City Attorney Agrees to Pay Fines for Ethics Law Breaches

City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo and his campaign treasurer have agreed to pay $11,764 in fines for exceeding fundraising limits during his 2001 election and for failing to properly disclose expensive meals and trips, according to a proposed settlement with the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.

Delgadillo signed a stipulation admitting that his campaign received $5,364 in excess contributions from six businesses that topped the $1,000 limit on contributions from the same source.

The agreement released Thursday by the Ethics Commission indicates that Delgadillo will pay an identical amount in fines to the city general fund under a settlement negotiated by Ethics Commission Executive Director LeeAnn Pelham.

“My campaign staff made honest mistakes, and I take full responsibility,” Delgadillo said in a prepared statement.

“I am committed to make sure that every contribution is reported in accordance with ethics laws -- anything less is unacceptable.”

In addition, Delgadillo admitted that his political officeholder account failed to disclose on time the required details of 64 expenditures totaling $22,378, including a $1,128 dinner tab for an unknown number of people at the California Club, $961 in flowers and gifts, and $1,400 in room charges for the Helmsley Hotel in New York City.

Delgadillo’s treasurer, David Gould, said the failure to disclose all required details of expenses was an error by his accounting firm, so he will pay $6,400 of the fine.

The city attorney plans to form a legal fund to raise political contributions to pay the fines he owes, his attorney, Colleen McAndrews, said.

Xandra Kayden, a UCLA political scientist who helped write the city’s ethics laws, said the proposed enforcement action would send an important message to voters that the political process is being policed.

“The whole credibility of the ethics laws relies on the fact that there is a watchdog making sure people abide by the law,” Kayden said.

It is unclear, however, whether the Ethics Commission will approve the fines when the panel takes up the proposed settlements Tuesday.

The commission previously balked at imposing $1,650 in fines for violations of contribution limits by Mike Feuer, Delgadillo’s opponent in the 2001 election.

Commission President Gil Garcetti and others said at the time that they were not sure the panel should be imposing fines for minor, unintentional violations.

Garcetti said Wednesday that he would have to review the proposed settlement before deciding whether to impose fines against Delgadillo.

“It’s something I will look at,” he said. “The staff obviously feels it’s warranted.”

In separate cases, owners of businesses that gave excessive contributions to Delgadillo’s campaign -- including Crown Associates Realty, Aerolease West, and the law firms Kamine, Ungerer LLP and Rodarti, Feld and Gelfer -- have agreed to pay a combined $3,500 in fines, according to stipulations the Ethics Commission will also consider Tuesday.

Four contributors to Feuer also agreed to pay $2,150 in fines for excessive checks to his campaign.

Also on the agenda is a ruling by an administrative law judge that Rafael Gabai and his firm, Gabai Construction, exceeded contribution limits by giving to Mayor James K. Hahn’s 2001 election campaign and should pay $2,000 in fines.