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Chief Bratton | Image via LA Weekly
While there are not hard and fast rules limiting a police chief from making endorsements--Bratton does his while in off-duty mode, in a suit, not uniform--the Christopher Commission led by U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher in the early 90s to clean up the department said this in their report: “Because the Chief’s office is inherently powerful, it is unseemly for the Chief to use that position to influence political process,” it said. “It is particularly ironic to create a system to insulate the Chief from improper political pressure, and then have the Chief use that protected position to campaign on behalf of politicians who thereby become indebted to him.”
Two weeks ago, the Weekly took on Bratton's approach to crime statistics. They weren't buying the whole "crime is down to 1956 levels" thing.
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Following are valuable comments on the recent LA Weekly article, posted by the LA Weekly
David Berger:
There's another reason why it is wholly inappropriate for Bratton to continue his endorsement of Weiss. The LA Times reported that on April 27, 2009, Weiss attended a fundraiser in Beverly Hills.
Co-Host of the fundraiser was City Pensions Board Commissioner Kelly Candaele. That's a violation of LA Muni Code 49.7.8 a misdemeanor crime for a city appointee to engage in fundraising and for anyone to aid and abet that crime. Weiss knew the law; he voted for it. And Weiss knew Candaele was a city appointee - Weiss voted to appoint him. Yet instead of immediately leaving, Weiss stayed and took the money.
The next day the Times broke the story, Candaele resigned and Weiss promised to return the money. According to campaign finance records, Weiss has not returned the money.
Weiss is by all analysis a suspect in the violation of LAMC 49.7.8, it is completely inappropriate for Bratton to endorse a suspect in a crime.
Will the LA Weekly have the nerve to ask Bratton why he continues his endorsement in these circumstances? I hope so.
Greg Fuentes:
The Weiss supporters’ bashing of Trutanich resumes.
However, I have yet to see the Weiss supporters or the Weiss television commercials provide one example of a significant cost-effective accomplishment for which Weiss has been responsible during his seven-plus years as a Councilmember. (Adding additional police officers at a cost of a $530 million and growing deficit does not qualify. Occasionally mouthing politically correct bromides concerning the LAPD rape kit backlog disaster but being so ineffective that the backlog disgrace grew under Weiss’ watch also does not qualify.) Perhaps if Weiss did not emulate the 11% Mayor so well in the Mayor’s absenteeism from his highly compensated elected duties, Weiss might actually have been a competent Councilmember.
Bratton’s decision to ignore the Christopher Commission’s recommendation that City of Los Angeles Police Chiefs refrain from public politicking is highly questionable for many reasons, many of which the article and David Berger address. Let me add the following:
Warren Christopher was a highly regarded statesman and attorney–not a wannabe and failed statesman (like Villaraigosa) or an attorney racking up violations and repeatedly displaying incompetence, like Weiss. Furthermore, Warren Christopher was extremely knowledgeable concerning Los Angeles politics and Los Angeles political history. Bratton has spent far less time in Los Angeles than did Christopher. (I may be giving Villaraigosa too much credit–I’m not certain that Villaraigosa has ever aspired to be a statesman.)
So, for Bratton to ignore the pertinent Christopher Commission recommendations was, from the beginning, extremely dangerous to his credibility and–far more important–extremely dangerous to the credibility of the LAPD.
That Bratton has not publicly withdrawn his endorsement of Weiss increasingly damages his reputation and that of the LAPD. When Bratton first endorsed Weiss, Weiss already had a record of campaign violations that resulted in fines issued by the City of Los Angeles Ethics Commission. Additionally, it was public knowledge that the 2001 Weiss City Council campaign had taken illegal, laundered campaign contributions from Casden Properties; furthermore, unlike some other persons who have taken laundered contributions in City of Los Angeles races, Weiss chose not to reimburse the City or any other governmental entity with respect to these laundered contributions. So much for Weiss–the City Attorney wannabe–displaying any regard for the law or the appearance of legal propriety.
Since Bratton’s initial public endorsement of Weiss, Weiss’ highly questionable actions have made this endorsement appear increasingly misguided. Mr. Berger addresses the recent fundraiser attended by Weiss that apparently violated the City’s Municipal Code and apparently led to the resignation of a City Commissioner appointed by Villaraigosa.
Additionally, the KTTV television broadcast station recently reported that Michael Rosenberg, a convicted felon who had pleaded guilty to four felonies, had recently hosted a fundraiser for Weiss. That Weiss would choose to use such a source for campaign contributions is highly questionable–especially for someone running for City Attorney. Perhaps even more troubling is that–when Weiss and his campaign were questioned by KTTV about the fundraiser--KTTV reported that Weiss and his campaign gave contradictory answers.
And Weiss wants our vote for City Attorney?
Does any reasonable person doubt that, in light of the above, Bratton’s endorsement of Weiss has damaged the credibility of the City of Los Angeles government and that of the LAPD?