Airbnb’s $750,000 to Karen Bass fuels pay-to-play claims over LA rental policy

Airbnb has poured $750,000 into an independent political committee supporting Mayor Karen Bass’s reelection, drawing fresh scrutiny as the mayor backs a proposal that would loosen Los Angeles’s restrictions on short-term rentals. The contribution has given City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, Bass’s challenger in the November runoff, new ammunition in her attacks on the mayor, whom…