For Immediate Release: August 17, 2022
Contact: Nancy Jackson (213) 978-1960
Today, the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission imposed a penalty of $79,830.50 against Mitchell Englander, a former member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing District 12 in the San Fernando Valley. Englander admitted to four counts: misusing a City position to create a private benefit for himself; accepting excess gifts; and failing to disclose gifts.
The City’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance imposes requirements and prohibitions on current and former City officials and employees, in order to help ensure fair, equitable, and transparent government. For example, City officials and employees are prohibited from misusing their City positions or authority to create a private advantage or disadvantage of any kind for any person. Additionally, state and City laws limit the value of gifts that City officials may receive from a single source during a calendar year, and they require City officials to report gifts valued at $50 or more.
“Today's penalty against Mr. Englander is a strong reminder that the public is entitled to accountable government and that the Ethics Commission punishes illegal behavior at all levels of leadership,” said former Ethics Commission President Shedrick Davis. “I want to commend the Ethics Commission staff for their excellent work on this case and for diligently pursuing an appropriately significant penalty against Mr. Englander.”
The Ethics Commission also imposed a penalty of $10,000 on Hayman Development LLC, a land use and development consulting firm, and its owner Danielle Hayman, for failing to comply with the City’s mandatory lobbying registration and reporting requirements. Hayman and her company both admitted to failing to register as lobbying entities in 2020 and failing to file a disclosure report for the first quarter of 2020.
The City’s Municipal Lobbying Ordinance requires lobbying entities, including lobbyists and lobbying firms, to register with the Ethics Commission and to report their lobbying activities on a quarterly basis. These requirements help the public identify who is spending and receiving money in an attempt to influence City action.
All fines imposed by the Ethics Commission are paid to the City’s general fund. Copies of enforcement decisions and orders are available through the Public Data Portal.
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The Ethics Commission was created by Los Angeles voters in 1990 to impartially administer and enforce the City’s governmental ethics, campaign financing, and lobbying laws.