Angeles city voters.[9][10] The Los Angeles Times editorial board also endorsed a "no" vote for the measure, characterizing the measure as a "union ploy to go soft on police misconduct."[11][12]

In 2018, LAPPL defended the actions of Kevin Ferguson, an LAPD officer who had fired his gun at teenagers in Anaheim while he was off-duty.[13] The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners found that Ferguson actions violated LAPD policy, and Ferguson subsequently resigned.[13]

Between 2010 and 2020, LAPPL has directly contributed over $100,000 to Los Angeles City Council candidates, while its independent expenditure committees, which are not subject to donation limits, have spent millions of dollars.[14] During the 2013 Los Angeles mayoral election, LAPPL-sponsored committees spent over $1.5 million backing Eric Garcetti's mayoral opponent.[14]

In the lead-up to the March 2020 Los Angeles County District Attorney election, LAPPL contributed over US$1,000,000 to two separate political action committees in order to defeat George Gascón, a reform-minded candidate running for the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney.[15] During the election, law enforcement unions, including LAPPL, had instead contributed over 75% of the $2.2 million raised by incumbent District Attorney Jackie Lacey.[16] Lacey ultimately lost the race, despite broad financial support from law enforcement unions.[17]

As of June 2020, 11 of the 15 incumbent City Council members have received LAPPL donations.[18] Opponents have argued that such campaign donations distorted elected officials' decision-making, and has prompted incumbent council members like David Ryu to return these campaign contributions back to LAPPL.[14]

Amid the ongoing Coronavirus recession and a projected budget deficit that the city of Los Angeles faces, LAPPL argued for a continued need for the city government to adopt a FY 2020-2021 budget that allocates US$1.857 billion to LAPD, the single largest line item in the city's proposed budget.[19][20] The prior year, in 2019, LAPPL had negotiated a 4.8% pay raise for LAPD officers effective July 1, 2020, in addition to an "education bonus" payout of US$41 million to LAPD officers with college degrees, effective April 2020.[21][22][23] The total impact of these negotiated pay raises was expected to add $123 million to the city's budget, contributing to the forecasted reversal of the city's projected revenue surplus into deficits "between $200 and $400 million in each of the next four years."[24][25]

In the wake of the George Floyd protests, the size of LAPD's planned budget has received significant widespread scrutiny and public outcry.[26][21] On June 5, 2020, Garcetti publicly announced his intention to reduce LAPD's budget by up to $150 million, a reversal from his prior budget, which had proposed an increase of 7% to LAPD's budget, including the aforementioned package of negotiated raises and bonuses for LAPD officers.[27] The following day, LAPPL officials denounced Garcetti's plans to cut LAPD spending and characterized him as "unstable," with the LAPPL vice president Jerretta Sandoz characterizing Garcetti's announcement as "one of the most craven, disingenuous political sleights of hands we have seen in some time."[25][27] LAPPL officials also announced they had no intention of renegotiating the pay raises.[25]