No Ethics Conflict Seen Over Bus Use

Although ethics experts say he did nothing wrong, Los Angeles City Councilman Alex Padilla has come under political fire from opponents for asking a city contractor to donate buses to ferry dozens of residents who share his enthusiasm for redevelopment to a critical local election.

At the request of Padilla’s office, Laidlaw Transit Inc. donated the use of 10 school buses last Friday to take members of a pro-development coalition to an election that will help determine whether the city goes ahead with a proposed redevelopment area that Padilla supports in Pacoima.

Laidlaw, which earns $600,000 annually to provide charter services to the city, provided the buses for Friday’s election as a donation to the group We Improve Neighborhoods.

“There is a potential conflict of interest if a company doing business with the city is asked to provide free busing,” said Glenn Hoiby, an attorney and anti-redevelopment candidate in Friday’s election for the redevelopment Project Area Committee.

But legal experts polled Tuesday said it does not appear that Padilla violated any conflict of interest rules in asking Laidlaw to provide buses to the pro-redevelopment coalition.

“It’s not a gift to him,” said attorney Bob Stern, who co-wrote the state’s Political Reform Act.

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Generally, a conflict of interest occurs when an elected official benefits financially from an action, according to city ethics officials.

Jim Knox, the executive director of California Common Cause, said an elected official might have to report a contribution of value that is given by a third party at his behest, but Stern said he does not think that would even apply in Padilla’s case.

Last Friday’s election was held to fill 18 seats on the Project Area Committee that will decide next year whether or not to recommend that 6,835 acres of the northeast San Fernando Valley be placed in a redevelopment project. The final count of ballots and an announcement of the election winners is scheduled for today.

Representatives of Padilla and Laidlaw said Tuesday their actions were proper.

“They were the only community group that contacted us,” said David Gershwin, a spokesman for Padilla. “We would gladly have assisted any other community group that contacted us to find transportation for this election.”

Gershwin also said there are no pending council actions involving Laidlaw that could pose a conflict.

William Ames, a Laidlaw spokesman, said the company routinely donates the use of its school buses for community groups. On Friday, in addition to taking residents of San Fernando Gardens housing project to a Pacoima recreation center for the election, the company had buses take elementary school students to a Christmas show at Mission College, Ames said.

“We are always donating buses to worthy causes in the community,” Ames said. “Our motivation is not political.”

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Gershwin said Padilla’s office arranges buses for community groups in his northeast San Fernando Valley district about 20 times a month and “people are well aware this is available.”

The city contract with Laidlaw provides buses for recreational or educational programs at city expense, but Padilla did not ask the city Transportation Department to provide the buses.