Open Access Tops Lobbyists’ Spending

City lobbying reports for the second quarter of the year show the most lobbied project was the cable open access issue, with more than $2.8 million in lobbying expenses.

The second quarter ran from April 1 through June 30.

The cable issue has been a key one for Councilman Alex Padilla, who has pushed for cable companies to provide open Internet access as a condition of receiving franchise approvals. Padilla has said such a policy is necessary to protect consumers and to hold cable companies accountable.

There were eight clients who paid lobbyists for work on the access issue. The largest was AT & T, which reported $1.5 million, according to the city’s Ethics Commission.

Although not considered a lobbyist, the organization Hands Off the Internet reported expenditures of $1.1 million. The Ethics Commission considers the group a “major filer,” an individual or organization that spends $5,000 or more for public relations, ads or other work to influence municipal legislation.

In recent months, Hands Off the Internet has run several ads--some featuring consumer journalist David Horowitz--blasting the open access idea.

The second largest lobbying effort involved the Porter Ranch development project, with $181,376 in expenses.

The third top lobbying project involved cellular antenna sites, with more than $136,000 spent.

A controversial San Fernando Valley issue--the Chase Knolls Apartments, which recently won city cultural landmark status--represented the seventh top lobbying project in the city. More than $83,700 was spent on that issue.

Last quarter, the top lobbying project was also cable open access, and AT & T was again the biggest spender in that category.