Local Lawmakers Got Thousands of Dollars in Cash From Casino Funding Far-Right Israeli Settler Movements

Sharon Quirk-Silva, a state assemblywoman currently serving the 67th District, with Victor Farfan, a Hawaiian Gardens city councilman, in 2023.

By DUANE J. ROBERTS
Editor & Publisher

The Anaheim Investigator has learned from campaign finance disclosures that the Hawaiian Gardens Casino in Los Angeles County–a card club that is owned by a Florida-based family which uses the profits it generates to bankroll far-right settler movements in Israel—has made thousands of dollars in contributions to multiple lawmakers here in Orange County, including State Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva.

Moreover, prima facie evidence suggests their motive for spending $221,302 to boost Ada Briceño, a union leader seeking to replace Quirk-Silva in the 67th State Assembly District, may be driven by the presence of an opponent aligned with California State Attorney General Rob Bonta, the latter of whom has aggressively pushed for tougher regulations of their industry, such as tightening dealer rules and limiting blackjack.

The whole brouhaha over the casino’s political loyalties erupted when Mark Pulido, a Cerritos councilman also running for that seat, blasted Briceño in a press release claiming she “is being promoted to voters by a vocal and active Trump donor – one who was named a top‑ten donor to the 2020 presidential campaign,” pointing to records identifying Cherna Moskowitz, the late mother of the current owners, as a key backer.

Furthermore, the release hinted the Moskowitz family was providing “financial support – funded by the bingo hall at their casino – of right‑wing movements in the Middle East.” In a previous article, The Investigator reported they have a long history of using a foundation they control to funnel millions of dollars to Israeli settler groups actively involved in pushing Palestinians out of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In response, Briceño told the Los Angeles Times that “anybody who knows my work knows I have fought against Trump and MAGA with every fiber of my being,” saying “I strongly oppose the Moskowitz family’s positions on Trump and their support of the settlements, which displace Palestinians in the West Bank, and I am willing to say that.” She further pledged the $11,800 in cash they gave her would be returned.

Ada Briceño

Though individuals familiar with local politics originally believed the card club was supporting Briceño because of her role in blocking Gaza ceasefire resolutions while chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, evidence for that is slim. Instead, it appears they–along with the California Commerce Club, a friendly rival–are rallying behind her to prevent Pulido from winning. Their likely concern is his close ties with Bonta.

The Investigator has discovered that the state attorney general has been a longtime acquaintance of the councilman. In addition to photographs posted on social media showing Pulido, his wife, and son posing with Bonta at an event in Los Angeles in 2022, the latter flew down from Sacramento to attend his swearing-in ceremony when he was re-elected to his seat on the Cerritos City Council in 2025, administering the oath of office.

Despite the fact Bonta accepted a $16,200 campaign contribution from the Hawaiian Gardens Casino in 2021, the relationship between the two quickly turned sour after he aggressively pushed for tougher regulations of their industry, such as tightening dealer rules and limiting blackjack. Because the same restrictions wouldn’t apply to tribal casinos, critics accused the state attorney general of pandering to their interests.

Last week, a San Francisco judge granted a preliminary injunction stopping Bonta from enforcing them while a lawsuit by the California Gaming Association moves through court. An industry spokesperson argued that the regulations were driven by pressure from tribal casinos intent on wiping out competition from card clubs, adding that the economic stability of communities dependent on their tax revenue is threatened.

Attorney General Rob Bonta with Mark Pulido (right) and his wife in 2022

Briceño isn’t the only candidate this gambling operation has backed here in Orange County. Shortly after the boundaries of the 67th State Assembly District were redrawn to include the City of Hawaiian Gardens, they began pouring cash into Quirk-Silva’s re-election bids. Between 2022 and 2024, campaign finance disclosures filed with the California Secretary of State reveal she got $13,774 from them and a top employee.

Their investment paid off. In 2023, Quirk-Silva sponsored AB 1175, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, which allowed the card club to keep a large sign next to the I‑605 freeway. Without the bill, the sign risked being treated as an off‑premises billboard and potentially removed. The law preserved freeway visibility, protected its customer traffic, and shielded it from costly compliance or reconstruction requirements.

Another recipient of cash was Avelino Valencia, who represents the 68th State Assembly District. Form 461’s show between 2023 and 2024 they gave the lawmaker from Anaheim about $8500. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he sits on the Committee on Governmental Organization, a body which has jurisdiction over the multi-billion-dollar gaming industry–from the state lottery and horse racing to tribal casinos and card clubs.

Local Republicans also got their fair share. Thousands of dollars have flowed into the coffers of former State Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen, State Assemblywoman Diane Dixon, State Assemblyman Tri Ta, and State Senator Tony Strickland. Despite the Moskowitz family’s inclination to fund that party’s politicians at the federal level, most money they spend in California goes to Democrats because they control the legislature.

Campaign finance data from the California Secretary of State.

Far from limiting itself to local races, the Hawaiian Gardens Casino appears to be pursuing influence across California, targeting contests that determine industry regulations. Form 461s reviewed by The Investigator indicate the card club has given money to at least half of the lawmakers who serve on the Committee on Governmental Organization. Members of that body from Orange County not only include Valencia, but Dixon and Tri Ta.

With respect to statewide offices, they once confined most of their campaign spending on attorney‑general candidates. However, in recent years, their strategy has branched off into other top positions. Public records show they made a $20,000 contribution to Matt Mahan—the first Democrat for governor they have backed since Jerry Brown, the latter of whom was a supporter of their industry, but strictly for economic reasons.

In 2013, Brown visited Hawaiian Gardens to endorse a planned $45‑million expansion of the casino, praising the Moskowitz family for their contributions to the community. Though they gave a significant sum to his campaign, the governor dismissed questions about it, stressing the importance of their gambling operation, noting it provides roughly 70% of the city’s general‑fund revenue and is its largest employer.

One photo The Investigator obtained of the groundbreaking ceremony Brown attended show him standing in between Cherna Moskowitz, who died in 2024, and David Moskowitz, her son. Directly behind her is Laurie Moskowitz Hirsch, her daughter, and Ron Sarabi, general manager of the card club. On David’s right is Victor Farfan, a city councilman whose runs for public office have been heavily funded by the family.

Governor Jerry Brown with the Moskowitz family in 2013.

On May 7, 2023, the Israeli military razed a Palestinian elementary school in Jib al‑Dib, a small village located southeast of Bethlehem in the West Bank. The 40 children it served were between the ages of 6 and 10. The action was driven by a pressure campaign from Regavim, a legal advocacy group for settlers cofounded by Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who holds two senior positions in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet.

Regavim is supported by significant U.S.‑based charitable funding. The Central Fund of Israel, a 501(c)(3) based in New York, is one of its major international donors. CFI operates legally as a fiscal sponsor, collecting donations and redistributing them to approved organizations abroad. This structure allows money to reach far-right settler movements in that country that are active in the displacement of Palestinians.

Among the most notable contributors identified in Form 990s filed with the Internal Revenue Service is the Irving I. Moskowitz Foundation, named after the late father of the current casino owners, who died in Miami Beach in 2016. The Investigator estimates that between 2008 and 2024, the foundation routed nearly $12.7 million in cash to CFI. However, it is one of several non-profits they have given money to that perform a similar role.

The Moskowitz family has a well-documented history of backing causes aligned with Israeli settlers in the occupied territories. Its donations to CFI and other entities have helped finance groups like Regavim, which set the stage for school demolitions and other repressive measures. The end result is a legally structured pipeline linking millions of dollars in American gambling profits to on‑the‑ground ethnic cleansing overseas.

Children at the site of their former school in Jib al‑Dib in 2023.

Because Quirk-Silva and Valencia both represent parts of Anaheim, The Investigator reached out to them to inquire how they feel about accepting money from a “Trump donor” whose lucrative gambling operations finance extremist settler movements in Israel. Additionally, we wanted to know if they would return the contributions, as Briceño pledged to do. So far neither has bothered replying to any of the questions we emailed.