A shocking revelation in the LA Times shows that on Monday, while the Trutanich campaign held a fundraiser at the Sheraton Hotel in Universal City, the Beverly Hills elite were toasting Jack Weiss at an illegal fundraiser.
The illegal fundraiser was co-hosted by one of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's pension board appointees; Kelly Candaele, pictured below.
City Ethics Commission laws prohibit city employees from political activity of this sort. Mr. Candaele resigned as soon as the cat got out of the bag, but apparently the Ethics Commission will investigate and take whatever action is appropriate.
Weiss, a self-proclaimed legal expert on everything, will doubtless claim "no knowledge" of either Mr. Candele or that he was a City employee - Weiss's denials are very predicable. Weiss, of course, is no stranger to Ethics Violations, many of which were the subject of a KNBC investigative report "Laundered Elections."
The $20,000 or so raised at the illegal fundraiser will be returned according to Weiss's campaign spokeshole Ace Smith, who issued a written statement "Jack Weiss believes that his campaign must be held to the highest standards." The statement was written, one assumes, because Smith could not keep a straight face during a face to face interview.
Weiss has many wealthy friends and supporters. He is a member of the "westside elite," born into luxury and living in a $3M Bel Air mansion with his trust fund heiress wife and two (presumably) privately educated children. Weiss lives far above most Los Angelenos, literally and metaphorically. Small wonder then, that Weiss has not a clue about the concerns of the vast majority of Los Angelenos, and it's no surprise that he's not above dirty back-room dealings to "get things done."
Los Angeles voters simply cannot afford to allow the perpetrator of such a disgracefully flagrant violation of campaign finance laws to serve as the chief law enforcement officer of Los Angeles.
This time Weiss was been caught before the election and in time to prevent illegal campaign contributions from bloating his hate-filled negative campaign. Previously, Weiss's wrongdoing took years to come to light, by which time the damage was irreparable.
Los Angelenos truly owe a vote of thanks to Carmen Trutanich for focusing attention of Jack Weiss's prior misconduct, and a second and third vote of thanks to LA Times reporters David Zahniser and Phil Willon for breaking this story.
Kelly Candaele's website can be viewed by clicking HERE. Mr. Candaele describes himself as Kelly Candaele "a writer, filmmaker, teacher and elected official in Los Angeles." No doubt the reference to the "elected official" will be removed in due course.
But M. Candaele was not the only person hosting the illegal fundraiser with close ties to City Hall. The LA Times also reported that "Two other hosts of Weiss' fundraiser hold positions with Wetherly Capital, a company that has promoted investing opportunities to two city pension boards, including the one on which Candaele served. Wetherly, known in industry circles as a "placement agent," has become a subject of interest in recent weeks for investigators looking into allegations of kickbacks at the New York state pension fund."
Weiss has long been suspected of overly close relationships with billboard operators, contractors and developers who benefit from their "friendly" relationship with the embattled wealthy westside elitist councilmember for Council District 5.
Weiss will attend another fundraiser April 30, hosted by developer Rick Caruso who currently has a high-density development before the City Planning Committee. Weiss has not recused himself from voting on that development, and can apparently see no conflict of interest.
The Weiss campaign has been becoming increasingly desperate as the election nears and Weiss faces the prospect of a forced departure from politics, perhaps to "spend more time with his family?"
The Weiss campaign has been becoming increasingly desperate as the election nears and Weiss faces the prospect of a forced departure from politics, perhaps to "spend more time with his family?"
Ethics like those of Jack Weiss are truly the substance of used toilet water. Please vote for an end to this affront to decency and honesty.
Click HERE to read the full report in LA TImes.
3 comments:
The fundraiser was not illegal. There was nothing wrong with it, and the Weiss campaign simply made a mistake that Jack knew nothing about.
Good job Berger! Nail that bastard Weiss before the election. Weiss is a cheat and a disgrace. I'm a life long democrat and I cannot believe that the party has not licked him out.
Why didn't Erwin Chemrinsky's op-ed in the Times refer to Weiss's illegal fundraiser? Because democrats can't break the law, can they?
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