ONE QUESTION … FOR DIANE RIPLEY
By Dave Wielenga
[First in a series.]
THE QUESTION: Why haven’t you registered as a lobbyist with the City of Long Beach, which last February instituted a Lobbyist Registration Ordinance by a unanimous vote of the City Council?
DIANE RIPLEY’S ANSWER: The projects I am currently working on for my clients in the Greater Long Beach area are communications-based. These clients don’t need a lobbyist—they look to me to help them build community relationships.
I am not a fan of lobbyist registration because I believe the concept essentially creates an avenue for elected officials to wiggle out of their responsibility to be answerable to the people. I appreciate that many officials are genuinely trying to create transparency, but some use lobbyists as a pretext for not doing the right thing—as in, “Oh, the lobbyists made me do it.” Sometimes it’s just poor justification for not doing the job they were elected to do.
As far as me registering? In respect for the law, I do promise to register—if and when the assignment calls for it. Until then, perhaps the question ought to be: How do we change the focus of accountability and responsibility back onto the people we elect to serve us?
10 Comments
How can DIANE RIPLEY use the “community-based” excuse for not complying with the law by registering as a lobbyist when I see her talking with city council staff along the wall of influence in city council chambers during city council meetings? I wonder whether our NEW City Prosecutor is going to enforce the city ordinances for lobbyists like he promised during his campaign.
Citizen Journalist Quotes of Day — Letters: Fallout from the WikiLeaks files
“If all our emails, however personal, are to become subject to the scrutiny of the government, why shouldn’t all the government’s emails, however sensitive, become subject to the scrutiny of us? If we can’t plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament without their knowledge, why can they and Saudi Arabia plot to blow up Iran without ours?”
Allan Baker — Kettering, Northamptonshire
“The benefit of WikiLeaks to foreign and other policies of various states is that they may lead to less hypocrisy. We all understand unscripted comments, but we also expect them to be consistent with the formal public policy and not their opposite. Such outing can only be beneficial to public understanding.”
Gerard McMullan – London
”Barack Obama is reported to have criticized the leaks and his press secretary calls them “a criminal act” (White House hits back at ‘criminal act and attack on US’, 30 November).
“What a volte-face since Obama took office. On 21 January 2009, when signing a directive to his department heads, he said: “Starting today, every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information but those who seek to make it known.”
Benedict Birnberg – London
Source: The Guardian (London) December 1, 2010
Ms Ripley is correct.
Neither she -nor anyone else- is required to register as a lobbyist unless or until she engages in the act of lobbying as defined in 2.08.020(J) LBMC, unless she qualifies for one of the exemptions listed in 2.08.020(K)(4) LBMC, and she has 15 days within which to register.
The City Clerk has the responsibility to “oversee compliance with this chapter including creation of all forms and explanatory materials.” (2.08.160[A] LBMC). So if someone suspects that Ms. Ripley is in violation of this statute, they should file a complaint with the City Clerk. If it can be proven that Ms. Ripley -or anyone else- knowingly or willfully violates any provision of this chapter, she could be found guilty of a misdemeanor.
http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=16115&stateId=5&stateName=California
Violations of this law are considered statutory crimes (e.g. public offenses). As a result of this, any elected or appointed city employee who becomes aware that Ms. Ripley -or anyone else- is in violation of any part of this law they are duty bound to report this to the City Clerk.
Ripley? Believe her or not!
If it is volunteer “lobbying” I do not think you would need to register.
Jeanine: As I read the law, a lobbyist need not be a volunteer to be exempt. For example:
A “contract lobbyist” can be paid $3,199.99 or less (“threshold compensation”) for engaging in lobbying during any consecutive three (3) month period and be exempt from these statutes. No registration, fees, reports or other disclosures required.
A “business or organization lobbyist” can be paid any amount at all so long as he or she spends an aggregate amount of 49 hours and 59 minutes or less on lobbying activities within any three-month period and be exempt from these statutes. No registration, fees, reports or other disclosures required.
An expenditure lobbyist can make payments or incur expenditures of $4,999.99 or less during any calendar year in connection with carrying out public relations, advertising or similar activities with the intent of soliciting or urging, directly or indirectly, other persons to communicate directly with any city official in order to attempt to influence legislative or administrative action and be and be exempt from these statutes. No registration, fees, reports or other disclosures required.
For the “expenditure lobbyist,” that $4,999.99 amount “shall not include”:
Compensation paid to contract lobbyists or employees for lobbying or dues payments, donations, or other economic consideration paid to an organization, regardless of whether the dues payments, donations or other economic consideration are used in whole or in part to lobby.
Never fear, Jeanine, lot’s of dollars can still be paid and made and lots of time can still be spent in lobbying activities before they meet the threshholds for registering and reporting that our lobbyist ordinance mandates.
Where can I find Diane’s leather jacket? It’s sweet!
Oh come on, give Diane a break! Lobbyists are PR experts, involved in strategic communications, developing business for their clients, building relationships, doing community outreach and working on government affairs,,, just look at her LINKEDIN profile to see what she does!
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/diane-ripley/6/7a2/1b1
LBMC: “Lobbying” is the influencing or attempting to influence a legislative or administrative action of the city.
Is Ms Ripley saying she doesnt do this?
I want my jacket back!