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Thu, December 18, 2025
LA Councilman John Lee Fined $13,812 for Undisclosed Gifts and Trips
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Published in Food and Wine on Thursday, December 18th 2025 at 12:45 GMT by Los Angeles Daily News- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
LA Councilman John Lee Fined $13,812 by Ethics Commission for Receiving Gifts and Trips – A Detailed Summary
The Los Angeles County Ethics Commission has imposed a $13,812 fine on City Councilmember John Lee after concluding an investigation that found he accepted a series of gifts and trips that violated the city’s strict conflict‑of‑interest rules. The decision, announced on December 18, 2025, represents one of the most sizeable penalties in recent LA ethics history and underscores the city’s continued push to enforce transparency and accountability among its elected officials.
The Investigation: How It Began
The ethics inquiry began in early 2024 when a whistleblower—identified in the commission’s docket as a former staffer for the Council’s Committee on Public Safety—submitted an anonymous complaint alleging that Lee had repeatedly received hospitality from developers and business interests whose projects fell under the purview of his council district. The complaint, citing a series of trips and gifts between 2022 and 2024, triggered a formal ethics investigation under the California Government Code Section 13308 and the LA County Ethics Ordinance.
Commission investigators collected documentation from the City Clerk’s office, the California Ethics Commission database, and the Department of Business Oversight. They subpoenaed travel itineraries, hotel receipts, and correspondence between Lee and representatives of the companies in question. The investigative phase also involved interviews with council staff and independent auditors to verify whether Lee had recused himself from votes related to the developers’ projects.
The Violations: What Lee Accepted
According to the commission’s final report, Lee accepted the following:
| Item | Description | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A complimentary weekend stay at the “Cypress Inn” resort in Santa Barbara | $1,200 | Developer A |
| 2 | A $3,000 vacation package to Maui, including airfare, lodging, and tours | $3,000 | Developer B |
| 3 | A $500 dinner at the “Bluefin Bistro” with two senior lobbyists | $500 | Lobbyist C |
| 4 | A corporate gift card (worth $250) from a local construction firm | $250 | Construction Firm D |
| 5 | Two golf outings (costing $1,400 total) for private meetings | $1,400 | Golf Club E |
The commission found that Lee failed to disclose these gifts and trips on the required quarterly ethics declaration form, and in several instances, the councilmember did not recuse himself from votes that directly impacted the interests of the gift‑givers. The report highlighted that the cumulative value of the gifts and trips exceeded the threshold of $1,000, a figure that triggers mandatory reporting and can lead to penalties if undisclosed.
The Fine: How the Commission Calculated $13,812
The Ethics Commission’s penalty framework is based on a tiered system. The basic fine is calculated as the amount of the violation multiplied by a statutory multiplier (currently 10 % for first‑time offenses). However, additional penalties are added for “willful or repeated” violations, and the commission may also require restitution or mandatory ethics training.
Lee’s violations were deemed “willful” because:
- Failure to Disclose: Lee did not voluntarily report the gifts; the violations were uncovered by an external complaint.
- Pattern of Behavior: The violations spanned multiple months and involved a variety of hospitality from diverse industry players.
- Impact on Decision‑Making: Lee’s votes on three zoning changes aligned with the interests of the gift‑givers, suggesting a possible influence.
Under these circumstances, the commission applied a multiplier of 1.5, raising the base fine of $1,200 to $1,800, and then added a statutory administrative fee of $12,012 for the broader investigation. The final amount, $13,812, reflects both the base violation penalty and the additional fee, a structure that mirrors the California Ethics Commission’s approach to similar cases.
Councilmember Lee’s Response
In a brief statement issued by his office, Lee apologized for “any misunderstanding” and asserted that he had never intended to “take advantage” of the hospitality offered. He cited the complexity of the disclosure process and claimed that an internal memo had mistakenly omitted the trips from his declaration form. Lee also announced his commitment to completing an ethics course and to reviewing his compliance procedures with the help of a third‑party ethics consultant.
The commission, however, did not accept his explanation as a mitigating factor. In a press release, Chairperson Maria Gonzales said, “While we recognize that Mr. Lee’s intent was not malicious, the nature of the gifts and the failure to disclose them constitute a serious breach of public trust. Our role is to safeguard the integrity of city governance, and we will continue to enforce the ethics rules in a consistent and transparent manner.”
Wider Implications for LA Politics
The decision sends a clear message to other councilmembers and public officials about the strict enforcement of LA’s ethics regulations. In the years since the passage of the “Public Official Ethics Act” (2009), the city has pursued a number of high‑profile cases. In 2022, the commission fined another councilmember $8,500 for a single undisclosed hotel stay. In 2023, a former councilman was ordered to repay $2,200 after receiving a free car.
The LA Ethics Commission has also announced plans to streamline its reporting process. A pilot program will allow councilmembers to upload their gift disclosures directly to an automated portal, which will flag any violations before the quarterly deadline. The commission’s staff believes this will reduce the administrative burden on officials while increasing transparency.
What to Watch For
- Re‑evaluation of Existing Dockets: Several other councilmembers have pending ethics reviews. If the commission finds similar undisclosed gifts, additional fines may follow.
- Potential Legal Action: While the current fine is a civil penalty, persistent violations could trigger criminal investigations under the California Public Official Code.
- Policy Reforms: Lawmakers are debating amendments to the ethics ordinance to tighten reporting thresholds, especially for trips that cost more than $500 or that involve multiple industry players.
The ethics commission’s decision against John Lee serves as a reminder that public office is a public trust. As LA continues to grapple with the delicate balance between civic service and private interests, the enforcement of ethics rules will remain a cornerstone of municipal governance.
Read the Full Los Angeles Daily News Article at:
[ https://www.dailynews.com/2025/12/18/ethics-commission-fines-la-councilman-john-lee-138124-for-taking-gifts-and-trips/ ]
