Posted on 11/24/2005 10:46:04 AM PST by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa accepted a prohibited $250 gift from Ameriquest Capital Corp. and will write a check to the company to comply with the law, an attorney for Villaraigosa said.
By law, elected Los Angeles officials cannot accept gifts worth more than $100 from companies that have lobbyists assigned to City Hall.
"It was in excess of what it should have been," Thomas Saenz, the mayor's general counsel, said Wednesday of the gift basket from Ameriquest. "We are filing an amended report to reflect that he is reimbursing $150 of the amount. It was a mistake."
Villaraigosa was a city councilman, as well as mayor-elect, when he received the basket from Ameriquest on June 9. He worked as a consultant for the mortgage lending firm in 2001 and 2002.
Ameriquest employs former Assemblyman Mike Roos as a lobbyist to the mayor's office and other city departments.
Earlier this month, Villaraigosa wrote another reimbursement check to Ameriquest for a trip he and an aide took aboard the company's private jet. Critics said Villaraigosa should have reimbursed Ameriquest for more than the $438 cost of commercial tickets because private charter operators charge much higher rates.
Kathay Feng of California Common Cause, who took issue with the amount paid by the mayor for the plane trip, said Wednesday that Villaraigosa was doing the "right thing to write a check for the gift basket."
I guess in this case "LA" should stand for Louisiana instead of Los Angeles
I don't think anything could match the corruption and lack of standards Louisiana displayed. But Chicago comes to mind.
There were no repubs in the race for mayor in L.A.
Isn't he the one who brags about being an affirmative action student and failed the bar exam 4 times?
PS he didn't support any of the state propositions and now he wants the LA teachers union to cut back. LOL!
Naw he is a flaming MECHA Dumicrat. When he was elected he stated that he would take direction from Mexico City before Washington.
also I checked Ameriquest on ripoffreport.com and got a bunch of complaints of fraud, so they should be right at home with Villarigosa. LA the city is fast approaching the corruption of LA the state, luckily I live behind the Orange curtain.
Stumpy
This is always so idiotic. I don't care if someone gives a mayor a fruit basket, or a pair of hockey tickets. There's enough to worry about other than a pol getting a free round of golf. Big whoop. Some teen hookers and a bag of crack- that would concern me.
A gift basket pales in comparison to the loot given to the first felon and his wife.
What kind of business is Ameriquest, anyway? It says he and an aide were given use of a corporate jet.
Mortgage brokers.
Only the beginning. Return hundreds keep millions. La Mordida!
Mortgages on a compromised basis. Thus, they've been fined, sued and otherwise called to pay for some of their compromised behaviors....do a search and you'll see a huge list of problems associated with them. They're also among the highest donors to Villiarosa's campaign, I believe I remember.
So, not only do I get a crappy "gift basket" with processed cheese and stale crackers, now I gotta pay $150.00 for it? That's it, no career in politics for me!
Can't remember exactly what it is right now but I know they're being investigated because of some scandal. I think it was something to do with cooking appraisals to help people get mortgages that shouldn't have qualified.
Mortgages for people who didn't qualify? Illegal aliens perhaps???
What was the value of the gift given by Ameriquest to MEChA boy when he took the company's corporate jet back to Rosa Park's funeral?
Yep. They remind me of old school gangsters who gave money to both candidates. Didn't Arnold say that he wouldn't give in to special interests? That must of lasted for a whole 15 minutes.
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