CASHING IN: California’s newest senator has gotten a crash course this week in the particular set of occupational hazards that come with public office — a Covid infection, for example, after a weeklong tour visiting the state’s political power players. Another reality of the new politician’s life: Her personal finances are open for the world to dissect. As a regent for the University of California, Laphonza Butler filed financial disclosures that covered a brief, but highly scrutinized, professional chapter when she made the jump from labor leader to highly paid political consultant. That period is especially relevant now, as Butler is introducing herself to Californians and keeping political insiders guessing about whether she’ll seek a full term and jump into the well-underway Senate race. The filings detail just how lucrative those three years were. Butler reported at least $1 million in Airbnb stock while she worked as a director of public policy at the company. She made hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary there, and as a political consultant with the powerhouse firm then called SCRB. The disclosures also detail SCRB’s corporate and political clients while she was at the firm. Butler’s portfolio included political campaigns — namely, then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential bid — and businesses Uber and Lyft, which were intensely fighting efforts to reclassify their workers as employees with the right to unionize. Some on the left have criticized Butler for representing the gig companies, especially given her long history working as a labor leader. Her payouts from those businesses, as well as Airbnb, could further rankle a segment of the Democratic Party that is deeply suspicious of corporations. Of course, those concerns are most relevant if Butler decides to launch a campaign. Already, her allies have signaled they’re ready to defend her vociferously if she gets attacked as a sellout. “I sure hope that no one tries to go there. Laphonza has not exploited anyone the way that many in the private sector and corporate America continue to exploit workers day in and day out,†said April Verrett, the secretary-treasurer of SEIU, adding, “How dare someone try to point a finger at her without pointing it at themselves first?†Read more about Butler’s financial disclosures here.
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