Official Says Vote Not in Violation

A 2-1 vote authorizing a Los Angeles law firm to wrap up its investigation into alleged candidate spending improprieties did not violate city codes, City Atty. Mark Sellers said this week.

Questions over the vote were raised last week by Mayor Dan Del Campo, who was the lone dissenter in the Nov. 14 decision.

According to the municipal code, three affirmative votes are required for the payment of money.

Sellers said the council’s vote only “created the obligation” that the city pay attorneys at Winston & Strawn for roughly two months’ worth of legal work.

Three affirmative votes would only be required, Sellers said, when a bill arrives and must be approved by city leaders.

But those three votes still won’t be there when the council tries to approve the bill, Del Campo said, which is why he said he doesn’t believe Sellers’ opinion makes sense.

Del Campo said he has no plans to change his vote.

And because new Councilman Edward L. Masry and Councilwoman Linda Parks were named in campaign finance complaints that are part of the probe, they will have to abstain from voting on the bill.

“I don’t know whether to call that fuzzy math or fuzzy logic,” Masry said. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Marc Harris, one of the attorneys assigned to the investigation, said his office was told by Sellers that additional funds have been allocated and work could continue.

As to the vote controversy, Harris said, “We were told generally that an issue had been raised” but that it didn’t change what the city attorney’s office had told the firm previously, he said.

The council agreed to pay the firm up to $10,000 in September.

The volume of complaints received, however, required an additional $15,000 to complete the investigation and submit a report.