Copyright 2004, Los Angeles Daily News

LA County Supervisors' aides enjoy union-paid junket to spa during supervisors' contract talks with union. Illegal or just dumb?

(Los Angeles Daily News 10/9/04) -- In the midst of tense contract talks, seven top aides to three Los Angeles County supervisors accepted union-paid junkets to a luxury resort in La Jolla where they were treated to spa massages, facials and other luxuries.

After at least one supervisor's office expressed concerns that the junket was a gift under state disclosure rules, the event's host, the Coalition of County Unions, told participants they could serve on panel discussions and thus be exempt from the law, according to documents the Daily News obtained under the California Public Records Act.

Asked about their participation, aides to Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich, Don Knabe and Yvonne Brathwaite Burke said they did not talk about the contract negotiations at the Lodge at Torrey Pines events. They said they only participated in panels where unrelated issues such as soaring workers' compensation and health care costs were discussed.

Critics still took a dim view of their involvement.

"This is nothing more than a thinly veiled bribe and those supervisors' aides accepting this free vacation should be ashamed," said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Bob Stern, president of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies, said the retreat was clearly designed to influence the Board of Supervisors during the contract talks.

"It's unfortunately the way people think business should be done," Stern said. "This sort of taints the negotiations when they do things like this. I don't have problems with people speaking at events like this. It's all the perks that bothers me."

Kathryn Barger-Leibrich, Antonovich's chief of staff, defended her attendance at the La Jolla event.

"The unions represent our work force ... our work force is the first line of what the taxpayers come into contact with, and it's important that we understand their needs and concerns," said Barger-Leibrich, who has reimbursed the unions for a spa treatment.

"And the union is clearly the first point of contact for us. They hear from their members. It's hard to meet with every single member of the county, but we depend on the union to be that conduit to all their members."

Contract talks have been under way for 20 months with the unions representing Sheriff's and Fire departments workers, who have gone without a contract for nearly two years. Talks are also under way with nurse and Probation Department unions. The latter union also helped pay for the junket.

The Sheriff's Department employee unions want the Board of Supervisors to approve salary increases of 9 percent or more over three years.

At least one union leader recently offered to forgo raises if the county supervisors would approve the "3 percent at 55" pension enhancement. Estimates put the cost of such a plan -- for sheriff's and firefighter employees -- at $25 million to $47 million a year. If other employees, such as probation, county police and general county employees are added, the cost would run into the hundreds of millions of dollars annually, Sheriff Lee Baca said.

Amid the ongoing contract talks, the county employee unions hosted the junket from Aug. 27 to Aug. 29 at the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, overlooking the Pacific. The plush resort holds the Automobile Club of Southern California's top rating, five diamonds, and has a world-renowned golf course.

The seven aides who attended, including two chiefs of staff, were told that as panelists they would not have to report their housing and meals as gifts, although they were still required by law to report as gifts the free spa massages and facials, golf, and cocktail receptions they enjoyed.

A high-ranking union official who requested anonymity put the 2004 Public Employees Legislative Conference retreat price tag at about $50,000. A similar conference was last held in the mid-1990s, and another is planned for next year.

"It's outrageous that they should be able to wine and dine these people on the eve of that kind of decision," said Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition. "Who do they represent? The voters or the union? Even if it's not illegal, they should be punished by the voters for doing it."

Gerry Hertzberg, senior legislative deputy to Supervisor Gloria Molina, said no one from their office went to the retreat because of the contract talks.

"It's just sort of automatic with any sort of sponsored-event like that," Hertzberg said. "Anybody doing business with the county, whether it's a contractor or unions, and you are in the middle of negotiations -- it's just something we shy away from."

John Hill, Burke's chief of staff, who did not attend the La Jolla event but did send a deputy and two senior deputies to it, said they were there to discuss the rising cost of health care premiums for county employees.

"To me, it is very important that we know what the union is thinking and what their issues and problems are. I suggested we send three people, and these are the three people I wanted to send."

John Musella, spokesman for Knabe, whose office sent its chief of staff and assistant chief deputy, said the unions wanted to discuss soaring workers' compensation costs and establish a better working relationship with the supervisors' offices.

Officials at the Coalition of County Unions, which represents 12 county employee unions, could not be reached for comment.

By Troy Anderson