California GOP Chair Urges Republicans to Support State, Criticizes LA Mayor’s Campaign Funding Video

Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, launched an urgent call for Republican assistance to what she describes as a corruption-plagued California, arguing that Democratic leaders have institutionalized practices most Americans would consider unethical. Hoge made her remarks in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital while addressing fallout from a campaign video released by Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Bass, 72, promoted a public financing program in the video that provides six-to-one matching funds for campaign donations. Under the system, a $5 contribution from a Los Angeles resident becomes $35 when the city matches it, according to Bass. The video sparked criticism on social media, with observers questioning whether the use of public money to amplify campaign donations constitutes legal practice.

Hoge confirmed that Los Angeles voters approved the underlying public financing system in 1990 on a one-to-one matching basis, which the City Council later expanded to its current six-to-one structure. The program applies to both mayoral and City Council races, with donations subject to contribution caps and eligibility requirements under city ordinance.

Hoge characterized the matching funds program as emblematic of governance practices that voters approved decades earlier without understanding their eventual consequences. She noted that the system now extends benefits to candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, who hold multiple positions on the Los Angeles City Council.

Social media users expressed alarm at Bass’s video. Conservative commentator Billboard Chris questioned the legality of using taxpayer resources for candidate fundraising, while Los Angeles physician Houman David Hemmati criticized forcing residents to subsidize a mayoral campaign when the city lacks adequate infrastructure funding.

Despite her criticism, Hoge appealed directly to Republicans to continue fighting for California rather than abandon the state. She referenced Republican candidate Spencer Pratt’s strong performance in the recent mayoral primary as evidence that voters hunger for governance reform, and urged the GOP to maintain its presence in what she called “an absolute gem” of a state.