City Ethics Panel Urges Full Public Funding of Political Campaigns, Pledges Ballot Effort

Frustrated by the influence of special-interest money in Los Angeles elections, city Ethics Commission members called Tuesday for full government funding of local political campaigns and pledged to put a measure before voters, if the plan is not adopted by the City Council.

Three of the five commissioners support the proposal for full public financing, which would eliminate the need for candidates to seek support from donors.

In July, three City Council members asked for a study of the feasibility of adopting a “clean money” campaign system with full public financing, but the issue remains in committee.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Bill Boyarsky asked that the issue be put on the commission’s Nov. 8 agenda.

“We’ve had a system of partial public financing for more than a decade, and I think it’s worked well,” Boyarsky said.

“But the only way to really take money out of the political process -- money from people who do business with the city and unions involved with the city -- is to have full public financing,” he said.

City Hall has been plagued in recent years by allegations that political contributors received favorable treatment in the award of city contracts and other decisions.

The Ethics Commission has issued more than $1.6 million in fines since 1993 against contributors and candidates for political money laundering and other violations of the city’s campaign finance laws.

Boyarsky raised the issue of full public financing after complaining that the current system is complex and requires significant enforcement. “It would simplify the whole process,” he said. “It would eliminate all this enforcement.”

Ethics Commission President Gil Garcetti said he agreed that the city should adopt full public financing.

“I think that’s the only legal way that you can affect money in political campaigns,” Garcetti said.

This year, the city spent about $5 million matching about a third of the contributions received by candidates. City officials estimate it could cost between $22 million and $25 million each election to provide full public financing.

Ethics Commissioner Robert Saltzman said he wants to see a report on the cost and other issues, but added, “My instinct is to be supportive.”

Commissioner Sean Treglia, however, opposes the proposal, saying court decisions creating loopholes in public-financing programs put their effectiveness in doubt.

“I’m not convinced full public financing is the answer,” he said. “A stepped-up form of partial public financing and some new regulations around issue advocacy, independent expenditure campaigns, may work.”

The fifth commissioner, Uri Herscher, did not return calls for a comment on the proposal.

Any system with additional public financing of campaigns would likely require voters to approve a City Charter amendment.

The Ethics Commission does not have the power to put matters on the ballot. The issue could be placed on the ballot by the council or by a petition drive.

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who was one of the three council members to ask for the study, said Garcetti told her the Ethics Commission planned to press the issue to keep pressure on the council.

“I welcome their support and being part of the debate,” Greuel said.

The councilwoman said she has been assured a council committee will take up the matter by the end of November and is “confident” that the matter will be resolved by the council.

Given that many campaign finance proposals sent to the council die in committee, Boyarsky, a former city editor of The Times, asked his colleagues to put pressure on the elected officials by supporting a ballot measure in case the council doesn’t act.

“If it’s stuck there in Rules Committee, then I think we ought to support an initiative,” he said.

Because the Ethics Commission is prohibited from getting involved in political campaigns, Boyarsky envisions the panel voting to support an initiative that would be pursued by other advocates of public financing of campaigns, including the California Clean Money Campaign.

Susan Lerner, the campaign group’s executive director, said she is eager to see how the Ethics Commission votes.

“If this is something that needs to go to the ballot and have our support, then we will get it done,” Lerner said.

She noted that Albuquerque recently enacted a “clean-money” campaign system, and a bill to set up such a system in California is pending in the state Assembly. The state of Arizona has such a system.

The Assembly elections committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill at 10 a.m. Oct. 19 at the Ronald Reagan State Building in downtown Los Angeles.

Garcetti said he believes a city ballot measure would pass.

“We have to do that,” he said. “I think we can make the case for why we should be spending taxpayer money for elections.”

Commissioners raised the issue on a day when they voted to levy more than $67,000 in fines for campaign finance and disclosure violations, including $30,000 against Clear Channel Outdoor for not properly disclosing all the billboards they put up in 2001 to support Rocky Delgadillo for city attorney and Greuel for council.

The commission also fined Councilman Dennis Zine $5,583 for violations, including exceeding contribution limits, and Councilman Ed Reyes $500 for not keeping proper records.