Critics Sour on Council’s Catered Meals : Palos Verdes Estates: Activists say meals from four-star restaurant may constitute conflict of interest. But officials deny any impropriety.

City officials throughout the Los Angeles area occasionally dine at taxpayers’ expense, ordering turkey sandwiches or pizza at their meetings, but officials in Palos Verdes Estates may be the only ones who have theirs regularly catered by a four-star French restaurant, complete with waiters in bow ties.

La Rive Gauche, across the street from City Hall, charges about $15 a plate to cater public study sessions conducted before the semimonthly City Council meetings and attended by the five council members and a smattering of staff. The city, which has a $12.3-million budget, might spend close to $2,500 a year on meals from the restaurant, which offers such dishes as salmon with Chardonnay and a fresh dill cream sauce, and curried shrimp with apple chutney, almonds and sauteed banana.

That compares to Los Angeles, where up to 10 times a year when sessions run late, food is brought to City Council meetings at taxpayers’ expense--from the City Hall cafeteria or local eateries such as the Italian Kitchen. Each meal, for the 15 council members and sometimes staffers and others, costs up to $300 for a total of $3,000 per year, said Avak Keotahian, a city staff member familiar with dining expenses.

“We certainly would not have anything catered by a four-star restaurant,” Keotahian said. “We are extremely sensitive to charges of extravagance, which is not to belittle the Italian Kitchen.”

Palos Verdes Estates officials, who have had the arrangement with La Rive Gauche for at least five years, do not eat in the council chambers but in a small, book-lined room. Study sessions are open to the public, but recent visitors were not offered any food. The public rarely shows up.

The once-peaceful dinners, however, complete with the restaurant’s standard cutlery and salt and pepper shakers, have recently come under scrutiny.

Greg Anderson, coordinator for the South Bay chapter of the watchdog group Common Cause, says the restaurant’s close relations with the council may influence council decisions. He said he plans to dig through city files to see if any conflicts of interest have occurred.

“How much of that was in their minds” when La Rive Gauche asked for a building permit? Anderson asked.

The restaurant’s owner, Andre Martin, said he did take out a building permit about a year ago to add a bathroom, which is now used as a wine cellar.

Councilman Michael Moody, however, called the suggestion that the council shows the restaurant any favoritism “the epitome of absurdity.”

City officials say the restaurant’s location makes it an obvious choice for food and they downplayed the seemingly extravagant meals. Up to three waiters may shuttle dinner plates between the two buildings, which prompted City Atty. Stephanie Scher to remark, “It kind of tastes like food that’s been brought across the street.”

La Rive Gauche charges about $35 per person to cater functions in Palos Verdes Estates, Martin said. It is another $125 for a waiter. But, Martin said, he serves city officials the “sunset,” or early bird special, which does not include soup and dessert. He said he does not charge for a waiter because the waiters only attend to city officials part-time.

Officials from other cities snickered when they heard of the dining arrangements.

Norman Y. Cravens, assistant city manager of Inglewood, said the council and other city officials there never eat as a group. He said council members and city officials sometimes buy their own dinners at a nearby Carl’s Jr., or Los Panchos, a neighborhood eatery, before the evening meetings. But, he added, “If Rive Gauche wants to send over the occasional dish (to Inglewood), that’s OK.”

Neighboring Rolling Hills Estates does not regularly provide meals, City Manager Doug Prichard said.

“The best I can say is that the city attorney sometimes brings Mrs. Fields cookies,” Prichard said.