Los Angeles City Councilman and mayoral candidate Joe Buscaino has spent tens of thousands of dollars from his officeholder account on trips to Hawaii, Italy and elsewhere for his family since he was elected, according to a Times analysis of city records.
Council members who have served with Buscaino since he was elected, including Paul Krekorian, Paul Koretz and Curren Price, also have used officeholder funds to pay for family travel. Krekorian spent about $4,800, which was the next highest total, on a four-day trip to Mexico with his wife and two children in 2015.in ceremonies commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Hugh Esten, special advisor to Krekorian, said in a statement.
Subsidizing the travel of family members is probably not what this money was meant for, Levinson said. In 2022, the mayor and other citywide officeholders may not raise or spend more than $193,000 a year from these accounts; the limit is $120,000 for council members.