Today at 1pm the City Council’s Elections Oversight Committee (Chair Bonnie Lowenthal, Councilmembers Gerrie Schipske and Val Lerch) discussed a proposed City of Long Beach lobbying ordinance.
If lobbyists are to report their time, place and manner in which they lobby, so should Long Beach elected officials when performing their duties. This means, all Long Beach elected officials shall report who, when and for what reason they meet with people and report that information, available 24 hours a day via the internet. Any lobbying ordinance that excludes this requirement is, in my opinion, a non-issue.
On February 13, I posted on Senator Tester’s (D-Montana) commitment to transparency in government (02.13.07 A Test(er) for Montana and All Public Servants).
I stated: I have many conversations with elected officials about transparency in government…including how far they are willing to go to be transparent themselves. I often ask elected officials why not make their schedule more accessible to the public? Most cringe at the idea. Senator Tester does not. He places his entire schedule, personal and professional, on his website.
Furthermore, on June 18, 2002, the Long Beach Ethics Task Force presented recommendations including a section regarding lobbying any City official or employee. Their recommendations specifically called for an ordinance relating to influencing or persuading legislative or administrative action.
On March 28, 2003, Patrick Burkhardt, then-Chief of Staff for 1st District Councilmember Bonnie Lowenthal and I (serving as the Vice President for Government Affairs at the Long Beach Chamber) met with the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission. That briefing provided an overview of the commission including information regarding lobbying Los Angeles officials, Los Angeles city employees and reporting the activity.
We found that all of the Long Beach Ethics Task Force recommendations mirrored what is already in place in Los Angeles. However, Los Angeles requires the registration of any lobbyist who accepts $4,000 per quarter to lobby. The current Long Beach proposal requires a $1,000 threshold.
A financial threshold is unfair. Any financial threshold will just about require EVERY employee of any company to be labeled a lobbyist and therefore be required to file quarterly reports.
Instead, the current Long Beach proposal needs a “time threshold” when defining who is a lobbyist. Specifically, any “lobbyist” who spends at least 20% of their time, in a quarter, on behalf of their lobbyist employer communicating, with a City of Long Beach official or employee in order to influence or persuade legislative or administrative action shall be subject to reporting requirements. A “time threshold” ensures the intent of the ordinance and protects any employee from dealing with any reporting nightmares.
Finally, ALL non-profit volunteer 501-C organizations MUST be exempt from reporting requirements. The current Long Beach proposal does not exclude non-profits.
The Vice Mayor has invested years moving a potential lobbying ordinance to the point of discussion. She and her colleagues need to realize that transparency in government is a two-way street. Placing reporting requirements on lobbyists is only half the answer. Holding herself and her colleagues accountable to being transparent will seal the deal.