County supervisors deadlocked Tuesday on a proposal that would have required leaders and their top staffers to broaden the instances involving family connections that would require disclosure when approving contracts or spending money.
Second District Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento proposed the reforms last month following reports that First District Supervisor Andrew Do voted for subcontracts with the Warner Wellness Center, a mental health program, without publicly disclosing that his daughter was part of the organization’s leadership, as first reported by LAist.
Do, along with other board members, voted in the last two years for two subcontracts totaling up to $3.1 million that included the Warner Wellness Center; one contract was for up to $625,000 and another was for up to $2.5 million, both for mental health services, such as the expansion of the county’s warmline.
LAist also recently reported that Do directed an additional $6.2 million to the nonprofit from his district discretionary funds, which can be disbursed without a public meeting.
Do was there Tuesday morning for the start of the supervisors’ meeting, but left for most of it and did not return for the policy item. His office did not return multiple requests for comment. Do has previously said there was no wrongdoing on his part.
Without him present to vote, the other four supervisors split 2-2 on the proposal – Sarmiento and Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley in favor; Third District Supervisor Don Wagner and Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee against. A majority vote was needed to approve the policy.
Sarmiento’s proposal would have added a discretionary projects guide to county policy, which would have required more information regarding district money spending to be made available to the public. Each supervisor is allocated funding for their respective district, which they can spend at their discretion.
The new policy would have also ensured that a log of where…
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