Sea Change Leadership PAC, also known as Sea Change, is a left-of-center political action committee based in California. Founded by U.S. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) in 2010, the PAC claims credit for helping the Democratic Party achieve a majority in the House of Representatives during the 2018 midterm election cycle. Sea Change also attacked then-President Donald Trump for his immigration restrictions, Supreme Court nominations, and other policy positions.
The PAC accomplishes Democratic Party constituent mobilization, which it describes as “strategic voter education,” through door-to-door canvassing and phone banking. It also provides its supporters with information on protests, town hall meetings, and other left-of-center activism opportunities. 1 2
Affiliations and Partnerships
Sea Change is a member organization of the California Congressional District 27 Action Council, a collective of local Democratic Party and left-of-center activist groups. Other member organizations include the Santa Clarita chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, a far-left political faction which claims to be the largest socialist group in the United States, and a regional branch of the controversial Women’s March feminist movement. The local chapter of the Service Employees International Union, an influential national labor organization with deep ties to the Democratic Party establishment, is also a member of the CA-27 Action Council. 3
Leadership
U.S. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) is the founder of Sea Change. 4 Bass spent five years in the California State Assembly and has been in Congress since 2011. She was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2019. 5 Her rising prominence led her to be considered as then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s vice president running mate in 2020. 6 In 2022, Bass ran for mayor of Los Angeles, qualifying for a runoff against businessman Rick Caruso. 7
Attorney Stephen Kaufman is listed in Federal Election Commission documents as Sea Change’s treasurer. 8 He is a longtime attorney for Rep. Bass and other prominent California officials through his company, Kaufman Legal Group. 9 Kaufman has been on a number of California state committees, and was an attorney for Al Gore’s presidential recount committee in 2000. 10
Financials
Sea Change reported relatively little activity from the 2010 midterm elections through the 2016 presidential elections, but sharply increased its fundraising and expenditures in 2017 and 2018, bringing in more than $680,000 and spending more than $570,000. The PAC was more active during the 2018 midterms than during the presidential election cycle two years later, when it raised just over $650,000 and spent less than $420,000. Its campaign-related expenditures support Democratic candidates. 11
References
- “Sea Change Leadership PAC.” OpenSecrets. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/sea-change-leadership-pac/C00486720/summary/2018
- “About.” Sea Change CA. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://seachangepac.org/about/
- “CA27 Action Council.” SoCal Blue. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://socalblue.org/archives/action-council/ca27-action-council
- “About.” Sea Change CA. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://seachangepac.org/about/
- “Karen Bass.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://ballotpedia.org/Karen_Bass
- Christopher Cadelago and Natasha Korecki, “Karen Bass rises as sleeper pick to be Biden’s VP,” Politico. July 24, 2020. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/24/karen-bass-biden-vp-380583
- “Karen Bass.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://ballotpedia.org/Karen_Bass
- “Sea Change Leadership PAC.” OpenSecrets. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/sea-change-leadership-pac/C00486720/summary/2018
- Tom Tapp, “L.A. City Council suspends Mark Ridley-Thomas after federal bribery and conspiracy indictment,” Deadline. October 10, 2021. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://deadline.com/2021/10/los-angeles-city-councilman-mark-ridley-thomas-usc-dean-indicted-on-federal-corruption-charges-1234855684/
- Our Team, Kaufman Legal Group. Accessed July 11, 2022. http://kaufmanlegalgroup.com/stephen-j-kaufman/
- “Sea Change Leadership PAC.” OpenSecrets. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/sea-change-leadership-pac/C00486720/summary/2018