Controversy Sparked by Contribution to Measure F Campaign

A $55,000 contribution by the Times Mirror Co., parent firm of the Los Angeles Times, sparked controversy Monday in the campaign over a proposed City Charter amendment that would change the way the Police Department is run.

Times Mirror donated $55,147.50 to pay for advertising space for sponsors of Charter Amendment F, making the company the second-largest contributor to the campaign, according to a financial report filed with the city’s Ethics Commission. Frank Wells, president of the Walt Disney Co., was listed as the top donor, having contributed $56,500.

A spokesman for a police group campaigning against the amendment criticized the Times Mirror contribution as unethical and said it lends credibility to accusations by opponents of the measure that The Times has been biased in its coverage of the campaign.

“It’s an incredible ethical breach for a newspaper to give away space to only one side in a political campaign,” said Geoffrey Garfield, campaign director for the Police Protective League’s campaign against the amendment.

“Now, people are accusing the Los Angeles Times of being biased from its editorial page to its reporting . . . and it is difficult to say otherwise when these kinds of contributions are made,” Garfield said. “The newspaper can’t claim objectivity on one hand then slip a check with the other to one side.”

The Times Mirror donation was used for a full-page advertisement that ran in The Times on Thursday and included the endorsements of an array of civic and business leaders, including Times Mirror Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert F. Erburu.

The measure would give the mayor and the City Council greater authority to hire and fire the police chief. It would limit a chief’s tenure to two consecutive five-year terms. It also would give the chief of police more options in disciplining officers and give civilians more say in police disciplinary hearings.

Speaking for Times Mirror, Erburu said the firm’s contribution was consistent with past support for causes regarded as important by leaders of the business community.

“Times Mirror paid for an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times in which a wide variety of local business leaders registered their support for Charter Amendment F,” Erburu said.

“Times Mirror participates in many community activities as a responsible corporate citizen and has on occasion joined in the efforts of the business community on issues of special importance.”

Erburu said it is unusual for the company to purchase such an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times, but “these are unusual days in Los Angeles. We concluded it was appropriate in this case to join in supporting what we believe is a vital effort to bring about reform and renewal in our city.”

Erburu cited two other occasions on which Times Mirror has made political contributions. Last year, he said, the company gave $5,000 in support of a measure to replace the 911 emergency telephone system in Los Angeles and in 1989 Times Mirror contributed $15,000 in support of a proposed bond measure to build two new police stations.

Los Angeles Times Editor Shelby Coffey III noted that editorial policy is set by the newspaper, not by the corporation, so the donation had no influence on the coverage. “Our reporters have covered this issue fairly, fully and objectively,” Coffey said.