Panel Proposes Limits on Officials’ Spending

The Los Angeles Ethics Commission on Thursday recommended increased restrictions on how elected officials solicit and spend special officeholder accounts--meaning that newsletters to constituents are in, but gym fees and church memberships are out.

The commission forwarded an ordinance to the City Council for final approval that is designed to restrict use of the funds to governmental and legislative purposes, eliminating personal and campaign expenditures.

The proposed law grew, in part, out of complaints that former City Councilman Mike Woo used his officeholder account illegally to get an early start on his campaign for mayor. The Ethics Commission said it could not act on complaints against Woo and others because the law was too vague.

Funds governed by the law are supposed to be separate from an elected official’s campaign accounts, which are subject to different regulations.

Under the proposed new law, City Council members, the mayor, the city controller and the city attorney would be able to collect a maximum of $75,000 a year, an increase from the $25,000 limit.

But contributions, which had been unlimited, would be capped at $500 a year from individuals and corporations. The proposed law would prohibit all contributions by lobbyists while they have matters pending before city agencies.

It would ban elected officials from spending the funds on mass mailings and other items for at least a year before reelection campaigns.

The proposed law also would increase reporting requirements, forcing politicians to give more details on how they spend the privately solicited funds and to file reports four times a year, instead of the current two.

It would forbid payments for “membership in any athletic, social, fraternal, veterans or religious organization.”

City Council President John Ferraro has the largest office account, with $490,000. He is followed by Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, with $226,126 and Councilman Joel Wachs, with $173,634.