For months, Emanuel Pleitez has been struggling with city officials and rival candidates for mayor of Los Angeles for recognition as an equal, and two days ago, on New Year’s Eve, the Emanuel Pleitez for Los Angeles Mayor campaign attained a milestone:
They surpassed the city matching funds criteria of $150,000 in eligible contributions. Most contributions came from individual donors in amounts less than $75. The City Ethics Commission will verify and publish this information on their website.
The Pleitez campaign raised more than $25,000 from 300 donors in 10 hours to surpass matching funds threshold.
The significance of this accomplishment is that reaching the matching funds goal has been the criteria for inclusion in most debates that have occurred up to this point. Frustration over the criteria led supporters of Mr. Pleitez to protest his exclusion from the televised League of Conservation Voters debate on Saturday, Dec. 15 in Little Tokyo.
Reflecting on the protest, Mr. Pleitez said, “My campaign represents the underserved communities that other campaigns and elected officials ignore. At the protest, I said that our voices can’t be silenced. It was true then, and now we have the money to prove it. All voices need to be heard and represented.”
Since entering the race in July, Mr. Pleitez and his campaign have:
• Raised over $200,000 from 1500 individual donors.
• Made more than 80,000 phone calls to Los Angeles voters.
• Knocked on more than 15,000 doors.
• Opened two offices (Boyle Heights, South Los Angeles).
• Polled fifth in Loyola Marymount’s exit poll, with two-thirds of voters undecided.
• Collected more than 1,000 signatures in support of Mr. Pleitez being on the March 5 primary election ballot.
Mr. Pleitez is a former technology executive, with public, private, and non-profit sector experience. He was appointed to manage President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. A Los Angeles native, he grew up on the East Side and currently lives in El Sereno with his wife, Rebecca.
For a full biography, see www.pleitezforla.com.
Mr. Hill, with the Pleitez campaign, may be contacted at john_hill@pleitezforla.com
