Ethics - The Plan that Hahn Lacked
Part 1 - Bars Commissioners from lobbying city staff and elected officials
Part 2 - Mandatory attendance at ethics training sessions for all employees
Part 3 - Disclosure forms of all potential conflicts
Part 4- Signing an ethics pledge
Part 5 - Lobbying Firms must publish client lists online
Part 6 - Lobby Firms must disclose expenditures online
Also, and this is sure to get some people's dander in a tizzy, MAV appointed Thomas Saenz as Chief Ethics Advisor (a newly minted position) to be the chief ethics officer for the new administration. What's the rub? He's from MALDEF. (Paging Hal, where are you?)
MAV delivered what Hahn couldn't. Now lets see if it sticks.
Update - Article in the LA Business Journal
Posted by Anonymous @ 7/05/2005 03:55:00 PM
32 Comments:
Great! Now we just have to keep "Never Indicted" Nick Pacheco off the Council!
You'll never get me, Parker! Ethics, shmethics!
Would you like to give some facts, anon 5:31pm? Or are you just another moron who has a big mouth with absolutely no facts to back up anything you say?
And "never indicted nick" - would you believe lots of people are never indicted, usually because they are innocent.
Is this the way Jose Huizar thinks he's going to win...no issues, no experience, no guts - just big mouth supporters!
I think he's referring to the shady ethical things Nick did during the CD14 race that he lost. Oh, remember "Gloria Morena"? Remember the public money he gave to "La Collectiva" that was pumped back into his campaign? Remember the attack on Villaraigosa's family (daughter). Then the coward distanced himself from his childhood friend?
I think the previous blogger's referring to all that sh#t. But, Nick was never actually indicted for it. Just coinkadink.
That law is stupid.
Let me get this straight - the Cultural Affairs Commission or Cultural Heritage or El Pueblo Commissioners want to meet with Council members to urge them/beg them NOT to let a historic building be torn down.
That is lobbying.
And now Commissioners cannot do that?
The entire Council must average IQs that matched today's temperature.
If Villaraigosa has so many Latino commissioners on his staff, why is he shutting up on that racist issue with the Mexico stamp. "Pepin"
Because we are in AMERICA. Hello. Just becasue he's Latino doesn't mean he needs to have an opinion about their postage.
8:18! - Your order of facts:
Los Angeles Times, Sunday
February 23, 2003
EDITORIAL
Perfectly Forgetful Pacheco
Los Angeles City Councilman Nick Pacheco has skirted the bounds of propriety before, but this time he's outdone himself. He gave tens of thousands of public dollars to a nonprofit group with the same address as a political committee that reported spending an equivalent amount to campaign for his reelection. Instead of thoroughly explaining this doesn't-pass-the-smell-test coincidence, he and his supporters are on the attack against challenger Antonio Villaraigosa, whose campaign first unearthed the questionable funding reported in Friday's Times.
While the county district attorney's office launches yet another investigation into the councilman's campaign practices, Pacheco claims he did not even know of the connection between the nonprofit group and the campaign committee. Let's review the connections and decide whether Pacheco's claim makes sense. You may need a white board to keep track:
Between Dec. 30 and Jan. 21, Pacheco gave $36,500 -- on top of $30,000 in recent years -- to Madres del Este de Los Angeles-Santa Isabel, an Eastside nonprofit organization headed by Juana Gutierrez. Mothers for Nick, the political committee that shares Gutierrez's Boyle Heights address, reported to the City Ethics Commission in late January that it was spending $36,085 to campaign independently for Pacheco. According to the California secretary of state's Web site, Mothers for Nick took over the name La Colectiva, a now-disbanded group that was run by Gutierrez's son, Martin GutieRuiz, a college friend of Pacheco's. La Colectiva's claim to shame was its role in the 2001 mayoral race, in which Pacheco backed James K. Hahn over Villaraigosa. A woman impersonating county Supervisor Gloria Molina placed recorded phone calls to voters slamming Villaraigosa. The district attorney's office investigated and found that La Colectiva used a phone bank owned by CAL Inc., a nonprofit group formed by Pacheco -- who said he knew nothing about the calls.
In November, when Villaraigosa announced that he would run against Pacheco, district voters received particularly nasty mailers attacking him. La Colectiva's former attorney, Ricardo Torres, another college pal of Pacheco's, claimed responsibility. Pacheco -- you guessed it -- said he knew nothing about the mailers. These tactics are one reason The Times endorsed Villaraigosa over Pacheco in the City Council race.
Taxpayers deserve better than these insults to their common sense. They also deserve an explanation of the $250,000 "discretionary" account that Pacheco tapped for the Madres -- in $5,000 dribs and drabs so as not to have to follow city contracting guidelines.
City Controller Laura Chick, who adamantly denies Pacheco's contention that she authorized his expenditures, needs to audit how the city clerk oversees these slush funds. The City Council, in turn, has Pacheco to thank for this suspicion-fueled attention.
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.
If the commissioners get PAID to advocate a position from an outside party, that is wrong. That doesn't mean they can't lobby the council. It means they can't get PAID for it.
Anon 8:56 you are just as bad. No idea what you are talking about. Pacheco had nothing to do with the Molina/Morena telephone calls. That was Becerra's problem and had nothing to do with Pacheco.
The attack on Villaraigosa's daughter was Ricardo Torres and Pacheco, of course, distanced himself from the mailer because he had nothing to do with it.
La Collectiva was propoganda put out by the Villaraigosa campaign and Villaraigosa himself.
Have your own opinion about Pacheco but you can't have your own facts.
If the LA Times had an opinion critical of Villaraigosa we would hear all your Antonio groupies complaining about LAT getting their facts wrong. Well, no matter what the LA Times said, City Ethics and the DA's office said quite another thing altogether. You guys should get over it. Today is a another day....
Ethics? Villaraigosa backed out on his last ethical bone left by appointing Cynthia Ruiz. Ethics is alien to this man. It is all about women and power. Power and women. Money and Jennie.
You're losing your objectivity and charm, Mayor Sam. Your head is alsmost as far up AV's rear as Jack Weiss. Your editorial is naive. These proposals were from councilmembers, as far back as Mike Feuer and including Miscikowski, Greuel and others. AV was on that council, but didn't push for any of this. It was just good timing on his part. It's not like his "speech" to council got them to vote for it. Second, Jim Hahn pushed for two of these, the main ones. Third, this is not a comprehensive package. It's actually pretty weak. Try to remain objective.
Hey - Today is another day! Get over it! I wasn't indicted!! VOTE FOR ME!
One thing I have learned at this blog. No way is Mayor Sam Republican (& plz do not go explain M Sam) and his kisses AV's behind all the time. Nothing new.
Mayor Sam you have deleted far less aggravating posts than 10:59, but this one should be considered for deletion. Complete Moron on 10:59
I still think Mayor Sam is pretending to be Republican, heck I actually think it is Ace Smith having a good ole' time at our expense....am I right?
yet another clueless friggin input from mayor sam. the thomas saenz you are KYSO about was a clerk to judge reinhardt. look that up while you try and kingmake the election for CD14 where most of your hostess girls at club fantasy come from
Mayor Ace (Sam) whatever your name is, keep entertaining the blogosphere with censorship. What does not suit you, you delete. Hope those interesting kids on Wilshire keep tracking all posts, interesting info I may post later on for them about you, that is if you are ACE and your boy AV. Ask Laura about me.
Judge Reinhardt, he is indeed a good friend of mine, I say old (long time) friend. This is where you and others will be surprised as to what I have to say.
The last person trashed on this blog was Villaraigosa and he won.
Keep trashing Pacheco and you may be putting him into office.
FYI Huizar lost his presidency yesterday -- so much for being a leader.
You can tell the Huizar kids are running scared when they bring up old news on Nick. List Jose's accomplishments if he has any. Doesn't look good that Jose wasn't elected yesterday.
Agree with poster that appointing Cynthia Ruiz as commissioner is pay off for all her hard work campaigning for AV.
I usually don't like the LAT but Patrick McGreevy did a great piece on the Ethics Motion.
....But several, including Michael Josephson, president of the Josephson Institute of Ethics in the Los Angeles area, were troubled by the mayor's decision to host a fundraiser that collected money from developers, city contractors and lobbyists, among others.
"They are giving the money to the charity to please the mayor," Josephson said. "You ought not be soliciting anything from anybody who wants something from you."
Josephson and others raised concerns about the black-tie gala dinner at which dozens of businesses paid up to $100,000 each for their executives to attend the exclusive event with the new mayor at the Music Center. The dinner raised about $2 million for LA's BEST, a city-funded after-school program that serves 130 elementary schools.
One of the $100,000 donors was L.A. Arena Co., owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, who is also co-owner of Staples Center.
The company signed an agreement with the city in 2001 to participate in building a $1-billion entertainment and shopping district near the Los Angeles Convention Center. The project will include a 55-story hotel that would receive up to $177 million in city subsidies.
An affiliated entity, Anschutz Entertainment Group, is hoping to win approval from the mayor and the City Council for the final subsidy agreement in the next three months.
Josephson said he was troubled that businesses, at the behest of the mayor, were donating to a charity just before the mayor and the council were expected to take action on issues affecting those businesses.
"Whenever a person in power asks for something from someone they have power over, the person asked does not have complete freedom to say no," Josephson said. "The concern is, whenever a company pays for anything, there is a reason: Either it is trying to curry favor or avoid punishment."
When asked Tuesday whether L.A. Arena Co.'s donation to his favorite charity would affect his decision on the hotel subsidy, Villaraigosa said, "Absolutely not."
HAHN PROPOSED AN ETHICS REFORM THAT WOULD HAVE PROHIBITED CITY CONTRACTORS AND BIDDERS FROM FUNDRAISING FOR OR CONTRIBUTING TO CHARITIES AND CAMPAIGN FUNDS ON BEHALF OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.
The practice, Hahn said in a FEBRUARY 2004 letter, "creates the potential perception that fundraising influences the contracting" approval process.
Villaraigosa has not taken a position on the measure, WHICH REMAINS STALLED IN CITY COUNCIL.
Lame ass idiots in council move that reform motion.
Anon 9:54 p.m.
I was there and it had EVERYTHING to do with Pacheco and the Late Lloyd Monserrate.
But I'm still voting to Nick!
2:29 AM
I am behind on the Huizar news, please inform when did he lose presidency and why?
Huizar's term as President of the LAUSD Board was up, and he didn't seek another term because he's concentrating on moving on.
Huizar doesn't want to be seen as the figurehead for a failed institution.
Huizar is a supporter of the nonprofit group mentioned in the Perfectly Forgetful Pacheco editorial. In fact he received monies from the nonprofit when he was a student.
He is also a Pacheco supporter because of the Cal Berkeley brotherhood. Let's get real folks. "The world is a stage..."
And the Emmy goes to____________.
"Shop and compare, before you buy. Brilliant!"
- Captain Kirk
Huizar did not run again because he knew he could not win this time. Two years as President and nothing to show for it. No new schools in CD14 and contaminated schools in other districts. He missed the last eight board meetings. Oh wait, he showed up for the first ten minutes to get credit for attending and took off. He is trying to sell it like he wants to concentrate on running for CD14. As President, he usually wasn't present and in the CD14 race he is going to try and have Antonio win it for him. He will be an invisble campaigner like he was an invisible President. Hey, him and Mayor Hahn have lots in common now.
Jose has people going around community to attend house meetings. Ask Jose why no new schools except 1 in CD14. Ask why the new high school is in South LA. Ask why all of a sudden he starting coming out with ideas knowing he would be resigning from LAUSD. Ask him what experience he has running a district or for that matter any kind of experience. Ask him why he's never attended any community meetings and now that he's running for CD14 wants to be at all of them.
Like some have said time and time again. It is the last 5 seconds of the race that count. He is running and depending on those last 5 seconds of his political life to win this. Huizar has exhausted his LAUSD reputation and trying to encrust himself into a new man, a CD 14 man with vision. Reality is, he is not what he is trying to sell to us. I do not buy it.
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