Limits on Lobbyists Delayed, Angering Ethics Panel Chief

The executive director of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission complained Wednesday that the City Council lacks the political will to limit the potential for lobbyists to have undue access and influence at City Hall.

The council had planned to vote Wednesday on an ethics package that would prohibit elected officials from acting on issues that involved lobbyists who had worked on their elections or raised large amounts of money for their campaigns.

Instead, without comment, the council referred the proposals back to a committee for further discussion. The action occurred so quickly and quietly that some council members were unaware it had even happened.

Lee Ann Pelham, executive director of the Ethics Commission, which pushed for the changes, said the action was inexplicable.

“It appears there is a lack of political will to enact reforms that some perceive as hurting registered lobbyists,” she said.

Under the proposed ordinance, City Hall lobbyists would be required to disclose their fund-raising for elected officials in quarterly public reports. A city official also would be prohibited from acting on matters involving any lobbyist who had donated more than $7,000 to his or her campaign, or hosted fund-raisers netting more than $15,000 (for a City Council member) or more than $25,000 (for a citywide official such as the mayor).

The ordinance was approved in theory in January, but council President Alex Padilla, who moved to send the reforms back for further discussion, said the five new council members need time to study the issue.

“I do think that ethics rules in Los Angeles are important enough that council members should be briefed and educated,” he said.