Los Angeles County prosecutors are examining whether county supervisors broke the law when they spent millions of taxpayer dollars on pet projects without a public vote or discussion.
The inquiry began in response to a complaint received last week when The Times detailed some of the $3.4 million per year that each of the five supervisors receives to spend at his or her discretion, said Head Deputy Dist. Atty. David Demerjian, who oversees the district attorney's public integrity division.
Supervisors used the money to pay for drivers, hold parties for friends and lobbyists, and make donations to outside groups. Among the expenditures was $25,000 by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to buy a place in "Who's Who in Black Los Angeles."
Demerjian, whose division typically prosecutes public corruption cases, said he assigned two prosecutors to handle the inquiry. One is reviewing whether supervisors violated the state's open meetings law by spending the funds without a public vote. The second is examining whether supervisors had the legal authority to spend the money.
"To expend public funds, you have to spend according to some resolution, some statute or some charter section, and it has to serve a governmental purpose," Demerjian said Thursday.
He said prosecutors have asked the county counsel's office what authority the Board of Supervisors had for the so-called discretionary spending and expects a response next week. He declined to name the person who sent the complaint, which was made the same day The Times published its story.
The supervisors' discretionary accounts are used to cover staff salaries, expenses, travel, special programs and donations to outside groups. Supervisors gave a total of $4.8 million to outside groups in the last 28 months -- sometimes raising their public profiles or benefiting friends and political supporters.
Los Angeles County used to vote on such donations until the 1990s, when the contributions dropped off the public meeting agendas apparently without explanation.
Although surrounding counties also give their supervisors discretionary accounts, Los Angeles County is distinct in not requiring a public vote for donations to outside groups.
Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Mike Antonovich said they welcomed the district attorney's inquiry and that county lawyers had always advised them that the donations were legal.
