One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
LA Councilmember John Lee Accused Of Ethics Violations
Councilmember John Lee, shown at the Sept. 27 L.A. City Council meeting, is facing ethics charges
(
LA City Clerk
/
Screenshot from YouTube
)
Topline:
The L.A. City Ethics Commission is accusing Councilmember John Lee of taking illegal gifts. The allegations stem from Lee’s time as chief of staff to former Councilmember Mitch Englander, who spent 14 months in prison on obstruction of justice charges.
Las Vegas trip: At the center of the allegations is a 2017 Las Vegas trip taken by Lee and Englander. The commission alleges Lee accepted free food, hotel rooms and poker chips from a businessperson and a developer with business before the city. The businessperson and developer are not identified. In one case, Lee allegedly accepted poker chips valued at $1,000 and bottle service with a group of people at a restaurant valued at more than $5,600 per person.
Lee’s response: Lee issued a statement denying the allegations, saying the commission “drastically inflated” the amount of food and beverages he consumed. “Commission investigators are not interested in the facts. They have preconceived notions about where their investigation should go and have ignored any exculpatory evidence they obtained,” said Lee, who is up for re-election in 2024.
What’s next: The Ethics Commission must determine whether the alleged violations occurred and, if so, what penalty should apply. The maximum penalty is “the greater of $5,000 per violation of three times the amount of money that was improperly received or reported,” according to the commission’s website.
The backstory: Over the past five years, three council members have been sentenced to prison on corruption charges and one stands accused of corruption — in addition to Lee.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
