“Big tech billionaires and data center companies are spending millions to buy your Assembly seat,” says a voiceover in an SEIU-sponsored digital ad for Santa Ana City Councilmember Jessie Lopez, who’s running to succeed Avelino Valencia in Orange County. Leads and Grow have collectively spent nearly $2.8 million this cycle boosting Lopez’s opponent and city council colleague, David Penaloza, and Grow has separately dropped almost $1.2 million opposing Lopez.
Lopez told Playbook her campaign is getting questions from voters about the money being poured into the race.
“If we understand at a very basic level that there is some sort of danger here, why would we turn a blind eye to that?” Lopez said of AI safety. “Because they can invest in political campaigns, because they can throw an immense amount of money to drown out working people and to buy seats? That’s unacceptable.”
Penaloza spokesperson Derek Humphrey declined to comment on the independent expenditures. “We’re focused on running our own race,” he said.
