February 12, 2001

NEWS STATEMENT

Jim Mangia
Founder, Coalition for Political Reform (CPR)
Recently, the Los Angeles Times uncovered that two candidates for Mayor, Antonion Villaraigosa and Xavier Becerra wrote letters asking for a pardon for a convicted cocaine trafficker after receiving thousands of dollars in contributions from the man's father. What we have uncovered today, while similar in scope and symptomatic of the attempt to buy influence through political contributions, may have much more significance for the state of our city.
Multi-national corporations and law firms and lobbyists representing businesses with contracts before the city have contributed over $250,000 to three mayoral candidates between October 1 and December 31, 2000 -- only a three month period. Those candidates are Antonio Villaraigosa, Steve Soboroff and James Hahn. AT&T which has cable franchises with the city through their acquisition of MediaOne, for example, has contributed to all three, both individually and through their lobbying firm of Rose & Kendel. Giving a new meaning to the concept of "bundling contributions" dozens of attorney's for the lobbying law firm of Latham & Watkins have contributed to these three candidates. Latham & Watkins lobbies for the controversial Playa Vista project, Castellus Development Corporation, and the LA Arena Land Company (the builders of the Staples Center) -- all with significant projects or potential projects before the city. Aampco Parking, Pyramid Parking, Edison International, Sun America and Chevron are a few more with some form of business or contracts with the city.
On top of that, one of the candidates (Steve Soboroff) who has received the most money from these sources, has called on other mayoral candidates to forgo the city's campaign finance laws altogether and collect more and more money from firms seeking influence.
Never before have these firms contributed so much money to a mayoral campaign. Never before has the influence money can buy been more exposed than with the pardon of a convicted drug dealer while thousands of men of color languish in prison for minor drug possession charges, unable to buy
letters or influence in the political arena.
We believe the contributions exposed today are a direct conflict of interest and a violation of city ethics laws. We demand that the Ethics Commission launch an immediate investigation of these three mayoral candidates to uncover the relationship between large sums of money and influence in decisions affecting tens of millions of dollars in city contracts and taxpayer money. This will be the first in a long series of exposures and eventual lawsuits if the Ethics Commission does not act to
protect the public's interest in this mayoral election.
In poll after poll, election after election, Los Angeles residents call out for campaign finance reform. The influence of special interest money and the corruption of our political process must end.