LOS ANGELES -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released records Friday spelling out the official duties he performed at dozens of concerts, sports events and awards shows that he attended free of charge.
The records show Villaraigosa was offered free entry to an estimated 99 sports events, concerts and awards shows, 85 of which he either recalls attending or is shown in photographs as being present.
Still, the records did not show who provided tickets to roughly two dozen concerts and athletic events at such venues as Staples Center and Nokia Theatre.
The mayorÂ’s practice of accepting free entry to events is the subject of an investigation by the cityÂ’s Ethics Commission and an inquiry by Dist. Atty. Steve CooleyÂ’s Public Integrity Division.
The events included 15 Los Angeles Dodgers games; "American Idol" finales; concerts by Aretha Franklin, Shakira, Smoky Robinson and Placido Domingo; and award shows ranging from the Grammys to the Golden Globes.
The mayor's office did not estimate their value.
It's commonplace for politicians from the president to mayors to make appearances at marquee sports and entertainment events.
But for Villaraigosa, there are possible legal implications in where he got the tickets, what he did at the events and who, if anyone, was with him.
The district attorney is looking into whether the mayor should have reported the tickets as gifts, and the city Ethics Commission is also reviewing the mayor's use of the tickets.
The mayor's top lawyer, Brian Curry, said Villaraigosa complied with all rules, but added that City Hall in some cases is unable to say where free tickets came from and has only limited information on what the mayor did while at the events.
The mayor's office has said Villaraigosa was acting in his official capacity at each of the events, meaning he would be exempt from laws that require elected officials to disclose gifts of $50 or more and prohibit gifts of more than $420 from a single source in any year.
But it's not clear why some of the events were listed on his publicly announced schedule and others were not.
Curry said record-keeping "could have been better" and needs to be improved. He also said the mayor would make reimbursements if it's determined tickets were received improperly.
The 22 pages of records released Friday leave numerous questions about the mayor's role at the events.
For example, the documents say the mayor recalls attending the 2006 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, but the records provide no information of the source of the mayor's ticket or if anyone was with him. His only activity is listed as a TV interview.
Villaraigosa is listed as attending a Luis Miguel concert in April 2006, but his activities appear to be limited to meeting the Mexican singer and giving him a proclamation.
State law does not define what constitutes an official act for a public official at a sports or entertainment event.
Curry cited previous remarks by a city ethics official that said a mayor's "mere attendance" at such events serves to promote the city.
The lawyer told reporters in a nearly hourlong briefing that Villaraigosa was acting as the city's ambassador and marketer-in-chief.
As such, the tickets were not gifts.
"The mayor feels quite strongly that he attended these events in the performance of his officials duties," Curry said. "It is part of his job."
The records show Villaraigosa was offered free entry to an estimated 99 sports events, concerts and awards shows, 85 of which he either recalls attending or is shown in photographs as being present.
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Villaraigosa Freebies
Do you think L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa did anything wrong?
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Yes, he should report all freebies.
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No, he's the mayor -- cut him a break.
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Ticket Documents Released by Mayor's Office
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The mayorÂ’s practice of accepting free entry to events is the subject of an investigation by the cityÂ’s Ethics Commission and an inquiry by Dist. Atty. Steve CooleyÂ’s Public Integrity Division.
The events included 15 Los Angeles Dodgers games; "American Idol" finales; concerts by Aretha Franklin, Shakira, Smoky Robinson and Placido Domingo; and award shows ranging from the Grammys to the Golden Globes.
The mayor's office did not estimate their value.
It's commonplace for politicians from the president to mayors to make appearances at marquee sports and entertainment events.
But for Villaraigosa, there are possible legal implications in where he got the tickets, what he did at the events and who, if anyone, was with him.
The district attorney is looking into whether the mayor should have reported the tickets as gifts, and the city Ethics Commission is also reviewing the mayor's use of the tickets.
The mayor's top lawyer, Brian Curry, said Villaraigosa complied with all rules, but added that City Hall in some cases is unable to say where free tickets came from and has only limited information on what the mayor did while at the events.
The mayor's office has said Villaraigosa was acting in his official capacity at each of the events, meaning he would be exempt from laws that require elected officials to disclose gifts of $50 or more and prohibit gifts of more than $420 from a single source in any year.
But it's not clear why some of the events were listed on his publicly announced schedule and others were not.
Curry said record-keeping "could have been better" and needs to be improved. He also said the mayor would make reimbursements if it's determined tickets were received improperly.
The 22 pages of records released Friday leave numerous questions about the mayor's role at the events.
For example, the documents say the mayor recalls attending the 2006 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, but the records provide no information of the source of the mayor's ticket or if anyone was with him. His only activity is listed as a TV interview.
Villaraigosa is listed as attending a Luis Miguel concert in April 2006, but his activities appear to be limited to meeting the Mexican singer and giving him a proclamation.
State law does not define what constitutes an official act for a public official at a sports or entertainment event.
Curry cited previous remarks by a city ethics official that said a mayor's "mere attendance" at such events serves to promote the city.
The lawyer told reporters in a nearly hourlong briefing that Villaraigosa was acting as the city's ambassador and marketer-in-chief.
As such, the tickets were not gifts.
"The mayor feels quite strongly that he attended these events in the performance of his officials duties," Curry said. "It is part of his job."
