New County Gift Policy Won’t Affect Many Execs : Ethics: Gifts from lobbyists, contractors totaled $4,702 in 1992. Ordinance adopted this week among most stringent in state

Top-level managers in Orange County government received $4,702 in gifts last year, some of them from lobbyists and others doing business with the county.

The gratuities ranged from $1,204 worth of Los Angeles Rams football tickets for Sheriff Brad Gates to a $14 lunch at the Santa Ana Country Club for Chief Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider.

There soon will be no more free lunches, or any other freebies for county officials--in most cases.

In the wake of a scandal that culminated in the conviction and resignation in March of Supervisor Don R. Roth for ethics violations, county employees, appointees and elected officers will be barred beginning next month from accepting gifts of any value from people doing or seeking to do business with the county.

The ordinance, adopted unanimously Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors, is believed to be the most stringent of its type in the state.

Schneider will have to give up his $14 lunches, paid for by a lobbyist under contract with the county.

But Gates can continue to accept four free tickets to each Rams home game.

An additional 1,649 “designated” county officials may continue to receive freebies, as long as they personally are not in a position to influence the donor’s pending business with the county.

Proponents of the new law maintain that gift-givers rarely give to bureaucrats who cannot help them in some way.

“The guy doing business with the health agency usually isn’t taking the planning director out to lunch,” said Shirley Grindle, a government activist who has long lobbied for a general ban on gifts to public officials.

Current law allows officials to accept gifts up to $250, even if the official votes on a matter affecting the donor. When the gift exceeds $250, the official is required to abstain from voting or acting on the donor’s business.

The reform, however, will bar Schneider, county supervisors, planning commissioners, the district attorney and a handful of other high officers from accepting any gift of value no matter what county agency the donor is doing business with.

The sheriff and the other “designated” officials are barred from accepting gifts from people who have county business that the official can influence.

During their last year of freely receiving gifts, county officials raked in a cornucopia of perks, according to disclosure statements filed by 21 top-ranking appointed and elected county officials.

In some cases, such as the $535 discount on an escrow fee provided to Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi, the gifts exceeded the existing state law’s $250 threshold. But the discount he received in April, 1992, presented no problem because the donor had no dealings with the district attorney’s office, Capizzi said.

The existing law also allowed County Administrative Officer Schneider to accept a $66 dinner and $85 in “car services” while in New York from Dean Witter, an underwriting firm that handles the county’s bond sales.

“Those things would no longer be permitted,” Schneider said. “I couldn’t let them give me anything. Instead of them paying for the meal, the county taxpayer will pay for the meal.”

Schneider no longer will even be allowed to accept lunches such as the $14 and $13 meals he received last August from county lobbyist Dennis Carpenter because Carpenter is under contract with the county.

Social Services Director Larry Leaman is uncertain whether he will be permitted to continue taking free tickets to the annual fund-raising ball put on by the Orangewood Children’s Foundation.

An FPPC spokesman confirmed Thursday that when Leaman accepted two tickets valued at $400 to the foundation’s annual charity ball last June, it did not constitute a conflict of interest.

Although the foundation has a county contract for services to foster parents, the tickets were exempt from the $250 threshold provision because the foundation is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, the FPPC and Leaman said.

However, “under the new ordinance I’m not sure” if the tickets will be permitted, Leaman said. “We’re all waiting to be trained on the new ordinance.”

In the wake of the Roth scandal, many top county officials seemed eager to be on the safe side when reporting gratuities.

For example, County Auditor-Controller Steve Lewis said he was “just being ultra-conservative when” reporting that he received two nights of time share valued at $300 at a home in Palm Springs owned by his chief deputy, Chuck Hulse.

Proponents of conflict-of-interest laws maintain that it is important to know the financial entanglements of county bureaucrats.

“In a sense, it’s important to know the deputy gave the boss something of value,” said Bob Stern, co-director of the California Commission on Campaign Financing, a nonprofit research group that studies government and elections. “Remember, the boss is evaluating the deputy, making recommendations for pay raises.”

Lewis downplayed the significance of the gift.

“It wasn’t that (Hulse) was trying to get a favor from me,” Lewis said. “He does a super job, he would have gotten a good evaluation either way.”

During 1992, Sheriff Gates received $1,204 in tickets from the Rams and a “John Wayne commemorative knife” valued at $395 from the late movie star’s son, Michael Wayne.

Gates said the Rams tickets created no conflict of interest because “I don’t have anything to do with the Rams in my official capacity.” Neither did he act in an official capacity involving Wayne.

Selected Gifts Received in 1992

Top-level managers in Orange County government received $4,619 in gifts last year, some of them from lobbyists and others doing business with the county. The gratuities ranged from $1,204 worth of Los Angeles Rams football tickets for Sheriff Brad Gates to a $14 lunch at the Santa Ana Country Club for Chief Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider. But there will be no more free lunches, or any other freebies for that matter, with some exceptions. Beginning next month, 1,650 county employees, appointees and elected officers will be barred from accepting gifts of value from anyone doing or seeking to do business with the county. A look at some of the major gifts and total amounts accepted by the county’s elected and appointed department heads: Official: Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi Total: $725 Examples: Discount on escrow fee Source: Gold Country Escrow Value: $535

Official: Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron Total: $388.44 Examples: Dinner Source: Brinson Partners Inc. Value: $75

Examples: Dinner Source: GIM Global Advisors Inc. Value: $75

Official: Sheriff Brad Gates Total: $1,649 Examples: Tickets Source: Los Angeles Rams Value: $1,204

Official: County Clerk Gary L. Granville Total: $90 Examples: Lunch, Hugo’s Restaurant Source: Janney & Janney Attorney Service Value: $40

Official: Social Services Agency Director Larry M. Leaman Total: $400 Examples: Tickets for self, spouse to annual fund-raising ball Source: Orangewood Foundation Value: $400

Official: Auditor-Controller Steven E. Lewis Total: $570 Examples: Two nights at Palm Springs time share for Muriel&I; Source: Chuck Hulse Value: $300

Official: Environmental Management Agency Director Michael M. Ruane Total: $90 Examples: Meals Source: n/a Value: --

Official: County Administrator Officer Ernie Schneider Total: $322 Examples: Lunch, Santa Ana Country Club Source: Dennis Carpenter Value: $14

Examples: Dinner Source: Dean Witter Value: $66

Official: General Services Agency Director R.A. (Burt) Scott Total: $385 Examples: Golf Source: Sequoia Pacific Value: $100

Source: Economic Interest Statements filed by officials; Researched by MARK LANDSBAUM / Los Angeles Times