Dismantling the Lies About Jessie Lopez: Corporate Landlords, Tech/AI Giants, Oil Companies, and Crypto Bros are Spending Big in California AD-68

You probably have gotten the mailers and seen the ads (and a good number of them) claiming that Jessie Lopez voted to give herself a 500% raise and that she had to pay her former landlord $35,000 for a lawsuit that claimed she harassed him, destroyed his mail, and refused to vacate his property.

Let’s set the record straight and take a look at the sources:

THE CLAIM

Jessie Lopez voted to give herself a 500% raise on the Santa Ana City Council.

THE TRUTH

MISLEADING

In 2024, Santa Ana voters voted on Measure FF, which would increase Santa Ana City Councilmember salaries to 33% of that of an Orange County Superior Court judge. This issue was voted on by the residents of Santa Ana, not a closed-door City Council vote, and was introduced by Councilmembers Phil Bacerra and Thai Viet Phan.

Councilmember Jessie Lopez’s stance was that the voters should be the ones to democratically decide whether they wanted full-time City Councilmembers, which would be a “yes” vote on the measure, as such a salary increase would require full-time dedication to City Council duties to be justified. She encouraged voters to vote “no” if they wanted salaries and part-time Council duties to remain as they were.

The voters ultimately decided to keep City Council salaries as they were and Measure FF did not pass, with “no” votes accounting for 65.66% of those cast.

THE CLAIM

Jessie Lopez was ordered to pay her former landlord $35,000 over a lawsuit claiming she destroyed property and refused to vacate.

THE TRUTH

FALSE

The lawsuit filed by her former landlord was a stunt that was publicized by the “OC Independent,” a right-wing publication written and maintained mainly by Matthew Cunningham, one of the the most prominent and outspoken supporters of the attempted/failed Santa Ana Police Officers Association-backed recall of Councilmember Lopez. Coincidentally, the article was dropped the day ballots were mailed in the 2024 election and the lawsuit alleged that the plaintiff was having trouble serving Councilmember Lopez despite her being at the same place at the same time weekly for Council sessions as well as posting her community office hours and events online regularly.

The lawsuit was thrown out, as shown in the ruling of court case 30-2022-01258717-CU-BC-NJC: Click Here to View

“It is not a coincidence that no credible or established media outlet has reported this claim because it does not hold up to basic scrutiny. What you are seeing instead is a deliberate attempt by Sacramento insiders who have failed to deliver real results for our communities to manipulate voters with misinformation.

When opponents cannot defend their record, they turn to distraction and distortion. This is exactly the kind of politics people are tired of, where elections are influenced by money, smears, and backroom tactics instead of truth and accountability.

I trust voters to look at the facts, ask questions, and see through these tactics. My focus remains on delivering real solutions and representing the people with integrity, not engaging in manufactured controversies.

If anyone has questions, I am ready to provide the documentation and address this directly. Transparency matters, and the truth is on our side.“

–Councilmember Jessie Lopez

Who is behind the attacks?

A variety of corporate landlords, tech giants, crypto bros, oil companies, and AI corporations have been spending thousands of dollars to support her opponent and to attack Jessie Lopez and her fight for the working people of California’s 68th Assembly District. They include and have included:

California Leads (funded by Google and Meta): $427,844 spent as of 5/4/2026
Grow California (funded by crypto bros): $218,446 spent as of 5/4/2026
Coalition to Restore California’s Middle Class, Including Energy, Manufacturing, and Technology Companies Who Produce Gas, Oil, Jobs and Pay Taxes (funded by Chevron, Marathon Petroleum, California Resources Corporation, and Valero Services): $345,054
Housing Providers for Responsible Solutions (funded by corporate landlords, California Apartment Association, California Association of Realtors, California Building Industry Association): $251,802 spent as of 5/4/2026

New AI-Generated Lows

Another mailer recently received by residents depicts a woman slightly resembling Jessie Lopez as the Monopoly Man, except the photo is likely AI-generated and the claims made have been disproven. This one comes courtesy of the same corporate landlords, now using the term “housing providers” to attempt to clean up their image:

Housing Partners for Responsible Solutions
California Apartment Association
California Association of Realtors
California Building Industry Association

Paid for by Jessie Lopez for Assembly 2026
FPPC# 1478693