(The Center Square) – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has filed hundreds of state-mandated “transparency” reports intended to disclose millions of dollars donated to third parties at her behest, but at least 23 filings reviewed by The Center Square show her requesting money from “Anonymous.”
Anonymous donations are legal in some circumstances, but they defeat the purpose of a California transparency system intended to let the public know who elected officials are soliciting for money and what their underlying motivations could be.
Transparency reports can leave some surprisingly basic questions unanswered: Who actually gave the money? What business did the donor have before City Hall? What exactly did Bass or her staff do to solicit the payment? If the money reached a nonprofit, what was it actually spent on?…