ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE WILL HEAR CHARGES VILLARAIGOSA WRONGDOING ALLEGED IN 2003 CAMPAIGN.Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer The city's Ethics Commission In the United States, an Ethics Commission is a commission established by State law to discourage dishonest practices by their public employees and elected officials. Almost all American states have such a commission. voted Tuesday to have an administrative law judge administrative law judge n. a professional hearing officer who works for the government to preside over hearings and appeals involving governmental agencies. They are generally experienced in the particular subject matter of the agency involved or of several agencies. hold a hearing on allegations that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. violated ethics laws in his 2003 campaign for City Council. Commissioner Bill Boyarsky wanted the panel itself to hold the hearings in City Hall because the violations involved the city's highest-ranking official. "He's the leader of the city. This ought to be aired in public and we, as commissioners, should be involved," Boyarsky said. But Commission President Gil Garcetti Gilbert "Gil" Garcetti (b. August 5, 1941) served as Los Angeles County's 39th District Attorney for two terms, from 1992 until November 7, 2000. Background Gil Garcetti received a bachelor's degree in Management from the University of Southern California and a Juris agreed with Villaraigosa's attorney, who noted that two similar cases involving city officials have been referred to administrative law judges, and the mayor shouldn't be treated differently because of his position. "I think it's a very slippery slope 'slippery slope' Medical ethics An ethical continuum or 'slope,' the impact of which has been incompletely explored, and which itself raises moral questions that are even more on the ethical 'edge' than the original issue to single out the mayor in this particular instance," Garcetti said. Administrative law judges conduct hearings off-site and do not allow questioning by ethics commissioners. Villaraigosa's hearing will take about four months to schedule and will be open to the public. Ethics Commission staff allege that Villaraigosa's campaign improperly failed to disclose the contents of 23 mailers and also failed to provide a copy of a campaign script. He is also accused of receiving four contributions in excess of the $500 limit and exceeding the total contributions allowed by corporations. Villaraigosa is challenging the corporate contribution accusation, saying the money was received after the election and was used for his officeholder of·fice·hold·er n. One who holds public office. Noun 1. officeholder - someone who is appointed or elected to an office and who holds a position of trust; "he is an officer of the court"; "the club elected its officers for account. kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 |
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