Should a construction company seeking a contract from the city for its next big project be able to donate to or fundraise for political campaigns? If you ask the Los Angeles Ethics Commission and at least one-third of the City Council, the answer is "no." more ›

Remember "ticketgate" from back in June? Since taking office in 2005, it was found that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had accepted free tickets to some 80 events, including high profile ones such as the Oscars or Lakers games with courtside seats. The estimated value of all the freebies, as determined by LA Weekly, was $100,000. more ›

"It's another attempt by the Ethics Commission to make it undesirable to be a lobbyist, and it has no public policy benefit," billboard lobbyist Steve Afriat told the LA Times about a city Ethics Commission proposal of making lobbyists wear badges when they're "engaged in lobbying." more ›

Our city attorney is never a bore. Adding to the very long laundry list of questionable moves, such as not paying utility bills, for Rocky Delgadillo, the LA Times uncovers the story behind his legal battles that those very moves caused him. Times writer David Zahniser finds that Delgadillo has three defense funds, which he best describes as "when politicians run into legal trouble, it's not unusual to see them open a defense fund, a move that allows them to pay their lawyers using money raised from private contributors." more ›

She has her eye on becoming City Controller and maybe she has a knack for it. After working on a "Clean Money" system for City elections and helping to create the Waste, Fraud and Abuse Investigation Unit in the City Controller's office, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel introduced a motion yesterday that asked the City Ethics Commission to expand the City's ethics code to ex parte communication with City Commissioners. Whoa, what? Ex parte communications are communications... more ›

You may remember Rocky Delgadillo got himself into a bit of hot water in recent weeks over a series of highly publicized gaffes that culminated in the state Franchise Tax Board revealing that his wife, Michelle Delgadillo, had reneged on filing tax returns for her company (that's a big no-no). Other lapses included his using city resources for personal reasons and allowing his wife to drive his city-owned car without valid insurance or a driver's license. more ›

Even when you are an dishonest person, a tiny bit of honesty can go a long way. LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo could have avoided a week of scrutiny if he only told the truth a week and a half ago when asked by reporters if his wife was using his city-assigned vehicle when it was damaged and paid for by the taxpayers. Instead, he avoided questions for a simple answer until the LA Times... more ›

Mayor Sam points us toward a new blog dedicated to opposing Measure R, a controversial ethics reform ballot measure that encompasses both campaign ethics and the changing of Los Angeles City Council term limits from 2 to 3. It's a sore subject because it looks like combining new restrictions on campaign contributions with term limits is included simply to entice voters to approve it. It's a sore subject because the bill went onto this November's ballot expediently and seeminly under the radar. It's a sore subject because Neighborhood Councils were not given time to comment on it. It's a sore subject because the City Attorney, Ethics Commission and other entities said it was not legal and, well, not ethical. more ›

SFist was there for the 4.4 Earthquake in the Bay Area, which is a good reason to visit The L.A. Times' EQ coverage archive. LA City Beat combs through the West Valley and finds that it's not so bad. They even talk up Follow Your Heart, which we mentioned last week. That plus Figueroa Street, 818 movies and ‘What is your favorite, secret treasure of Los Angeles?’ LA Weekly reports on the convictions of... more ›