Council sustains mayor's veto of Ethics Commission's campaign-finance ordinance; committee follow-up directed

The Los Angeles City Council sustained the mayor's veto of an Ethics Commission ordinance on campaign finance at its Aug. 15 meeting and adopted committee-directed follow-up steps to pursue broader reform.

Background: The Ethics Commission had recommended a package of changes that included reducing the candidate fundraising window from 18 months to 12 months and expanding the public matching-funds formula. The commission's package followed a multi-year review and eight public hearings. The council previously considered the ordinance and returned it from committee with a recommendation to sustain the veto.

Council debate: Councilmembers debated whether to adopt the commission's ordinance now or to allow time for a more comprehensive review that would address issues raised by recent state law changes and court interpretations, especially the effect of Proposition 34 and independent expenditures. Supporters of the commission's plan urged prompt action to shorten long fundraising periods and increase matching funds to make campaigns more competitive for nonwealthy candidates. Others, including the mayor, argued for a broader, faster but more comprehensive approach and asked the council to hold off to craft a package that would address independent expenditures and statutory constraints.

Procedural votes: A substitute motion to adopt the Ethics Commission's proposal was put forward and failed on a tied vote (6 ayes, 6 noes). The council then voted to sustain the mayor's veto on the ordinance. After sustaining the veto, the council adopted committee recommendations directing staff, the CLA and the Ethics Commission to convene a meeting and to prepare recommendations that would allow the council to consider a broader reform package by a target date to enable action before the next municipal election cycle.

Why it matters: The issue sits at the intersection of local campaign finance rules and recent state-level developments on independent expenditures and campaign law. Councilmembers said the short window between now and the next election cycle narrows the chance for major changes, yet many pressed for comprehensive reform instead of piecemeal changes.

Next steps: The council asked the Rules and Elections Committee and the Ethics Commission to reconvene and bring a more comprehensive proposal for council consideration in a specified timeframe so the council can consider reforms before the next municipal campaign cycle. Committee recommendations were adopted separately after the veto was sustained.

Ending: Councilmembers on both sides said they wanted to curtail the influence of large sums and improve fairness for lower-dollar candidates; they differed on whether to proceed immediately with the Ethics Commission's ordinance or to pause for a broader package.