Reddock withdraws nomination to Los Angeles pension board
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had named attorney Angela Reddock to the Fire and Police Pensions system, an agency whose board members have come under scrutiny in recent months regarding the potential for conflicts of interest.
Although council members were scheduled to vote to confirm Reddock today, Councilman Bernard C. Parks raised questions after reading correspondence between Reddock and the city Ethics Commission, which is charged with identifying potential conflicts of interest for new city commissioners. Reddock told the commission in an e-mail that she did not plan to name any client that had paid her more than $10,000, citing attorney-client privilege.
State regulations allow the information to be withheld by Reddock, who has promised not to participate in any pension board decision that would involve one of her clients. Nevertheless, Parks spokesman Domingo Orosco said his boss did not feel comfortable recommending her to the pension board until she had submitted more documentation.
“If she reapplies and submits her paperwork, that would be fine,” Orosco said.
Neither Reddock nor a Villaraigosa spokeswoman immediately responded to requests for comment.
The issue of potential conflicts of interest has been a pressing one at Fire and Police Pensions in recent months. The Times reported today that former board member Elliott Broidy voted to invest $30 million in 2007 in a fund managed by CIM Group, a company that had invested $500,000 in his own.
Although CIM’s investment represented a tiny portion of Broidy’s fund, the city’s lawyers considered the potential for a conflict great enough that they urged the Fire and Police Pensions board on Thursday to cast a new vote on CIM – one that did not involve Broidy. The board also cast a second vote on another decision involving a possible conflict of interest.
Disclosure of legal clients was also a major issue in this year’s race for city attorney. Councilman Jack Weiss frequently criticized his opponent, Carmen Trutanich, for refusing to disclose the names of his legal clients. Weiss warned that Trutanich would need to repeatedly recuse himself, forcing the city to hire costly outside law firms.
Trutanich, who won the election, said that in cases where he has a conflict, he would turn matters over to another attorney in his office.
-- David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall
EDITOR'S PICKS:
Finally, someone shining a light on the questionable ethics of CIM Group and their cronies. But let's not forget that the ENTIRE city council voted to give CIM Group and Cirque du Soleil $30M of taxpayer money to rebuild the Kodak Theatre for a FOR PROFIT circus. Why did CIM need $30M when they already have hundreds of millions in funding from Calstrs, Calpers, LA Fire Pension Fund and many other investors?
Thanks L.A. Times for staying on the story of CIM Group and their wide ranging impact on Los Angeles. The illegal billboards - the misuse of taxpayer money - the mistreatment of tenants - the disregard for state and federal laws associated with special tax privileges - Enough!
If it walks like a duck, it's a duck!
Posted by: Venice Canals | November 20, 2009 at 06:56 PM
Incestuous, is it not? And the people, mindlessly KEEP RE-ELECTING them...astounding!!!
Posted by: Robert NO longer in LA | November 20, 2009 at 07:25 PM
Reddock supported Parks' opponent Mark Ridley-Thomas for Supervisor, and Parks is notorious for being spiteful against those who beat him even when they're unequivocally better for the job, like Chief Bratton when he wanted to stay on.
Parks wasn't dubbed "Bitter Bernie" by the Daily News for nothing - he never lost a moment to belittle and micro-micro-micro-manage Bratton, when it was very inappropriate.
This has nothing to do with the issues raised in the city attorney race, or Weiss's remarks about Trutanich, and it's weird for Trutanich supporter Zahniser to bring it up gratuitously.
Trutanich is the head of a dept. of almost 600 lawyers - which he's SUPPOSED TO use for public good, not threatening to sue and jail everyone from volunteer planning commission members to the head of Building and Safety, to continuing to sue Controllers Chick (who he vowed to support to get HER vital support when he ran) and Gruel, to threatening to jail the lawyer and top executive for AEG and even Councilwomen Jan Perry, who's his BOSS and he's SUPPOSED to represent her even when she rejects his advice (as is the case with all his other victims listed and otherwise).
Trutanich RAN as an "environmental attorney" when in fact he DEFENDED environmental polluters, and yes that infamous baby seal shooter caught red-handed by some feds keeping an eye out for endangered sea mammals. Trutanich built his practice largely on defending such criminals and helping them EVADE environmental law ("he wrote the book on how to" I recall was a Weiss-ism), and when that didn't work, helping them clean up their messes just ahead of the jury's visit to the site. ETC. ETC.
NO WAY does a VOLUNTEER like Reddock with no lawyers of her own, who has no lawyers on staff to harass and intimidate city officials and staff with and IN FACT would be accepting a job with a sue/jail-happy City Attorney, have ANYTHING in common with Trutanich and his position when he ran on his platform of lies and promises he never meant to keep.
Posted by: Just facts | November 20, 2009 at 11:09 PM