A nonprofit few voters have ever heard of is carpet-bombing Los Angeles neighborhoods with glossy, district-tailored mailers that cheer on moderate incumbents and hammer progressive councilmembers as the June 2 primary creeps closer. Residents in Highland Park, South L.A., and on the Westside say they have received multiple pieces that look homegrown but obscure who is footing the bill, raising alarms that outside money is quietly reshaping how City Council races are fought and framed.
Neighbors First, a 501(c)(4) formed last fall, is responsible for many of the mailers, while a second outfit, American Middle Ground, is pushing similar centrist messaging. A filing with the city Ethics Commission shows Neighbors First spent roughly $366,000 on related activities between Jan. 1 and March 31, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times also reports that consultant Jennifer Rivera, who until last June was a registered lobbyist for McCourt Partners, has been working with the group, and that incorporation paperwork lists San Rafael attorney Steven S. Lucas as an officer…..