Allegations of Illegal Lobbying Anger Ex-Mayor

VENTURA — City Councilman Jack Tingstrom vowed Wednesday to fight allegations that he improperly tried to influence negotiations over a golf course lease, angrily denying the city manager’s contention that he tried to lobby her.

Tingstrom, who is being investigated by the district attorney’s office on conflict-of-interest allegations, said his troubles have more to do with political alliances on the seven-member City Council than with possible illegalities. No charges have been filed against him.

“I’ve had some big run-ins with [City Manager] Donna Landeros and the city attorney,” Tingstrom said. “And if the city manager has four votes, bang! She can do anything.”

Prosecutors are investigating whether Tingstrom illegally lobbied elected officials and city staff in 1997 for Avila Golf Management Co., which was seeking to extend its contract to operate Olivas Park Golf Course near the Ventura Harbor. Tingstrom was mayor at the time and also worked as a paid consultant for Avila.

When negotiations reached an impasse in June 1997, Avila filed a lawsuit alleging the city had breached its contract. The council later awarded the lease to another operator.

The Tingstrom matter was referred to the district attorney’s office only last month. In an interview Wednesday, Landeros said that was because “the full set of information” about Tingstrom’s involvement had not come to light until litigation of the lawsuit, which was settled in April.

The city manager declined to respond to Tingstrom’s contention that she is orchestrating a political vendetta against him.

“The district attorney is the one who will be evaluating the circumstances,” Landeros said.

She said she stands by her February deposition, in which she described a 1997 meeting at which then-Mayor Tingstrom brought up the pending Avila contract. She had come to his office to discuss other city affairs, Landeros said in the deposition.

“He was very angry. He did not like the way the negotiations were going. He was very critical of the city staff,” Landeros said.

She said in the deposition that she told Tingstrom she would not discuss the matter “because he had a conflict of interest and he could not influence the negotiations.” Tingstrom tried to press the issue two or three more times until she threatened to leave, Landeros testified.

When she walked to the door, Tingstrom said, “Okay, Okay. I won’t talk about it anymore. Come back in,” according to the testimony.

Also in the deposition, Landeros said there was a “general awareness” among council members and city staff that Tingstrom was unhappy about the negotiations.

“The council members were concerned with Jack’s involvement in the negotiations. Staff members were concerned about it. Jack made it known that he was not happy with the negotiations,” Landeros testified.

The city settled Avila’s lawsuit for $90,000. Jim Friedman, the city’s current mayor, said the city was confident it would win at trial, but decided not to spend the money to put on a defense.

“Considering that it started at $6 million and they ended up getting $90,000, we did pretty good,” Friedman said.

Tingstrom, 63, received $70,000 from Avila over two years, including the critical period when the company was in negotiations with the city over the Olivas contract. In court documents, Avila’s president, Jerry Douthit, said Tingstrom was hired to help build business at Avila-managed golf courses in Paso Robles and Sylmar.

The company did not require Tingstrom to itemize his hours, Douthit testified. Douthit denied that Tingstrom was ever asked to influence the Ventura contract.

“He was never part of the negotiating team and took no part in the Ventura operations in any way,” Douthit said in a court document.

Tingstrom’s attorney, a deputy public defender, has advised him to say little about the case, the councilman said. But he acknowledged that he sometimes lost his temper with city staff when talking about his work with Avila.

“Everyone gets mad at things. And I have a right to my opinion,” Tingstrom said. “But I didn’t ask anyone to change their vote. . . . I have done nothing wrong.”

Tingstrom said the stress of the investigation is slowing his recovery from prostate cancer surgery. Tingstrom, who also has diabetes and had a heart attack in 1996, said he probably won’t return to the council chambers for several weeks.

Tingstrom’s term expires in December. He said he has not yet decided whether he will seek another term. Asked whether he is considering stepping down, he said, “Loud and clear, no way.”