Ooops
I think my favorite word in the entire English language is "oops." Not only is it the ultimate expression of the human fallibility we all share, but it can tell a complete story in it's four letters if you know who is saying it. George Custer: "Oops." Ralph Nader; "Oops." And now, Hal Berson, L.A. City Councilman; "Oops."
It seems that the councilman was totally unaware that lawyers are actually paid money for giving advice. And it further seems that the councilman didn't realize that taking free advice from a lawyer who is also a lobbyist is unethical. Boy, what an oops. But, wait. It gets better.
You see, the councilman wasn't asking questions like, "Do I have to pay this parking ticket," or "Can I be sued if I call a fellow council member an idiot." No, the free advice councilman Bernson got from the law firm of Iverson, Yorkum, Papiano and Hatch, was "How much trouble am I in with the ethics commission?"
You heard right; the councilman was already under investigation by the city ethics commission because he bought Hollywood Bowl tickets with money from his personal office holder account. Those accounts, budgeted taxpayer money under the complete control of each of the fifteen city council members, is supposed to be used in city service, for supporting projects in individual districts the rest of the council won't support. It is not supposed to buy orchestra seats for politicians.
Now, you might think that a politician being investigated for an ethics violation would go out of his or her way to avoid giving the ethics commission any more reasons to investigate them, but councilman Berson chose a more aggressive approach. Already in trouble, he sought help from his old friend Neil Papiano, a registered lobbyists with the city council.
And to no one's surprised, Mr. Papiano, rushed to help. He'd better. A lobbyist is effective only if he has the ear of the politicians and bureaucrats down at city hall. And the lobbyist who says "no" to such requests will likely end up out of a job. So Mr. Papiano rushed. Rushed so fast, in fact, that no bill was ever sent. Oops, again, I guess.
Don't you wish you could get service like that from Jacoby and Myers? Wouldn't it be nice to find a lawyer so focused on justice that they didn't take the time to figure out if they were going to make enough money out of your case before they decided you deserved justice or not? Don't you wish the City Hall politicians and bureaucrats lived in the same universe the rest of us do?
The ethics commission has ruled that the use of free legal services from a lobbyist/law firm violates ethical standards. Not that it's illegal, just that it stinks. I guess that's something.
On Monday of this week all parties reached an official agreement. Councilman Berson had to cough up $3,000.00, this time out of his own pocket. And Mr. Papiano's law firm was fined $4,000.00.
It sounds like a lot of money, but to a lobbyist, four thousand bucks is just the cost of doing business. They'll pass it on to their clients, who will see the fine as proof Mr. Papiano has access to City Hall. Which he still does, by the way.
And if fining Councilman Berson three thousand dollars for violating ethics standards seems fair, where's the fine for arrogance, not to mention the bill for stupidity? I guess the voters for whatever office the councilman seeks after term limits ends his reign at City Hall, will have to assess those fines.
Oh, and just a quick note to Mr. Ralph Nader. Ralph, it isn't Al Gore's fault that the vast majority of Americans are not liberals and will not support the old liberal line. It is, however, the old liberals fault for always looking for someone else to blame when they don't win elections. You guys whine like the religious right. Grow up. Drop out.
Kimit A.Muston is a writer living in North Hollywood. If you have comments about his column, he may be reached at inditer.com.
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