Runoff rivals play ‘cozy’ card
Each in the District 4 council race accuses the other of being tight with developers.
Frustration with development continues to loom large in a race to represent a Los Angeles council district that stretches from Sherman Oaks to the Miracle Mile, as one candidate pledged to swear off campaign money from developers and another pointed out that her rival recently sold his property to a developer.
One of the two candidates gearing up for District 4’s May 19 runoff, David Ryu, announced last week that he would no longer accept donations from developers with current or upcoming projects in the city, saying he wanted to restore trust in City Hall amid concerns over out-of-scale development.
“People want to know that projects will be judged solely on their merits and their impact on the community — not by which developer has the deepest pockets,” Ryu said in a statement.
Ryu, a community health center development direc-
tor, said he was returning nine donations totaling $4,300 that he accepted before making the pledge, many of them from employees of real estate investment firm Jamison Properties, which owns many office buildings along Wilshire Boulevard. His campaign said the pledge would continue during his term on the council if he is elected.
Ryu is running against Carolyn Ramsay, chief of staff to termed-out Councilman Tom LaBonge, in the district that LaBonge has represented for 14 years. Ramsay campaign strategist Doug Herman called Ryu’s campaign pledge a “political stunt” and “complete hypocrisy from a politician very cozy with developers.”
“Last year he made a $387,000 profit selling his property to a developer,” Herman said in a statement. “Will he be giving back that money too?”
Herman added that Ramsay had gotten the bulk of her campaign money from local residents and businesses and had received the maximum in campaign matching funds from the city, unlike Ryu, “because of her exceptional financial support from within the community.”
Property records show that last year Ryu sold a Wilton Place property he had purchased for $400,000 to a development company for $787,000. The Ryu campaign called Herman’s charge “nonsensical.” Ryu decided to sell the home, campaign aides said, because he was downsizing to a condo. The campaign is now leasing the space at “fair market value rent.”
“Beyond the sale, David has no relationship whatsoever with this company beyond that of landlord-tenant,” Ryu spokeswoman Rachel Estrada said.
In a statement she added, “Ms. Ramsay is clearly uncomfortable with the fact that David has taken a principled stand against developer influence.... If anyone has a ‘cozy relationship,’ it is Carolyn Ramsay, who has accepted the maximum amount in political contributions from this developer,” Estrada said, citing a $700 contribution received by the Ramsay campaign early in the race. Later in the week, new campaign reports showed that Ramsay received another $500 from the company.
Herman, the Ramsay strategist, responded that “developers are already in David Ryu’s pocket, having put nearly $400,000 into his bank account.” The Ramsay campaign later pointed out that Ryu has helped support his own campaign with loans, including $10,000 during the primary and $20,000 so far ahead of the May runoff.
“Carolyn is not hiding behind political gimmicks, because she will hold every developer accountable,” Herman said.
Anger over development has been a recurring theme in the campaign, as residents of one of the more affluent, politically engaged districts in the city lash out against big developments they fear will worsen traffic. Neighborhood groups also complain that homes are being torn down and replaced with much larger ones, a trend critics have labeled “mansionization.”
Ryu isn’t the first to forswear developer money: During the crowded primary race, candidate Teddy Davis made the same pledge and returned nearly $7,000 in contributions, according to a campaign spokesman. Davis and many other candidates — including Ryu and Ramsay — also signed a pledge promoted by a Miracle Mile resident saying they would immediately share online whenever they were approached by developers about possible projects.
Ryu and Ramsay were the biggest fundraisers in the March primary campaign, raising more than $430,000 and $300,000 respectively. Ryu also benefited from an independent committee that spent more than $50,000 to back him; Ramsay qualified for the maximum in city matching funds.
As the candidates raise campaign contributions for the May runoff election, Ramsay has taken the lead, raising roughly $180,000 as of early April. Her donors included the executive directors of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance and Friends of the Griffith Observatory, Local 770 United Food and Commercial Workers Union political action committee, and downtown developer Tom Gilmore.
Ryu had raised about $160,000, including the $20,000 loan to himself. His donors included committees tied to Sacramento politicians, including former lieutenant governor candidate John A. Pérez and several lawmakers who belong to the California Asian & Pacific Islander Caucus. Also contributing was the chief executive of a metal coatings company, philanthropist Myung “Mike” Hong, who also helped support the independent committee backing his candidacy.