Complaints About Ethics Law

Now that the voter-approved ethics law is in effect for City of Los Angeles officials (along with substantially higher salaries), those public servants have told the city Ethics Commission that it is really much too “embarrassing” or “awkward” for them to turn down the kinds of gifts (free lunches or dinners, cases of wine, tickets to professional sports events, etc.) that are often “thrust” upon them in the course of their official duties--the gifts that the ethics law says they cannot accept.

If they truly feel that way, they might appreciate this simple solution: Accept the gift, thank the giver and then write a check each month from their personal (not expense account) funds, made out to the city treasurer’s office, for the retail value of all the gifts they were too embarrassed to turn down. This can be easily recorded on a form filled out by the office holder’s executive assistant every morning (before the elected official has a chance to “forget” about the gifts they felt obligated to accept).

SHEL ERLICH, Van Nuys