Waste of the Day: L.A. Funds Activists, Then Group Sues

Topline: A Los Angeles advocacy group that sued the city twice was simultaneously being funded by the city itself.

Los Angeles and SAJE

Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) has received at least $1.2 million in city contracts since 2020, including $375,000 in 2024. The funding stayed intact even while the group sued Los Angeles over Covid-19 emergency rental assistance and hotel construction.

The nonprofit has also advocated for abolishing the Los Angeles Police Department and canceling the 2028 Summer Olympics, among other social justice issues.

The funding was first reported by the New York Post and verified through Open the Books’ public spending database.

Key facts: Most of SAJE’s public money came from the city’s Systematic Code Enforcement Program, which is funded by an annual fee on landlords and tenants. The program pays for apartment safety inspections and education about health codes. SAJE does not have to publicly disclose an itemized list of how its money was spent.

In 2023, SAJE and the advocacy group PolicyLink sued Los Angeles over its use of state and federal funds meant for rental assistance during the pandemic. They argued that a confusing application process caused tenants to be wrongfully denied assistance with limited access to the appeals process.

Separately, PolicyLink brought in $308,000 from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2024.

Current legal actions

SAJE is currently suing the city over its plans to allow a Marriott Hotel to be built on land previously designated for affordable housing, which SAJE claims violates zoning laws. SAJE argues the land should have been included in a 2019 motion that set aside

surplus public land for 100% affordable housing in Black and Latinx neighborhoods as a corrective to Los Angeles’ history of racist housing and land-use policies.

The nonprofit is also lobbying to cancel the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, which it claims will “accelerate the displacement, homelessness, and police violence so many Angelenos suffer on the daily.” And because the event will require a federal security presence, SAJE is concerned the Trump administration will use the opportunity to “militarize” Los Angeles.

According to the New York Post, SAJE has also held rallies and lobbied city council members to completely close down the Los Angeles Police Department.

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Background: SAJE spent more than $2.7 million on salaries in 2024, according to its 990 tax form. At least three employees earned more than $100,000.

Summary: Open the Books has found that the federal government often funds nonprofits that later sue the government, and the state of California has also funded litigious organizations. Now the practice has expanded to cities as well.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.