Bernson’s Disclosure Measure OKd

Councilman Hal Bernson, target of a failed recall effort last fall, won City Council approval Thursday for an ethics reform measure requiring sponsors of such drives to make public financial disclosures in order to launch a recall.

It was unclear whether Bernson’s measure duplicates an existing provision of city law.

Bernson said he introduced the measure because “it is only fair and equitable” that sponsors of petition drives divulge the source of funding used to gather signatures. The measure, which was unanimously approved, also applies to leaders of city initiative drives.

“We merely want these petition sponsors to say where they got their money,” Bernson said. “It makes it an even playing field.”

The measure was one of dozens approved by the council in its second day of debate over a sweeping ethics reform package.

The reforms were drafted by a special commission appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley after questions arose last year about his financial dealings. Bradley admitted that he used poor judgment in accepting paid positions from two Los Angeles banks.

There was confusion, however, over whether the provisions of the Bernson measure are already contained in a city law.

The recall process requires sponsors to obtain signatures from at least 15% of registered voters within a 120-day period of filing a petition with the city clerk. If the clerk confirms the validity of the signatures, a recall election is scheduled.

Bernson said he introduced the provision because the city attorney’s office told him that sponsors are not required to submit financial disclosure statements until they succeed in forcing an election.

But a spokesman for the city attorney’s office said that city and state laws appear to indicate that the signature-collecting phase triggers the financial disclosure requirement.

When asked to clarify the apparent confusion, Assistant City Atty. Anthony S. Alperin, who is advising the council on the reform package, said he did not know and would not comment on the issue.

Northridge businessman Walter N. Prince, who sponsored the unsuccessful recall effort against Bernson, began his effort in July and filed a campaign disclosure statement in early December.

It showed that “Citizens United to Recall Bernson” spent $52,141 on the drive.

Prince and his janitorial business, Executive-Suite Services, loaned the recall committee $55,000, according to the disclosure statement. The bulk of the petition drive expenditures--$40,000--was paid to Prince’s business.

The statement did not break down the sum, referring to it as “general operations and overhead.” Prince could not be reached for comment Thursday.

During the drive, in which Prince was unable to collect the required 17,622 signatures, the businessman mailed out newsletters and flyers. He sent news releases about rallies over fax machines. Letters were sent on campaign-style stationery and he published small advertisements in neighborhood papers.

Prince had accused Bernson of siding with large landowners and developers on zoning issues such as the proposed Porter Ranch residential and commercial development. He also criticized a Bernson proposal to use the city redevelopment agency to upgrade a rundown Northridge business district, where Prince’s offices are housed.