LOS ANGELES, CA – Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles issued the following statements upon Council adoption of the Councilwoman’s ordinance requiring full public disclosure of ex parte communications intended to influence the City’s Charter Reform Commission. The ordinance ensures that any attempts by elected officials or their staff to influence members of the Commission are disclosed and entered into the public record, ending months of opaque decision-making and bringing the Charter Reform process into the light.
“After nearly six months of stonewalling, my ordinance to require public disclosure of ex parte communications has finally been adopted,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. “It’s an embarrassment that it’s taken this long to get some basic transparency protections approved by the Council and the Charter Reform Commissioners. They had every opportunity to act sooner, but they chose to operate in the shadows, withholding disclosure of the communications they were having with elected officials and their staff. Months of delay have demonstrated the intended lack of transparency around the charter reform process. While this is an important victory for oversight and transparency, government accountability shouldn’t be this hard to secure.”
“One of the core values of the League of Women Voters is openness in government,” said Penny Sommers and Mary Dickson, Co-Presidents of the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles (LWVGLA). “During the last Los Angeles City Redistricting process, the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles, along with other good government organizations, lobbied hard for disclosure of ex parte communications. The public deserves to know that commissions are able to conduct their business without interference from elected officials. As a result, LA City’s current Charter includes rules for ex parte communications for future Independent Redistricting Commissions. LWVGLA greatly appreciates the motion made by Councilwoman Rodriguez, which has resulted in the adoption of an ordinance requiring disclosure of ex parte communications in the Charter Reform process.”