Two social media influencers, Kaitlyn Hennessy and Beatrice Gomberg, have filed an ethics complaint against Nithya Raman’s mayoral campaign, alleging that the campaign paid influencers without proper disclosure. Their complaints were submitted to the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Los Angeles Ethics Commission. The influencers received legal assistance from the Kaufman Legal Group, which is associated with the campaign of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Hennessy confirmed that Bass's campaign directed them to the law firm, which is covering the legal costs but is not compensating them for their efforts.
The complaint centers on posts by comedian Adam Conover and influencer Eric Cheng, as well as various meme accounts that share content created by others, sometimes at the request of political campaigns. The Raman campaign has denied any wrongdoing. Conover also stated that he did not act improperly.
Legal experts indicated that Bass's campaign's decision to cover legal expenses is unlikely to raise ethical concerns, provided that the payments are disclosed in the campaign's reports. Jeffrey Daar, a former president of the L.A. Ethics Commission, noted that transparency in reporting expenditures is key.
Conover's promotional posts for Raman had previously drawn scrutiny from ethics complaints filed by former L.A. City Council candidate Dylan Kendall, with ongoing investigations by the FPPC and L.A. Ethics Commission. Conover clarified that payments made to a company associated with him were for video production services, not for his social media posts, which Raman's campaign initially misclassified.
A spokesperson for Raman's campaign stated that Cheng is compensated for his campaign work, not for personal social media posts, and that they have sought guidance from the L.A. Ethics Commission regarding disclosure requirements. The spokesperson added that Cheng announced his campaign involvement on social media prior to his employment.
The L.A. Ethics Commission and FPPC have not commented on the status of the complaints. Jessica Levinson, a law professor and former ethics commission president, emphasized the need for scrutiny of ethics complaints filed close to elections due to their potential political impact.
California mandates that social media influencers disclose payments from political campaigns, with even stricter regulations in L.A. New legislation grants the FPPC authority to refer violations to law enforcement, with fines up to $5,000 per instance, while the L.A. Ethics Commission can impose fines of up to $15,000.
The FPPC recently concluded its investigation into Tom Steyer’s campaign, finding compliance with regulations, but noted that some influencers, including Cheng, failed to disclose payments from Steyer’s campaign. Hennessy and Gomberg are also investigating undisclosed social media posts in other races, citing concerns about their impact on electoral processes. Hennessy expressed disappointment over the prevalence of undisclosed content, stating that it misleads viewers about the nature of the content they consume.