City Curbs Sought on Votes Involving Lobbyists

The Los Angeles Ethics Commission moved Tuesday toward prohibiting elected officials from voting on issues involving lobbyists who serve as their political consultants.

The commission also called on its staff to draft provisions that would require lobbyists to disclose payments made to nonprofit organizations, charities and other groups at the behest of a city official. Any ordinance would require City Council approval.

Councilman Nick Pacheco has come under scrutiny recently for urging lobbyists to contribute thousands of dollars to a nonprofit group that he set up shortly after his election in 1999. Currently, no city law requires city officials or contributors to disclose such fund-raising activity--a loophole that ethics officials would like to close.

The ordinance, according to a staff report presented to the commission, would “complete the picture regarding the full extent of lobbyists’ fund-raising activity and allow the commission and the public to better monitor and evaluate whether additional restrictions are warranted.”

The new restrictions are expected to be finalized by the commission next month.

A recent investigation by The Times found that two-thirds of Los Angeles City Council members have used paid political consultants who double as lobbyists seeking their votes for clients.

Under the proposed ordinance, elected officials would be required to disqualify themselves from voting on issues involving lobbyists with whom they have any business relationship.

“If we say to lobbyists, ‘Those individuals you are trying to curry those relationships with aren’t going to be there to serve as an earpiece, and aren’t going to be there to weigh in on the decision,’ . . . I think that has quite a deterrent effect,” said Miriam Krinsky, president of the commission.

Jim Sutton, an attorney who has represented lobbyists in the past, cautioned the commission against adopting rules that could infringe on free-speech rights without evidence that there is undue influence.

“If there is not a reality, but there is an appearance problem, well maybe what you should be doing is funding a PR campaign to show the public all the good work that lobbyists do,” Sutton said.

Commissioner Dale Bonner cast the sole vote against moving ahead with the new provisions, saying he has not seen evidence that there is a widespread problem of lobbyists having undue influence over the elected officials for whom they raise money and serve as advisors.