Attorney Grace Yoo has been campaigning on an anti-corruption platform while repeatedly violating Los Angeles City Ethics Commission campaign rules, the Los Angeles Sentinel can exclusively report. Even as this article is posted, Yoo is flouting ethics rules requiring all candidates to report mass communications within a 24-hour period. She has failed to publicly disclose multiple campaign communications ranging from door hangers, lawn signs and digital ads.
The Mark Ridley-Thomas for CD10 Campaign filed a formal complaint about Yoo’s violations with the ethics commission on Wednesday, yet she remains out of compliance. The complaint request that the City Ethics Commission investigate and prosecute these violations of the City’s campaign disclosure laws.
“Disclosure to the public of a candidate’s campaign communications is an essential aspect of the City’s ethics laws. By failing to file these three campaign communications with the City Ethics Commission, Ms. Yoo and her campaign deprived the public of important information to which they are entitled. We, therefore, request that the City Ethics Commission investigate and prosecute these violations of the City’s campaign disclosure laws,” reads the letter.
The Ridley-Thomas campaign maintains that throughout her campaign, Yoo has dodged important public policy questions while substituting empty platitudes and promises about her personal honestly, integrity and ethics.
For example, while saying she will “clean up” City Hall, she has run away from her work on behalf of Measure S, the slow-growth measure that would have blocked development of almost all affordable housing in the city, and which CD 10 voters rejected by 2-1.
“I’ve debated Ms. Yoo enough to know that we differ dramatically on the issues.” Ridley-Thomas said. “I build affordable housing; she has worked to block affordable housing. I’m pushing an agenda to address systemic racism in local government, and Ms. Yoo has failed to offer any meaningful solutions in this regard.
“The one thing we should have in common, Ridley-Thomas continued, is following the rules set down by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. But this is also where we differ.“
