Karen Bass ripped after viral video lays out taxpayer-funded match of campaign donations

Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing scrutiny after an online ad revealed that campaign contributions from supporters of her re-election bid would be matched by taxpayer dollars.

"Your donation to our campaign right now is more critical than ever before," said Bass, speaking into a lapel microphone with upbeat music playing in the background of the ad, which was posted to her campaign's X account .

"Let me explain," she continued.

"Thanks to LA's super match program, every qualified donation from Los Angeles residents is matched 6-to-1 by the city.

But after the primary, we had to start over from scratch, so we need you to rush your matching donation right now to help fuel this campaign." CALIFORNIA ELECTION RESULTS STILL UNDECIDED AS LOS ANGELES BEGINS COUNTING BALLOTS Bass noted that chipping in $5 would equate to a $35 total donation, while $25 would become $175.

The explanation immediately raised eyebrows for those concerned that taxpayer dollars are being used as campaign contributions.

"It's a system they set up to enrich themselves and their friends and get themselves elected," Roxanne Hoge, chairwoman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, told Fox News Digital in response to Bass' video.

"It's like when you're a kid, and the kid with the fancy ball gets to make all the rules of the game you're about to play.

That's what this is." But the system is perfectly legal.

"It's much like when people complain about election fraud in California .

It's not fraud.

Everything is codified just the way they like it," said Hoge.

"Almost none of the money that Los Angeles takes in is used for things that make sense," she continued.

"Money goes to homelessness and it increases homelessness.