Ethics Commission Rules in Alarcon’s Favor

Since leaving the City Council in December, Richard Alarcon has been barred by law from lobbying city officials on issues he was involved in before being elected to the state Senate.

At risk, Alarcon felt, were projects he left unfinished as a councilman, including the construction of two libraries and one police station in his former northeast Valley council district, which overlaps his Senate district.

“As the rules were, I was told I could not lobby the city on any project I worked on as a City Council member,” said Alarcon, a Sylmar Democrat. “I felt that was ridiculous.”

The city’s Ethics Commission agreed, and voted Thursday to support an exemption to the law, allowing former city officials to lobby the city if they are advocating on behalf of another government agency to which they have been elected or appointed.

“They wouldn’t be trading on their city experience and contacts for private gain,” said LeeAnn Pelham, deputy director of the Ethics Commission.

Alarcon said that under the ban, he was frustrated at being unable to urge the city to speed up construction of an Environmental Learning Center in Lake View Terrace and a new police station in the Valley.

Pelham said it was Alarcon’s questions about the law that led to the proposal approved Thursday, which now goes to the City Council for final adoption.

The exemption is likely to be put to greater use in the future as city term limits force elected city officials to run for other offices, including the state Legislature, Pelham said.

For example, Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg has decided to run next year for the state Assembly seat being vacated by Antonio Villaraigosa.

Commissioner Art Mattox supported the exemption after being assured that it would not create a loophole allowing lobbyists to take commission appointments to get around the ban for private clients.

“In most instances, as long as the communication is on behalf of the new governmental entity and the compensation for that communication is from that governmental entity, the concern wouldn’t arise,” said Commissioner Miriam Krinsky.

The exemption was also judged to be reasonable by Jim Knox, executive director of California Common Cause, who said a similar law was adopted by the state.

“This law was designed to protect against legislators going into the private sector and coming back to lobby for private clients,” Knox said.

Alarcon welcomed the change, saying without the exemption, he might have been prohibited from briefing his successor on the City Council about important district projects after the June 8 election.

“I’m very pleased that the commission recognize that is the spirit of the law,” he said.