Making Los Angeles More Transparent
Why I Filed an Ethics Complaint Against LA City Councilmember Curren Price
One of the reasons I am running for office is to bring transparency and accountability to City Hall. The public deserves to have trust in our elected leaders, who are supposed to put our interests first, but far too often answer to special interests and lobbyists.
That’s why today, I filed an ethics complaint against my opponent, Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price.
The complaint is about Price’s campaign material, which appears to violate Los Angeles City Municipal Code Sec. 49.7.11. Specifically, a flyer for Price’s campaign — which is posted on the Ethics website — lists the names of two Los Angeles Redistricting Commissioners. This is a direct violation of the Los Angeles Ethics Code that prohibits commissioners from:
- Asking someone to make a contribution
- Inviting someone to a fundraising event
- Supplying names to be used for invitations to a fundraising event
- Permitting your name, signature, or official title to appear on a solicitation for a contribution.
Councilmember Price violated all 4 political activity laws.
Today, I urge the Ethics Commission to do its job and open an investigation into this complaint.
This year, a new rule was put in place to make the redistricting process more transparent and to build confidence in the City of Los Angeles and its role in drawing the lines for the new city council districts. Through his actions, Councilmember Price has exposed that the process is still far from transparent.
According to the current rules, Councilmember Price is not required to release any communication between himself and the 20 Redistricting Commissioners he has not appointed, only the ones who he himself appointed. That’s why I am asking the City Council to expand its ex-parte disclosure of communication between all Los Angeles Redistricting Commissioners and any City of Los Angeles employees outside of the Redistricting Commission staff.
We are also asking that Mayor Eric Garcetti replace these two Commissioners immediately. Their votes, motions, amendments, and intent behind their actions will now forever be in question.
During the 2011 redistricting process, all of Downtown Los Angeles — historically the economic hub of District 9 dating back to WWII — was gutted from the district. This is one of the most marginalized districts in the city, with an average household income of $29,000/year and a population that is 80% Latino (the largest of any council district). Our campaign will keep a watchful eye during this next process in order to advocate for the best interests of the district and its residents.
Respectfully submitted,
Dulce Vasquez
Candidate, Los Angeles City Council District 9
Paid for by Dulce Vasquez for Los Angeles City Council, FPPC ID# 1431755.
16633 Ventura Blvd, Suite 1008, Encino, CA 91436.
Additional information is available at ethics.lacity.org.
