The Campaign Money Laundering Twins?

Former CD 5 City Councilman Jack Weiss and Mayor Antonio Villar.

Quick, what did we learn from the City of Los Angeles Ethics Commission's actions yesterday that saw the supposed ethics watch dog of local government, levy a total of $250,750 dollars in fines? That the City of LA is lucky we didn't elect Jack Weiss as City Attorney.

While the Ethics Commission's $183,750 dollar fine against Koreatown Developer Alexander Hugh garnered the major attention from the print media (with the likes of LA Observed and Street Hassle absence with coverage), under the media radar was the fact that the Jack Weiss for City Attorney Campaign, were recipients of campaign money of both entities fined by the Ethics Commission yesterday.

As the Times reports on the $67,000 fine against Alcion Ventures, Investigators found that between June 2008 and September 2009, Alcion Ventures reimbursed employees thousands of dollars after they wrote checks to four politicians: Councilman Jack Weiss, who was running for city attorney; Ron Galperin and Chris Essel, who both waged unsuccessful campaigns for City Council; and the office-holder account of Councilman Richard Alarcon.

Keen political observers will remember that Jack Weiss City Attorney Campaign was attached to the hip of Mayor Antonio Villar's re-election endeavors (think Nuch's great "Lap Dog Mailer") with the same group of campaign operatives running both campaigns. And as LA Times David Zahniser reported in his earlier piece on the County Grand Jury indictment of Alexander Hugh, the concept of campaign money laundering is not a foreign one to "Team Villar".

Campaign fundraising violations often swirl around City Hall but only occasionally result in criminal prosecutions. The most recent concluded in 2009, when two Florida businessmen were fined $312,000 after participating in a scheme to reimburse contributors to Villaraigosa's 2005 election campaign. One of those men, Sean Anderson, began directing the money one day after dining with Villaraigosa.

Not exactly the background you want in a City Attorney ...... and his supportive Mayor.

Your thoughts..............
Scott Johnson in CD 14