Villaraigosa vows full accounting of free concerts, sports tickets

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he will release records on Friday spelling out the official duties he performed at dozens of concerts, sports events and awards shows that he attended free of charge.

The mayor’s practice of accepting free entry to those events is the subject of an investigation by the city’s Ethics Commission and an inquiry by Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley’s Public Integrity Division. Villaraigosa has argued repeatedly that free entry to such events does not need to be disclosed to the commission as gifts because he was performing official or ceremonial duties, such as handing a proclamation to a musician or athlete.

“Tomorrow, as some of you are aware, we will provide the documentation to support that,” Villaraigosa told a room full of reporters. “It’s five years' worth of documentation. You have to go through boxes and boxes of material. I stand by the idea that this is the entertainment capital of the United States of America and, yes, I am in the job of promoting our city and promoting that.”

The mayor’s office compiled a list of 81 events from his calendars over a five-year period. Of those, one was paid for by the mayor – a U2 concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Villaraigosa’s legal team has been poring through their archives for the last four weeks in their effort to verify the reason for his attendance at those events. 

When The Times requested Villaraigosa’s appointment calendar for the period between 2005 and 2009, the mayor’s legal team blacked out or omitted 27 of those athletic and cultural events on grounds that they would violate his privacy, endanger his security or didn’t serve as public records.

The mayor’s office has said since then that there were “inconsistencies” in the handling of his calendar. “That doesn’t mean he wasn’t performing an official function,” said the mayor's deputy chief of staff, Matt Szabo. Szabo said that Villaraigosa did not attend all of the 80 events that were placed on his calendar by his office.

He did not say which ones were skipped by the mayor. Szabo also said the mayor did not necessarily receive physical tickets to events but was instead simply provided access. “If the mayor’s showing up at an event to perform an official duty, there’s no cost associated with it,” he said.

As one of his official duties Wednesday night, Villaraigosa attended the musical “In the Heights” at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood.

The mayor said he believed that he had received free entry from the Pantages. Szabo said the mayor did provide a ceremonial proclamation at the production, but could not say whether Villaraigosa stayed for the entire show.

-- David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall

Comments

[KNI]

Mayor,
If you can't stand the "heat", don't strike the match. Punishment will only be a slap on the wrist after all.

[Josh Ooi]

Sure just make cheap the City's Proclamation. I am sure 95% of it is proclamation. How much does the city waste in the Calligraphy department.? Maybe we should audit that department too.

Look if it walks like a duck, quack like a duck and smell like a duck... IT IS A DUCK..

[I.F.]

It will probably read like this : 9:45 p.m. - sat with P.Diddy at the lakers game. (Mentioned to him I was the mayor). 9:50 - got two beers and talked to Jack. 11:15 - caught a limo ride with Lohan. (Mentioned I was the mayor). Next day: 2:00 pm - sat with George Lopez at the grammys. (Mentioned I was the mayor). 4:15 pm. - attended illegal immigrant rally. (mentioned I was the mayor) 10:20 pm. - Partied at the Oscars. made out with Univision reporter. (mentioned I was the mayor) Yes, our brave mayor is hard at work for YOU, Los Angeles!

[Yolanda]

Not so sure his staff is great at accounting, I don't think they had the pot hole count right either. I would love to take some free tickets, if he doesn't use them!

[non issue]

Who cares..

[BillyF.]

Impeach.

[Dario]

One lie leads to another.

[kgoddess]

Be interesting to see those records.

[thetruth]

does the presentation to an artist of some bogus "proclamation" somehow justify his greedy and does-not-pass-the-smell-test grab of freebies for the mayor and his latest, greatest news anchorbabe girlfriend? look up the beyonce visit for verification, among many others.

also, i wonder how the artists feel when they are the recipient of the mayor's obviously selfish acts? not very meaningful i'm sure.

[Brett]

Matt Szabo. I wonder if it eats him up inside to constantly lie to defend this hack mayor?

[Brett Schulte]

I'm still pissed the mayor used his Oscar Party at the city owned "Mayors Mansion" to promote filming in Mexico? I mean, wtf? Who do you work for???

[Fed Up]

If those events were part of his "official" duties, then the mayor's office should have purchased those tickets.

[giley1]

I think the mayor will be using a lot of creative writing to justify all of the "freebies" that he has received over the years. He must think that most people just fell off the "turnip truck"????? He is the spin master!!!!!!!!!!!!

[West Valley Dave]

Of course he will make his records public... after making adjustments and pie-in-the-sky reasons for them.

[pam]

This is ridiculous. What is the difference between "providing entry" and "giving a ticket?" Antonio is tone-deaf! Stop taking free tickets! We are paying you a salary - just pony up and pay for tickets to events like everyone else does!

[TheBigPicture]

What about the the tickets the "Los Angeles Ambassador" gave away...Were those people representing Los Angeles too...

The Los Angeles Ambassador would've been more more palatable had he reported it from the beginning...which he didn't...

He lies and cheats without batting an eye...what a pro...

I guess when he was cheating on his wife...he was doing that for LA too...what a guy...

[james andrews]

The Mayor took on the unions and now will pay his price. They will not let him rest on any issue until they have destroyed him. Get ready for more trash to be dumped daily.

[db]

In June 2009, Villaraigossa attended the Manhattan Wine Auction in Manhattan Beach. What official function was he fulfilling there?

[Dan P.]

Personally, I can't stand the man or his politics but HE'S THE MAYOR! Its one of the perks of his office or at least it should be!

[TAM]

It has taken 4 weeks to make up these papers, and the tax payers paid for it.

[LA Woman]

He's a thief and a liar. Presenting some fake proclamation so you can go to a show or a concert or a sporting event is NOT official city business. You look very foolish, Mr. Mayor, and incredibly unconcerned for the thousands of residents of your city who are suffering right now and unable to attend a movie, let alone sit court side at the Laker's game.

[sta18veteran]

Villaraigosa is nothing but a Whore like all typical politicians. He is only in it for himself. He getting all he can nas his career is in the Toliet and he will be out 0f office not soon enough.

[Anonymous]

No character, no virtues, no ethics, no values, and no integrity. Is this the ticket in LA or CA to win a political seat.

[rmedina]

Typical of this Mayor. He feels entitled... How about staying in your office and doing some work for a change.

[az1070]

Antonio,,,you like all of your ilk are rich manure,I just do not understand why people with spanish surnames only vote for spanish surnames,( Please do not mention obama )