Traci Park’s 2022 City Council campaign paid thousands of dollars in penalties after the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission found repeated campaign finance violations involving over-the-limit donations. The violations were resolved through an audit settlement in which Park’s campaign admitted responsibility and agreed to pay an $8,000 fine.

The Ethics Commission audit identified multiple instances where Park’s campaign accepted excess contributions, including aggregated donations from related individuals and entities and cumulative contributions that exceeded legal limits. In several cases, the campaign attempted to refund the excess amounts, but did so outside the 75-day curing window required by city law, leaving the violations uncured.

While campaign finance audits often read as technical compliance matters, the donor list tied to Park’s violations offers a clearer picture of the political networks backing her rise.

Among the donors whose contributions triggered the penalty is Julie Milligan, a Westside political operative who sits on the executive board of the Blue Wave Democratic Club. Although the club presents itself as a Democratic organization, it has built a reputation for backing right-leaning “Democratic” candidates while working to sideline progressive challengers. Milligan’s role places her within a gatekeeping layer of local Democratic politics that helps determine which candidates receive institutional support and which are shut out.

The audit also flags contributions from Kevin and Silvia Dretzka, a wealthy real estate and finance power couple with deep ties to Republican and corporate donor networks. Kevin Dretzka is a former managing director at Eastdil Realty and now a private equity investor whose portfolio spans real estate, oil and gas, and agritech. Silvia Dretzka is a major Republican donor in her own right, while Kevin has donated thousands to right-wing candidates and causes. Together, the Dretzkas are part of a national donor class closely aligned with luxury development and fossil fuel interests.

Another donor cited in the audit is Seth Lichtenstein, along with his wife Hollye Levin, Venice homeowners active in local anti-housing politics. Lichtenstein, an intellectual property lawyer, serves as president of the Coalition for Safe Coastal Development, a NIMBY group formed specifically to block the Venice Dell supportive housing project for unhoused Angelenos. While Lichtenstein often frames his opposition as civic concern, the group’s singular focus has been stopping affordable and supportive housing near the coast.

In total, the Ethics Commission found eight violations related to excess contributions across Park’s campaign and officeholder accounts. By entering into the audit settlement, Park waived her right to challenge the findings, request a hearing, or seek judicial review. The case underscores that Park’s campaign finance problems were not driven by small, accidental overages from grassroots supporters. Instead, they stemmed from contributions tied to politically influential donors, real estate interests, and organized opposition to affordable housing, many of whom also appear among Park’s prominent financial backers.