LOS ANGELES — The city Ethics Commission Wednesday fined former Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León $18,750 for failing to disclose his financial ties to organizations benefiting from three votes.
In unanimous vote, the commission approved a stipulation order and imposed fines on the former councilman, who lost his bid for reelection in November to represent the 14th Council District, which stretches from downtown to Northeast Los Angeles..
Two votes involved hotel properties operated by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation while the third was linked to a housing and community development that included USC's Keck School of Medicine.
The votes in 2020 and 2021 came less than a year after the AIDS foundation and USC, combined, paid de León $264,231 in consulting fees, a violation of a city ordinance on campaign financing, lobbying, conflicts of interests and governmental ethics, the Los Angeles Times reported last week.
The ethics violations that were outlined in a city Ethics Commission staff report on a proposed settlement following de León's admission to "four counts of making or participating in a city decision in which he held a financial interest and one count of failing to disclose income," the report states.
"Today's decisions reaffirm the importance of transparent and accountable government," Kenneth Hardy, director of enforcement, said in a statement. "To avoid conflicts of interests, it is essential that city officials properly disclose their reportable financial interests on Form 700.
"It is also incumbent on city officials to review each meeting agenda, identify items in which they may have a financial interest, reach out to the City Attorney's Office or the Ethics Commission with questions, and recuse themselves from participating in items that create conflicts," he added.
In its report, the commission noted that "de León cooperated with staff and saved Ethics Commission resources by entering into this stipulated settlement before the preparation of a probable cause report; and (2) de León has no prior enforcement history with the Ethics Commission.
"However, enforcement staff noted the following aggravating circumstances: (1) the violations in this case are serious; and (2) the violations appear to indicate a pattern of conduct."
A representative for de León did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for de León said in a statement to The Times that: "This matter centers on disclosure — not personal gain. The items in question provided homeless housing during a pandemic and health services to vulnerable Angelenos. They passed unanimously, and had Councilmember de León been advised that he should recuse himself, he would have done so without hesitation — the outcomes would have been the same."
De León served on the council from Oct. 15, 2020 to Dec. 8, 2024. He lost his bid for reelection, 57.17%-42.83%, to Ysabel Jurado after failing to overcome the political fallout incurred from being heard participating in a secretly recorded 2021 conversation in which crude and racist language was used by others.
