What Andert argues in his video is that LINXS has effectively ransomed LAX to the tune of $880 million — so far — to complete the supposedly less than 3 percent that remains to be built on the project. His conclusion, which he insists are “just my opinions,” is backed up by the grand jury report that determined “the Contractor leveraged the change order process” — usually reserved to accommodate minor redesigns or delays in the project — “by implicitly holding out the threat of litigation to force LAWA [Los Angeles World Airports] to agree to the change orders, and to get the project completed in time for the high profile events so as not to embarrass the City.” No recommendations were made off the grand jury report, which appears to be solely a fact-finding exercise by L.A. County.

Shortly after the video published, LINXS sued LAWA alleging multiple breaches of contract. “After extensive good-faith efforts over the past two years failed to resolve these issues directly and amicably with LAWA, the applicable statute of limitations required LINXS to file this complaint to preserve its legal rights,” a LINXS spokesperson tells THR, adding that they remain committed to “successfully deliver” the people mover.

With his video, Andert was able to do something that incremental reporting by local news outlets could not — get people to care. “The video broke containment,” Andert says. The exposé got more than 116,000 clicks, nearly triple his normal view count, in less than a month and has quickly spread across social media, where influencers discuss Andert’s findings with their thousands of followers. Nithya Raman, the L.A. city councilmember and mayoral candidate, tells THR that she is a fan of Andert’s videos: “I really appreciate how he’s raised awareness about the problems that have led to the LAX people mover’s delays and massive cost overruns.”

Andert says he was encouraged by the response. “I’ve had a reporter contact me who’s doing more investigative reporting on it after seeing the video,” Andert says, adding that LINXS has taken down its website amid the uptick in scrutiny about its role on the project.

As we pull into the Wilshire/Fairfax station, I ask Andert if he thinks the LAX people mover will open this year, or even by the 2028 Olympics? He pauses: “I’m not holding my breath.”

Money supporting Bass — whether in direct donations, public matching funds or outside spending — has outpaced money backing City Council member Nithya Raman by about 3 to 1.

The disparities in the mayor’s race are much starker among groups that handle the largest donations because they’re not subject to contribution limits. Those money flows from independent expenditure committees have backed Bass 36-to-1, compared to Raman.

Among money raised directly by candidates, donors who gave $1,000 or more account for 47% of Bass’ donors and 18% of Raman’s. Those donors are subject to an $1,800 per donor limit.

A look at the top spenders

The largest spender so far is the LAPD officers’ union, which reported spending $1.2 million on ads against Raman — who made the runoff — and progressive community organizer Rae Huang, who didn’t. The data covers what’s been reported so far for the 2026 election cycle, including the lead up to the June primary.

The second-biggest is Airbnb, which reported giving $750,000 to a committee backing Bass. This year, Bass advanced a proposal backed by the company to relax city regulations by letting Airbnb hosts rent out second homes and investment properties through 2028.

Another large spender is Douglas Emmett, one of L.A.'s largest commercial landlords. The company gave $525,000 to the police union’s main spending committee, of which at least $225,000 was disclosed on anti-Raman ads by the committee.

In recent years, the company is known for attempting the largest eviction from rent-controlled housing in Los Angeles in at least four decades, citing a need to upgrade fire sprinklers. The city declined to legally intervene on behalf of the renters, who ended up suing and winning a 2024 court ruling that found the evictions were illegal.

Significant spending for Bass has also come from several other large unions for workers, including about $200,000 from Laborers’ Local 300 — which represents workers in construction and maintenance — and $180,000 from affiliates of SEIU, which represents most of the city government’s staff.

The latest spending numbers come from city data based on disclosures required by state law to be filed by the spending committees. Friday (Aug. 1) was the deadline to submit a more complete set of filings showing all raising and spending in the first half of this year.

Bass had a head start for years, entering this year with a hefty $1.5 million in her re-election account. Raman started fundraising in February.

Other big spenders

• $100,000 to a pro-Bass committee from the construction workers’ group State Building and Construction Trades Council of California.
• $50,000 to a pro-Bass committee from Kaiser Permanente CEO Gregory Adams.
• $50,000 to a pro-Raman committee from Arts District redeveloper Yuval Bar-Zemer.  
• $25,000 to a pro-Bass committee from the real estate company of Frank McCourt.  McCourt co-owns the parking lots around Dodger Stadium and has been seeking approvals from the L.A. Metro board — which Bass serves on and now chairs — for a controversial gondola project.

Records show unions spent big against candidate and Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star who did not make the runoff. The umbrella group for unions in the region — the L.A. County Federation of Labor — reported spending about $500,000 against Pratt, paid by a committee largely funded by the union for L.A. County sheriff’s deputies.