LOS ANGELES : Ethics Panel Vows to Press for Quarterly Fund Reports

The Los Angeles city Ethics Commission on Thursday vowed to continue pressing for a requirement that officials file twice as many reports on how they use special “officeholder” funds, despite opposition from an influential city councilman.

The proposal to require elected officials to file quarterly reports instead of the semiannual reports now required is part of a larger reform package the commission has proposed to crack down on abuses in the officeholder accounts controlled by each elected official.

But Councilman Richard Alatorre, head of the council’s Rules and Elections Committee, opposed quarterly reporting when the panel considered elements of the package last week, saying it would create too much paperwork. His committee, however, supported a proposal to triple the amount elected officials can spend and collect in the account.

At a meeting Thursday, the Ethics Commission reaffirmed its support for the quarterly reporting, calling it a trade-off for allowing elected officials to collect and spend more.

“They are always pushing the envelope (on spending) and the pushing of the envelope requires us to have quarterly reporting,” said Ethics Commission President Dennis Curtis, who vowed to press for quarterly reporting when the matter comes before the City Council early next month.