Amid Councilman Lee Allegations, LA Looks To Enforce Ethics Rules

Northridge, CA — A day after Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee was accused of ethical lapses for failing to report lavish gifts, two Los Angeles City Council members sought a series of measures to restore public trust.

The allegations against Councilman John Lee, who represents the Northridge Chatsworth area, are the latest in a string of corruption cases plaguing City Hall. Lee denied the allegations as "misguided" and blasted the Ethics Commission's investigation of him.

"It became clear that Commission investigators are not interested in the facts," he said. "They have preconceived notions about where their investigation should go and have ignored any exculpatory evidence they obtained."

The allegations stem, in part, from "excessive" gifts received during a Las Vegas trip in 2017 he took along with former Councilman Mitch Englander, who has since been convicted and sentenced to federal prison for lying to federal investigators looking into his alleged receipt of excessive cash and gifts. Lee was Englander's chief of staff.

"For the last 20 months, Commission investigators have wasted critical taxpayer resources to investigate a dinner in 2016 that I do not recall attending, have drastically inflated the amount of food and beverages I consumed during a June 2017 trip in Las Vegas during my final 11 days as a City Council staff member, and lodged accusations that are completely false," Lee said.

"The commission falsely states that the FBI started an investigation into whether I accepted gifts. Further, they falsely state I attempted to mislead the FBI. Both accusations are categorically false, he added. "They fully know I have never been a target or a subject of any federal investigation. Throughout this process, I have gone above and beyond to cooperate with the commission's investigation in the name of transparency. I have provided bank statements that corroborate what I recalled about this trip, sat for interviews, and have been transparent every step of the way."

The allegations come as confidence in City Hall has been battered by a series of corruption convictions involving elected officials, staffers and department officials.

Council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Nithya Raman attempted to address the issued head-on Wednesday, introducing a motion, which calls for a study on creating an Office of Compliance. It was seconded by Council President Paul Krekorian and Councilwoman Traci Park.

"To earn and maintain the trust of the public, it is crucial for elected officials to abide by rigorous ethics standards and avoid conflicts of interest, yet there have been a number of violations in recent years," the motion reads.

Council members must follow ethics rules and laws such as those imposed by the City Charter, state and federal laws. According to the council members, those standards have increased and grown in complexity over the years, making compliance more difficult.

The City Attorney's Office provides legal advice on conflicts of interest and other issues and the city's Ethics Commission provides advice on ethical and other issues. But the motion states, "Council members need additional assistance identifying agenda items that might raise conflict of interest questions."

The office would review financial disclosure and other forms, as well as council and committee agendas to identify any potential conflicts of interest.

According to the motion, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which enforces air quality regulations across Southern California, and LA Metro have staff that review agendas for conflicts of interest. Those staff members offer elected officials specialized guidance to avoid any issues.

Officials might look to these models as they consider best practices and compare other systems in major cities or other government agencies, they said.

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.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.