GRACE YOO FOR LA CITY COUNCIL ISSUES STATEMENT ON ETHICS REFORM AND CITY HALL CORRUPTION

LOS ANGELES (August 23, 2023) – Below is a statement from Grace Yoo, candidate for LA City Council District 10, regarding her work to address corruption in City Hall and in response to Los Angeles Times Editorial: Why is the ethically challenged L.A. City Council obstructing the Ethics Commission?

Creating independent funding streams for the Controller’s office and the Ethics Commission so they are not constrained or influenced by the City Council, which currently controls their budgets;
Having Ethics Commissioners be appointed by an independent panel of retired judges rather than by the very individuals the Commissioners are supposed to oversee; and
Requiring the Controller’s Office and Ethics Commission to coordinate with law enforcement outside the city

I applaud the LA Times’ Editorial Board for their strongly worded editorial in today’s paper calling for serious ethics reforms in the City of Los Angeles. I called for these types of reforms when I ran for city council in 2020, on a platform that included sweeping anti-corruption matters, including:

when suspected violations appear to be felonies.

Simply put, we cannot fix our city until we fix City Hall.

Unfortunately for Angelenos, City Hall insiders launched a multi-million-dollar effort to defeat my candidacy and prevent critical reforms from being implemented. This was yet another shining example of why we need reform.

For years, I have been tirelessly advocating for transparency, accountability, and ethical governance. Today’s editorial

echoes the urgency I have felt since the beginning of my journey in public service. Los Angeles deserves leaders who act in the best interests of its people, not in the interests of powerful lobbyists or personal gain. As a City Council candidate, I commit to not only pushing for ethics reform but also to being a living example of it.

Thank you for recognizing the importance of this issue. Together, we can bring about the change Los Angeles so desperately needs.