Kevin De Leon Makes Amateur Mistake

Fresh from his entanglement in the ethics scandals of Sacramento, Kevin De Leon has made a screwup more associated with political rookies. This week he put out a campaign mailer telling voters he was running for an office he hasn't held in four years.

The De Leon mailer this week features a dated picture of the incumbent lawmaker with the headline "Kevin De Leon for State Assembly." De Leon has not run for Assembly since 2008. He last faced a competitive election in 2006, when he moved into an Eastside district to run in a Democratic primary against two local women candidates. He gave up the seat in 2010. Since 2012, that Assembly seat has been held by Jimmy Gomez.

The error highlights De Leon's role as a career politician more focused on status in Sacramento than a close connection with voters in Los Angeles. It also repeats a mistake in the mail like the one that helped sink another local politician, Bonnie Lowenthal, in her bid this spring to become Long Beach mayor.

Just two months ago, Lowenthal inadvertently used a picture of San Diego's skyline in a mailing to Long Beach residents promoting her knowledge of their city and seeking their votes for mayor. The incident damaged Lowenthal's credibility at precisely the moment voters were receiving their ballots in a hard-fought primary election campaign.  

Lowenthal finished third, disqualifying her from the June runoff. It was a result many observers viewed as an upset and marked the first time someone with her surname had ever lost an election in Long Beach, over more than two decades.

De Leon has faced doubts about his own connection with the Los Angeles communities where he has claimed residence. Former state senator Gloria Romero wrote that De Leon starting in 2006 faced accusations of "moving into a district to qualify to run for a particular seat." She called it "a distasteful magical carpet(bag) ride."

Ethics questions have also come to dog De Leon. He was mentioned 56 times in the FBI affidavit in the corruption investigation of his former Senate colleague Ron Calderon. He accepted (and later returned) a $5,000 check given by a figure involved in the FBI investigation who attended a De Leon fund-raiser at a boxing match in Las Vegas. De Leon also received a warning letter from the state's watchdog agency after fund-raising by lobbyist Kevin Sloat outside the boundaries set by state law. In part because of actions aiding De Leon, Sloat this year drew a record-setting fine of more than $133,000 for his misdeeds.

Local small business owner and union member Peter Choi is challenging De Leon for the senate seat representing the new 24th District. The district stretches from East Los Angeles through downtown to Koreatown and Silver Lake. Choi is an underdog. But he definitely knows what job he's running for.