Parade Of City Hall Scandals Prompts Effort To Bolster Ethics

LOS ANGELES, CA — The City Council took a step Wednesday in formally establishing an Office of Compliance that would proactively assist council members with identifying and avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

Council members voted 14-1 in favor of a motion, instructing a detailed report that would guide them in the creation of the office to ensure higher standards of ethics.

The report is expected to incorporate a complete description of responsibilities and detail a system for conducting reviews by examining other cities and government agencies with a similar office.

Additionally, the report is expected to list potential funding sources and necessary staff.

Council President Paul Krekorian and Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky introduced an amendment to the motion, requesting to have one deputy city attorney serve as the compliance officer instead of a staff member from the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst to serve in that role.

The council will also put in a request in Mayor Karen Bass' proposed 2024-25 budget to fund the position of a compliance officer.

"Colleagues, for many of us, next Tuesday marks one year since we were sworn in to represent our districts," Yaroslavsky said prior to the vote. "We came into office at an incredibly challenging time for the city. Public trust was at an all time low with scandal after scandal chipping away at what good faith there was to being with."

She noted other regional government agencies such as Metro, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which enforces air quality regulations across Southern California, have staff that review agendas for conflicts of interest. Those staff members offer elected officials specialized guidance to avoid any ethics issues.

While Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, the lone "no" vote, said she appreciated the "spirit" in which her colleagues approached this conversation, she pushed back on the item.

Rodriguez said the issue was not the fact that the city did not have the infrastructure or policy to address potential conflicts of interest -- as the city attorney's office is tasked with some of that work -- but rather it was about the former council members who were not forthcoming.

"I'm concerned about creating another office, particularly when us, as office holders, also have many attorneys that guide us as elected officials as part of our work and our role," Rodriguez said prior to the vote. "

Krekorian added that he could not think of a "good argument" to prevent them from adding an extra step to ensure compliance because "it's not just the individuals that are impacted, it's this institution. It's city government and it's actions."

Councilwoman Nithya Raman, alongside council members Traci Park, Yaroslavsky and Krekorian introduced the motion on Oct. 4.

The motion was scheduled at a Dec. 1 council meeting, but council members decided to hold the item until Wednesday for deliberation and to introduce the Krekorian-Yaroslavsky amendment.

Relative city departments will work on the report, which will then be discussed in a yet to-be-determined council committee.

The City Council has been rocked by a number of ethics scandals and accusations in recent years. Former Councilman José Huizar pleaded guilty in January to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and one count of tax evasion, after a six-year probe of suspected corruption in City Hall politics.

In August, former Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison after he was found guilty of seven felony counts for participating in a scheme in which he received benefits from USC for himself and his son while he had a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

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