A mortgage company owner who founded a nonprofit that raises money for the LAPD Valley Bureau is at the center of a investigation into how private donors gain special access to top police officials.
Porter Ranch mortgage company owner Larry Stearn is at the center of an LA Times investigation into how private donors gain special access to LAPD officials. His Valley Bureau Foundation's planned Porsche rally with police escorts collapsed after board members resigned.
A mortgage company owner who founded a nonprofit that raises money for the LAPD Valley Bureau is at the center of a investigation into how private donors gain special access to top police officials.
Larry Stearn, 71, has hosted LAPD chiefs at his Thousand Oaks home for annual Super Bowl parties and fundraising events for years. According to the Times, two LAPD sources familiar with the Valley Bureau Foundation said Stearn has grown especially close with command staff in the Valley. Those officials have invited him to attend police recruit graduations as their guest.
Stearn's organization got LAPD leadership to approve an event last year that offered Angelenos a chance to cruise in a Porsche with department command staff for $500 per ride.
Meeting minutes from September 11, 2025, show organizers lined up two deputy chiefs and an assistant chief to ride in the lead cars. The plan called for deploying roughly 20 motorcycle officers to clear traffic along a route from a Porsche dealership in Santa Clarita to another in Woodland Hills.
The event never happened.
Three Valley Bureau Foundation board members resigned within a week of the rally's planned date. At least one told colleagues he was uncomfortable with using on-duty officers for the event, according to two LAPD sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. The event was officially canceled with no public explanation.
"There is an onus on charitable organizations to comply with applicable City regulations," a spokesperson for the Police Commission said in a statement to the Times. "We encourage all organizations that wish to solicit charitable donations within the City of Los Angeles to complete an info card and seek compliance."
The Times reported that police boosters have received perks in recent years. Within the last four years, some members of the larger Los Angeles Police Foundation received realistic-looking honorary badges. Others had their concealed-carry permit applications fast-tracked. One donor was given his own office at LAPD headquarters.
A separate incident drew scrutiny last fall. When the daughter of a Valley Bureau Foundation board member had a vehicle crash at her property, someone from the foundation's board called a senior LAPD commander for help instead of going through normal reporting channels, according to three police sources.
Commander John Shah asked one of his community service officers to respond to the scene. The sources called the request unusual given the minor nature of the incident and the department's ongoing officer shortage. Shah did not respond to a request for comment.
Stearn claimed to have raised more than $100,000 for the LAPD during one Valley Bureau Foundation meeting last year. That figure far exceeds what is listed in Police Commission records, according to the Times.
The foundation's documented donations have been sporadic. Police Commission records show the organization has mostly funded holiday parties and smaller morale-boosting events. It recently helped upgrade the sound system at an LAPD training facility.
Stearn declined an interview when reached by phone. He later replied by email, writing that he has supported the LAPD since 1985 "as a sponsor, non-profit board member, and donor in both in-kind and financial contributions."
Deputy Chief Marla Cuiffetelli, the highest-ranking police official in the Valley, told the Times that it is not unusual for LAPD officials to work closely with foundation members on fundraising campaigns.
Stearn's organization, Cuiffetelli said, has been "a great assistance" to the LAPD over the years, helping pay for laptops, monitors, wireless printers and other equipment for the bureau's command post.
Cuiffetelli said the foundation also donated food and water to officers working the Palisades fire and last summer's protests. She said the Porsche rally was called off after LAPD officials decided it was important to be "judicious in the use of any other Department related resources that would be utilized at the event."
The LAPD has long relied on private donors to supplement its multibillion-dollar budget. Most of the city's budget goes toward salaries and payroll. Donations in recent decades have paid for modernized computer systems, body cameras, and drones.
Randy Lippert, a professor at the University of Windsor who has studied police foundations, told the Times there are at least 400 similar organizations nationwide.
"If you're concerned about accountability, that flow of dark money into police services, that's kind of problematic," Lippert said.
The Los Angeles Police Foundation is the largest LAPD charity, responsible for raising roughly 92% of the $10 million in total donations tracked in 2025.
All donations to the LAPD must be approved publicly by the Police Commission. Larger contributions also go before the City Council. The people and corporations behind the funding are rarely disclosed during that process, according to the Times.
Department officials have told the Times in years past that they follow strict ethical standards and deny that donors or boosters receive special treatment.
This article was generated with AI assistance.