Council member Pedroza works for the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (SDLAC), as an environmental planner. Describing the position, he says, 'I work with private firms, Waste Management, Athens, Valley Vista, & other public agencies. My job is to deal with making sure our environmental impact reports are being addressed & that there's a lot of exchange of info with these organizations.' [a.k.a. public relations]
Formed for a single purpose [like our tourism business improvement], districts can issue debt & levy tax. SDLAC is a group of 24 independent districts who share a central management & are involved in wastewater + solid waste---treatment facilities, disposal sites, & transport (using railways).
So, what happens when the city has to choose a landfill & the law prohibits officials from participating in actions that may effect their employer? In 2008, Mr. Pedroza recused himself from said discussion, citing conflict of interest. But, when the same item appeared in Dec, he participated.
Last month, during a closed session, the council moved to perform a cost benefit analysis on our sanitation service. We hire city employees, not a private firm.
What if the private firms have contracts with his employer's landfills? What if he's tempted to bring them a contract, in exchange for them utilizing his employer's sites?
After flags were raised, the councilman recited a statement claiming no conflict, whilst providing unclear reasoning for the assertion. Besides, merely citing the Political Reform Act is insufficient, as common law is applicable as well.
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