Group Seeks Probe of Mayoral Race Donations

An ad hoc coalition of organizations from both ends of the political spectrum called on the city Ethics Commission on Tuesday to examine the role of special-interest money in the Los Angeles mayor’s race as part of an inquiry into City Hall lobbyists.

The Coalition for Political Reform cited a study that showed lobbyists and major law firms representing companies with business before the city are among the leading donors to three of the six major mayoral candidates: City Atty. James K. Hahn, commercial real estate broker Steve Soboroff and former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa. Those candidates are the top three fund-raisers in the race.

Jim Mangia, a former official of the Reform Party and a member of the new coalition that conducted the study, said the group is concerned that special interests are trying to buy political influence via multiple contributions from lobbyists, attorneys, companies and their employees.

“We are demanding that the Ethics Commission hold hearings to investigate the frighteningly high amounts of money being poured into the mayoral campaigns as well as the cozy relationship lobbyists have with city council members,” Jim Knox, executive director of California Common Cause, said in a statement from the coalition. Knox was not present for the group’s news conference outside the downtown office of the Ethics Commission.

A recent Times story detailed how some City Hall lobbyists double as paid political consultants for council members whom they seek to influence on government decisions. Two-thirds of council members have hired such consultant/lobbyists at some point.

Ethics Commission President Miriam Krinsky said last week that the dual role described in the story “is one that is reasonably troubling to people to the point that we should look at it.”

A commission spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the latest request but said the agency would examine the relationships among lobbyists, campaign consultants and council members after the city elections this spring.

Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., said the coalition, which also includes the Green Party, came together out of a common concern.

“We’re all worried about the power money has over the process,” Coupal said. “It is a fact that money does influence elections.” (The Jarvis association endorsed City Councilman Joel Wachs for mayor last week.)

Mangia praised Los Angeles’ campaign contribution limits and partial public financing of city campaigns, but he singled out Soboroff, who he said has made use of loopholes in the system. Soboroff has refused to accept matching funds and has not promised to limit his campaign spending or his use of personal funds.

Mangia told reporters that his study of campaign contributions showed that Hahn, Soboroff and Villaraigosa raised 15% to 25% of their funds from companies, lobbyists and law firms that have business before the city. By law, companies and individuals can contribute only $1,000 apiece to a citywide candidate per election, although numerous employees of the same business can contribute to the same campaign.

When asked about the study, representatives of all three campaigns said they are following the city’s political reform rules. “We’re operating within the law,” Soboroff spokesman Phil Paule said. Soboroff, Paule said, is the only major candidate who chose not to accept matching funds because he believes taxpayers’ money should be used for other purposes.

Hahn spokesman Kam Kawada said the city attorney is raising campaign funds throughout the city. “We are living under the letter and the spirit of the law,” he said.

And Villaraigosa’s campaign consultant Parke Skelton said, “There is nothing illegal about taking contributions from any of these people. It would be impossible to run a political campaign” without accepting contributions from people or businesses that have interests in the city.

All three campaigns expressed surprise that the coalition had not mentioned Wachs as a recipient of campaign funds from City Hall lobbyists and interests.