Hall Claims Reception Is Fund-Raising Ploy : Official Denies Allegation That Event for Bernardi May Violate Meeting Law

Los Angeles City Council candidate Lyle Hall and his campaign manager charged Tuesday that a fund-raising reception for incumbent Councilman Ernani Bernardi is designed to pressure City Hall lobbyists into donating money to Bernardi’s runoff campaign.

They said the target of their criticism, a May 3 reception to which only City Council members and their top donors have been invited, could violate public meeting laws.

A spokesman for the city attorney’s office, however, said such a reception would be similar to a fund-raising dinner, and would be legal.

The event at the private Los Angeles Athletic Club is being organized by council President John Ferraro, said Bill Gilson, his press deputy. Gilson said at least 10 of the 15 council members are expected to attend, and each has been asked to bring “people who have given to their campaigns in the past--call them lobbyists or advocates or whatever.”

Campaign consultant Harvey Englander, who is running Hall’s June 6 runoff campaign, called the reception a blatant example of hard-core political maneuvering, which in the past has not been characteristic of Bernardi’s campaign approach.

“I haven’t seen as blatant a move as this in a long time. . . . They’re bringing in the influence brokers to muscle them for contributions to Ernani Bernardi’s campaign,” Englander said. “Even in Sacramento, these are hard to come by.”

‘Protect Status Quo’

Hall said that because of its restricted guest list and private location, the event was a clear attempt by the council to “protect the status quo.”

“I think it’s important that the city’s business be conducted by the people who are elected to represent those districts, not the lobbyists,” Hall said. “Certainly this has the potential of smacking of elitism and being an attempt of the system to perpetuate itself.”

Bernardi said he has not yet received an invitation to the reception.

“Everybody keeps asking me about an event that’s going to take place,” Bernardi said. “I don’t know a thing about it--details or anything.”

Ferraro was on vacation and could not be reached for comment, but Gilson said lobbyists are aware of Bernardi’s reputation as an independent voter on the council.

‘Not Buying a Vote’

“Most of them know they are not buying a vote,” he said.

Gilson said that he did not know which council members would attend and that they had not yet furnished him with a list of their guests. Council members contacted said they had just received their invitations and had not yet decided which donors they would invite. Among those who said they probably would attend are San Fernando Valley council members Joy Picus and Joel Wachs.

Greg Nelson, Wachs’ spokesman, said Hall and Englander are being naive.

“You force a person into a runoff, you’re going to get hard-core campaigning,” Nelson said. “Obviously, the lighter approach didn’t work.”

Hall also claimed that because a majority of the council was expected to attend, the event could violate the Brown Act, a state law that governs which meetings must be open to the public. Gilson said Ferraro has asked the city attorney’s office to look into that possibility.

No Violation

However, Ted Goldstein, spokesman for the city attorney’s office, said the reception will not violate public meeting laws as long as there is no printed agenda and no formal discussion of city matters.

“Obviously, they’re going to be discussing social activities and matters of a more casual nature at a reception,” Goldstein said. “This does not differ in any way from when a council person is having a fund-raising dinner, at which there is usually a room filled with City Council advocates and other council members who, as a courtesy, attend and wish their colleague well.”

Hall said that when lobbyists and council members are the prime targets of an event, “there’s no way that you could ensure that city business wasn’t discussed, or at least pending business with the city.” He said campaign fund-raisers typically include a larger and far more diverse crowd.

Bernardi, who has served on the council for 28 years, gained 42% of the vote in the April 11 primary, short of the 50% plus one vote required to avoid a runoff. Hall finished second with 26%.