LAPD Union Withdraws Support for LA City Attorney’s Reelection Bid
Los Angeles Police Union Withdraws Support for City Attorney Following Data Breach
The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL), representing the city’s rank-and-file police officers, has rescinded its endorsement of City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, a decision made two days after her office revealed a significant data breach involving law enforcement records.
In a letter addressed to Feldstein Soto, the LAPPL Board of Directors unanimously voted to withdraw its support for her reelection campaign. The board also requested that Feldstein Soto remove their logo from her campaign website and refrain from referencing the organization in any communications with voters.
"We believe that you were repeatedly not forthcoming with us about the devastating data breach of sensitive LAPD files containing information about officers that you have known about since at least March 20, 2026," the board stated. "You never informed us of this breach; we learned about it by reading the newspaper, and that is not how our union and our members will be treated."
The board’s letter further criticized Feldstein Soto for failing to disclose the breach during a March 25, 2026, interview with their Political Action Committee, emphasizing that this omission was "unforgivable." A spokesman for the LAPPL indicated that the union will revisit the endorsement process for other candidates.
Feldstein Soto’s campaign did not respond immediately to requests for comment regarding the LAPPL’s decision.
The move to rescind support came shortly after the City Attorney’s Office confirmed an unauthorized breach of its third-party system on March 20. This system is utilized by city attorneys to transfer discovery documents to opposing counsel and litigants.
"We took immediate steps to secure the tool and investigate what information was accessed. We reported the incident to law enforcement and engaged external support, including outside counsel and forensic assistance," stated a representative from the City Attorney’s Office, adding that no other city applications or systems were affected.
The office asserted that the data breach was confined to the application and did not involve any links to LAPD records or systems. Their investigation is ongoing, and plans are in place to notify any parties affected based on the review outcomes.
Feldstein Soto, seeking a second term as Los Angeles City Attorney, was elected in 2022, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Her reelection campaign faces competition from Aida Ashouri, a human rights attorney, John McKinney, a deputy district attorney, and Marissa Roy, a deputy attorney general.
In light of the data breach, McKinney called for transparency and accountability, expressing his concern for the potential risks posed to witnesses and LAPD families. Roy echoed these sentiments, suggesting that the City Attorney’s handling of data privacy has been inadequate.
On Tuesday, the LAPD announced that they are investigating the breach, which allowed unauthorized access to documents related to previously settled civil litigation cases and personnel files. City officials briefed Mayor Karen Bass on the matter.
Reports from the Los Angeles Times indicated that the breached third-party system was not password-protected, and some of the leaked records began appearing online earlier this week. Although the files were taken down shortly after being posted, information from the breach—amounting to 7.7 terabytes and over 337,000 files—has reportedly been downloaded. This data includes sensitive witness information and unredacted criminal complaints.
As the investigation continues, the implications of this breach raise significant concerns regarding data privacy and the handling of sensitive information by public officials.
