Santa Monica, California

A Los Angeles-area state Senate race between labor-backed West Hollywood City Councilmember John Erickson and business-supported media consultant Brian Goldsmith has become California's most expensive state Senate general election contest this cycle, driven by heavy outside spending. The district, covering Malibu, Santa Monica, the Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, carries a 12-year term limit as both seek to succeed termed-out Sen. Ben Allen.

Business groups have targeted Erickson with attack spending, while tech-linked donors and Goldsmith's own personal funds have boosted his campaign; labor groups opposing Goldsmith have spent far less. Nancy Pelosi recently endorsed Goldsmith. Ads focus on affordability, housing, public safety and partisan loyalty, reflecting a broader business-labor struggle over California Democratic Party direction.

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts is facing calls to resign after being accused of groping a teenage cheerleader while posing for a photo at a city hall community event this week. His office has denied any misconduct, but the incident has renewed scrutiny of a long history of allegations against him that have never resulted in criminal charges or removal from office.

Past claims include a 1993 criminal referral, later dropped for insufficient evidence, alleging he molested his young daughter and choked his then-wife unconscious, which Butts denied. A 2021 wrongful termination lawsuit from a former executive assistant, with whom he had a relationship, alleged workplace sexual demands and stalking after the relationship ended; the case was later dismissed on procedural grounds. He also faced scrutiny over a 2012 contract awarded to a company that had hired his brother, and a retaliation dispute with the city's former treasurer that reached the California Supreme Court, which sided with the city. Butts has not directly addressed the latest allegation.