Lamar Advertising Co. is a Louisiana based billboard company with strong ties to members of the City of Los Angeles city council. The City of LA Ethics Committee recently fined former candidate Robert Cole for the majority of his campaign donors either confirming they didn’t give him money or they were dead. This latest fine shows the leverage and power council members wield over those doing business in the City of Los Angeles.
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Related article: Billboard firm to put up signs backing six L.A. council candidates (Jan. 2015)
Several Los Angeles Times related articles described the insane amounts spent by Lamar Advertising for five LA council incumbents: Mitch Englander, Jose Huizar, Paul Krekorian, Nury Martinez and Herb J. Wesson. The company also gave billboards for incoming CD8 councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson. Here is an excerpt from the LA Times February 2015 article describing the companies woes with their city permits.
The fine is a paltry $10,000 going back to not disclosing contributions related to the 2013 Council District 6 special election, where Nury Martinez prevailed.
City law requires groups or individuals who spend in excess of $1,000 on behalf of candidates to file paperwork with the city within 24 hours. The law’s goal is to disclose what companies are spending on behalf of candidates.
Of all the candidates listed, Mitch Englander and Herb Wesson were the only candidates to reject applying for matching city funds for their campaigns. View all campaign contributions and expenditures for the 2015 election cycle by clicking here.
