Ethics Chief Accuses L.A. Councilman of Violations

The top ethics official in Los Angeles accused City Councilman Jack Weiss on Thursday of 40 violations of campaign reporting rules, charging that he failed to properly disclose several mass mailings in the 2001 election as well as spending from his political officeholder account.

LeeAnn Pelham, executive director of the city Ethics Commission, issued the formal accusation after Weiss refused a settlement proposed by Pelham calling for $17,000 in fines. The councilman’s aides said the amount was excessive for what Weiss contended were clerical errors.

The case now goes to the Ethics Commission for a hearing to determine whether violations occurred and to assess penalties. The commission can levy fines of up to $5,000 per count, for a total of $200,000.

“We thought $17,000 was excessive, and we are hoping that cooler heads will prevail,” said Larry Levine, a campaign spokesman for Weiss. Aides said the councilman was not available for comment..

Pelham said in the accusation that she found probable cause to believe that Weiss failed during the April and June 2001 elections to provide the commission with the required copies of campaign literature in 32 instances.

Pelham also charged that Weiss and the treasurer of his political officeholder account failed on eight occasions to file timely reports on $1,534 worth of expenses, including a $183 meal, a $500 staff party and a $247 staff lunch.

Levine said the expenses were reported on one form but not on a redundant form required by the commission.

The mailers were not filed because of a mix-up, he said. “It was an inadvertent clerical error caused by miscommunication between me and one of the campaign workers,” Levine said. “I thought she was filing the mailers, and she thought I was.”