Lobbyists Prepare to Fight L.A. Proposals

Lobbyists at Los Angeles City Hall, outraged about proposals for tough new ethics rules affecting their business, said Tuesday that the time has come for them to lobby on behalf of themselves.

About 20 of those who normally pace the corridors of City Hall as paid advocates of others -- often working against each other -- met Tuesday morning to talk about forming a lobbyists’ association to improve their image and represent their interests in the debate over reform.

“There’s a thousand things the Ethics Commission could go into, and it seems they dwell on lobbyists,” said lobbyist Ken Spiker Jr., who represents the billboard and towing industry and co-hosted the event at his downtown office.

Lobbyist Arnie Berghoff, whose clients include the owners of Staples Center, said the group had made no decisions on pending ethics rules.

“We are an industry that does business at City Hall, and we thought it would be good to get together to talk about issues that affect us,” Berghoff said. “Developers have their own association. Real estate people have theirs. There is a possibility we might do something like that.”

The meeting came less than a week after the City Council postponed a vote on a tough new package of ethics regulations that would prohibit elected officials from acting on issues involving lobbyists who had worked on their elections or helped them raise money. The measure also would require lobbyists to disclose their fund-raising activity.

LeeAnn Pelham, executive director of the Ethics Commission, said she was concerned about the lobbyists’ efforts to scuttle the lobbyist ordinance. She said there had been little testimony against the rules during two years of public hearings.

“To have lobbyists now steering the boat when the council is nearing the dock suggests the council places little importance on maintaining the public’s confidence,” Pelham said.

Lobbyists said Tuesday that there have been informal discussions about options to fight the new rules, including an attempt to get the City Council to change the proposal and the possibility of going to court if the measure passes.

Lobbyist Steven Afriat complained, “It’s a violation of my free speech rights” to pass a law limiting his ability to work on a campaign. “I would be inclined to support and contribute to litigation that challenges such an ordinance.”

In interviews after the hour-long meeting, Afriat said he would support lifting the $1,000 limit imposed by the Ethics Commission on contributions to citywide candidates, saying it would be an antidote to domination of city elections by largely unregulated independent expenditures.

“The Ethics Commission is the birthplace of abuse of independent expenditures,” Afriat charged.

The idea of lifting contribution limits drew strong opposition from Jim Knox, executive director of California Common Cause.

“The answer to independent expenditures is not to fold the tent and completely abdicate our responsibility to try to reduce the influence of money on government,” Knox said.

With clients that include First Realty Mortgage, Household Financial Group and Evergreen Devco Inc., Afriat has also worked on campaigns for City Controller Laura Chick and Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski’s anti-secession effort.

Council President Alex Padilla, who sent the lobbyist ordinance to committee last week, said he did so because he wanted the new council members to have time to consider the ethics reform package.

The lobbyist ordinance delayed last week was a response to reports in 2001 that two-thirds of the City Council members at the time had hired lobbyists who also wanted their votes for clients.