{"id":224,"date":"2019-05-21T23:00:16","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T23:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press-releases\/nonprofits-urge-city-council-to-limit-behested-payments\/"},"modified":"2019-05-21T23:00:16","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T23:00:16","slug":"nonprofits-urge-city-council-to-limit-behested-payments","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/nonprofits-urge-city-council-to-limit-behested-payments\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofits Urge City Council to Limit Behested Payments"},"template":"","class_list":["post-224","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"Restrictions on behested payments will help end pay-to-play politics at City Hall.","featured_image":"","press_type":157,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"1\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":8287}"],"related_issues":[104,431],"related_work":false,"location":3},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":null,"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"LOS ANGELES -- As the FBI investigates corruption at City Hall, good government groups urged the Los Angeles City Council to approve a reform at Wednesday\u2019s meeting that would restrict elected officials from seeking certain charitable donations from lobbyists, contractors and bidders on city work. Prohibiting elected officials from soliciting \u201cbehested payments\u201d from \u201crestricted sources\u201d will help curb the perception of pay-to-play politics at City Hall, the groups said.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhile the solicitation of donations by elected officials to charitable causes can be beneficial, the practice often results in real or perceived quid pro quo interactions,\u201d said the letter filed May 21<\/a>, 2019 with the Los Angeles Ethics Commission and submitted to council.\r\n\r\nThe letter<\/a> was signed by California Common Cause, California Clean Money Campaign, Citizens Take Action, League of Women Voters Los Angeles, Money Out Voters In, and Unrig L.A., and a separate letter in support of the behested payment ban was submitted by the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter. Together, the organizations represent more than 40,300 members in Los Angeles.\r\n\r\nThe Los Angeles Ethics Commission in February recommended the City Council adopt behested payment restrictions as part of a larger package to reduce the influence of wealthy special interests in city politics that\u2019s been under consideration for more than one year.\r\n\r\nThe behested payment reform would:\r\n