An influential lobbyist at City Hall is facing an $11,380 fine after he invited city officials to celebrate his 50th birthday at a downtown Los Angeles restaurant two years ago.
John Ek, who first registered as a lobbyist at City Hall in 1995, spent $51,266 to host a birthday bash at the downtown restaurant Perch Los Angeles on May 30, 2015.
But ethics officials say Ek should not have invited Mayor Eric Garcetti, the city controller and attorney, the 15 City Council members and several other city officials to the event.
They accuse Ek of inviting 37 officials in violation of rules that bar lobbyists from offering gifts of any value to city officials. Lobbyists may not offer gifts to elected officials under any circumstances, while most other city officials cannot be offered gifts from lobbyists who have business before their agency.
Ek invited a total of 250 people to his party, so one invitation amounted to a gift of about $205 per person, ethics officials said.
The city Ethics Commission is scheduled to vote at its Tuesday meeting on whether to impose the $11,380 fine, which is half of the $22,761.66 maximum penalty.
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The penalty amount “is appropriate” and “takes into consideration the serious nature of the violations while also encouraging cooperation with the Ethics Commission investigations, the equitable treatment of similar respondents and the early resolution of violations,” ethics officials wrote in a report to the commission.
Ek declined to comment through his spokesman, Robert Alaniz, who said that “although we’d like to respond to your inquiry, it would be totally inappropriate to comment before the Commission has had an opportunity to convene and act.”
Councilman Mitch Englander took up Ek’s invitation and attended the event, but Garcetti, Controller Ron Galperin and council members Paul Krekorian, Bob Blumenfield, Mitch O’Farrell, Paul Koretz and Mike Bonin were among those who were invited, but who ultimately did not attend, aides said.
Councilman Curren Price does not recall attending, according to his spokeswoman Angelina Valencia.
The city officials who did attend “reimbursed Ek for the full value of the gift, after being contacted by enforcement staff,” ethics officials wrote in their report.
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