Villaraigosa says he’ll reimburse value of gifts if ethics panel finds he acted improperly

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday that if the city Ethics Commission sees anything improper in his having accepted free passes to as many as 81 sporting, concert and awards-show events since becoming mayor in 2005, he would reimburse the ticket donors.

“If the commission, after reviewing those documents, determines that there are any that are not sustainable then I will certainly reimburse,” he said.

The comment came after Villaraigosa acknowledged that he had again accepted a free ticket to Thursday night’s Lakers-Celtics NBA championship game. Villaraigosa said he is scheduled to meet with basketball Commissioner David Stern to discuss the 2011 NBA All Star game, which will be played in Los Angeles, therefore the event constitutes official business that doesn’t require him to treat the tickets as “gifts” that would have to be reported under law.

“I am going to the Lakers game tonight,” Villaraigosa said. “And I’ve made it very clear, as I understand the rules and regulations, it is not a reportable gift when I am in an official capacity. I will be going tonight in an official capacity.”

Villaraigosa’s tickets were provided by the National Basketball Assn., said mayoral spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton. Villaraigosa’s guest at the game will be Eduardo Andrade, a junior at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles and an “outstanding student athlete” who plays basketball, she said.

The Times reported last week that since taking office in 2005, Villaraigosa has sat courtside next to movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg at three Lakers games at Staples Center. He has cheered alongside Tommy Lasorda and Dodgers owner Frank McCourt in the owner’s box at Dodger Stadium. He has also attended the Academy Awards, the Grammys, the Emmys and the BET Awards.

Courtside seats at regular-season Lakers games cost $3,100 each, according to the Lakers organization.

On Thursday, during a news conference at Los Angeles International Airport showcasing a new security program there, Villaraigosa said he didn’t see anything improper about a mayor supporting the local sports teams.

“I feel very strongly that the mayor ought to be able to root for the home team,” Villaraigosa said.

Villaraigosa acknowledged this week that he goes to some of them free of charge. He said he considers those appearances to be part of his official duty to promote and represent Los Angeles.

State and city laws require politicians to report gifts they receive — and say who gave them — and limit the value of tickets they can accept at $420 from any one source in a year. Elected officials are exempt from those requirements, however, if they conduct official business or have a “ceremonial” role at an event.

Villaraigosa has taken a more expansive view of that exception than his predecessor: Former Mayor James K. Hahn publicly reported tickets he received to similar sporting events and award shows, including the Academy Awards, the Grammys, a Rose Bowl game, Dodgers and Angels games, a Lakers game and a UCLA- USC football game.

When Hahn went to the 2003 Academy Awards, he paid $400 out of his own pocket and declared only a portion of the total ticket value — $100 — as a gift, his financial disclosure reports show.

Villaraigosa said he believes he has been in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, but said he would abide by any ruling made by the city’s Ethics Commission. The mayor said that at many of the events his official duties consisted of presenting a decorative city proclamation to an athlete, entertainer or organizer.

“That’s what mayors do,” Villaraigosa said. “Mayors give official proclamations all the time. That’s always been understood to be an official capacity.”

Last week, after KTTV-TV (Channel 11) reported that the mayor received free tickets to a number of Lakers games, the mayor’s office contacted the Ethics Commission and city attorney’s office to review his attendance at cultural and sporting events.

phil.willon@latimes.com