Los Angeles Ethics Commission

Re "Delgadillo fete raises hackles," March 7 So City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo is having a lavish party thrown for him by a City Hall lobbyist who represented Clear Channel in a billboard fight that ended in the company's favor. Clear Channel was one of several entities that spent $425,000 to promote Delgadillo's candidacy on billboards. When this was discovered, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission fined Clear Channel $30,000 for failing to promptly disclose its role in backing Delgadillo and a council member.

The executive director of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission on Tuesday accused Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of 31 violations of campaign finance and disclosure laws stemming from his 2003 campaign for the City Council. If the Ethics Commission finds after a hearing that city rules were violated, Villaraigosa and his campaign could be fined up to $267,000, though commission officials are believed to be willing to settle the case for about $40,000 in penalties.

Two City Hall lobbyists who are former presidents of city commissions have agreed to pay fines for violating city ethics rules, according to documents released Thursday by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission. Dominick Rubalcava, who was president of the city Water and Power Commission during the administration of Mayor James K. Hahn, was fined $3,000 for failing to register as a City Hall lobbyist, pay registration fees and file quarterly activity reports.

The Los Angeles Ethics Commission decided Tuesday to refer accusations of campaign finance violations against Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to an administrative law judge, despite objections that the mayor's involvement makes the case too important not to be heard by the panel.

The Los Angeles Ethics Commission approved $11,450 in fines Tuesday against City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo for 30 counts of violating campaign finance laws. The panel concluded that Delgadillo's political officeholder account failed to provide a detailed itemization of how $394 spent on meals and more than $1,200 on flowers, candy and other gifts were related to his conduct of official business. Those represent 25 administrative counts.

A former Los Angeles city councilman who has worked behind the scenes to influence city officials for years submitted forms this week publicly identifying himself as a lobbyist, Ethics Commission officials said Wednesday. Former Councilman Richard Alatorre filed the forms Tuesday, two weeks after The Times reported that he had spoken to city representatives on behalf of a dozen businesses and unions. Unlike other professional advocates, he had not registered as a lobbyist.

The city Ethics Commission voted Tuesday to ratify a $1,500 fine against the United Firefighters of Los Angeles for failing to properly disclose three independent expenditures benefiting the 2001 campaign of 6th District City Councilman Tony Cardenas. The union admitted that it paid for literature supporting Cardenas' campaign but that it did not file notices of the spending within 24 hours and did not submit a copy of the mailers to the Ethics Commission, as required by city law.

Capping investigations into two unrelated schemes to illegally influence city elections, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission's director released agreements Tuesday for a combined $252,000 in fines against former City Councilman Martin Ludlow and prominent attorney Pierce O'Donnell. The $147,000 fine against O'Donnell and $105,271 fine against Ludlow represent the second- and fourth-highest penalties levied against individuals in commission history.

A Los Angeles ethics commissioner has proposed that leaders of homeowner groups, union activists and some heads of nonprofit organizations who frequently try to influence City Hall be required to register as lobbyists and disclose their activity. The suggestion drew opposition Wednesday from many of those who would be affected and a fellow ethics commissioner.

As it imposed near-record fines in two cases of campaign finance violations, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission on Tuesday recommended strong medicine: that taxpayers pick up the tab for future bids for city office. The panel levied a $147,000 fine against attorney Pierce O'Donnell, the second-highest ever by the commission against an individual, for hiding the true source of contributions to the 2001 mayoral campaign of James K. Hahn.