What do Jeanie Buss, Colin Jost and Dave Winfield have in common? Participating in the LA mayoral race
The list of contributors to the mayoral candidates’ campaigns in Los Angeles has something in common with the courtside seats at Lakers games: Both are sprinkled with the rich and famous.
There’s Colin Jost, host of “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend, who came forward as a contributor to Council Member Nithya Raman. Mayor Karen Bass, meanwhile, counts former Major League Baseball star Dave Winfield among the participants.
Lakers governor and part owner Jeanie Buss is there as well, as a presenter for reality TV personality Spencer Pratt. All three gave top donations of $1,800 to selected individuals.
With Los Angeles at the center of the entertainment industry, big names like Jost, Winfield and Buss (none of whom responded to requests for comment) are par for the course in local elections. There could have been more celebrity contributions if not for Pratt and Raman’s late entry into the race, said political consultant Mike Trujillo.
“It’s a very short timeline that’s unusual in a mayoral race when you’re challenging an incumbent,” said Trujillo, who is not affiliated with any mayoral campaigns. “It takes time to find these celebrities.”
Trujillo said he expects big names to contribute if there is no candidate for a majority in the June 2 election, which will create a runoff in the November 3 general election.
In 2022, “ET” director Steven Spielberg gave $1,500 to Bass’s first mayoral campaign and $125,000 to the private expense group “Bass United Communities for LA Mayor 2022.” JJ Abrams, director of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” also gave $125,000 to the team.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, the founder of DreamWorks Animation, gave nearly $2 million to the pro-Bass group.
Winfield and Buss were not the only names associated with the sports world to enter the mayoral maelstrom.
Brian McCourt, son of former Los Angeles Dodger owner Frank McCourt, donated the top $1,800 to Bass’s re-election campaign. He is the president of the McCourt Foundation, which runs the Los Angeles Marathon.
Magic Johnson’s son, Andre Johnson, who now runs Magic Johnson Enterprises, also gave a high price to Bass.
Bass also collected donations from “Grey’s Anatomy” actor James Pickens Jr. and to Pauletta Washington, wife of Denzel Washington. In 2025, Bass received $1,800 from Edythe Broad, widow of billionaire engineer Eli Broad and founder of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.
Raman has received numerous offers from successful Hollywood writers, producers and directors. She is married to Vali Chandrasekaran, a writer for hit TV shows including “30 Rock” and “Modern Family.” She has played a major role for comedian Adam Conover and singer Joanna Newsom, Andy Samberg’s wife.
Recent campaign contribution reports show Pratt has raised nearly $540,000 since Jan. 1, more than any other candidate. About $131,000 of his contributions were so-called unspecified contributions of less than $100, more than any other candidate.
Among the listed donations, Pratt reported receiving $1,800 from Rick Salomon, the poker player best known for a 2004 sex tape with Paris Hilton. Solomon’s daughter Tyson Salomon, a social media influencer, gave Pratt $1,250.
Two other mayoral candidates, tech entrepreneur Adam Miller and community organizer Rae Huang, also raised more than $200,000 each, though there were few household names in their money.
Miller loaned his campaign $2.5 million.
