Ethics Law Puts Squeeze on Fruit Gifts

The sentiment was “Hope you’re feeling better,” but the gesture proved fruitless for a billboard company that wanted to send a get-well basket this week to hospitalized City Council President John Ferraro.

Patrick Media Group Inc., which does business with Los Angeles, was informed by the city Ethics Commission that it would be against the law to send a fruit basket to an elected official.

“We were not trying to influence him,” said Eric Rose, a City Hall lobbyist for the firm.

Warned off by the commission, the firm instead mailed a “Dear John” letter on Monday to the 67-year-old councilman, who was at Good Samaritan Hospital recovering from severe flu symptoms.

“Attached to this note was going to be a fruit basket,” wrote Ed Dato, Patrick Media’s governmental affairs director. “However, the Ethics Commission advised us not to send one to you since it would violate the ethics law.”

In a joking postscript, Dato suggested to Ferraro that the public had “an interest in seeing that you did not develop scurvy.”

Ethics Commission Executive Director Ben Bycel responded by sending a tongue-in-cheek “Dear John” letter of his own.

“I hope you have a speedy and full recovery,” Bycel’s letter said. “P.S. I would have sent you flowers, candy and free tickets, but you know those ethics laws.”

Although the ethics laws in question may be relaxed this year under a proposal that would allow gifts of under $100 a year, Bycel said, “I disagree with Patrick Media on the importance of the gift issue.”

Through a spokeswoman, Ferraro stuck up for the well-wishers, saying, “This a good example, perhaps, of how we are taking the ethics issue a little too far.”