Cable, Playa Vista Are Top Lobbying Issues

LOS ANGELES — Access to cable television lines and a multimillion-dollar development at Playa Vista were the top lobbying issues at Los Angeles City Hall during the first four months of 2000, according to a report released Thursday by the city’s Ethics Commission.

Nearly $250,000 in lobbying fees was spent hoping to influence the outcome of an effort to require cable television franchise holders to open their lines to Internet providers. AT&T; was the top spender on the issue, reporting $163,991 paid to five lobbying firms.

Meanwhile, the developer on the Playa Vista Development spent $165,000 on lobbying efforts to build a planned community on 1,087 acres near Marina del Rey. The city approved spending $45 million in bonds for the project’s low-income housing component last year.

However, last week, the council’s Budget and Finance Committee delayed a decision on spending $135 million in Mello-Roos bond financing until more reports could be provided on methane gas discovered at the site.

On other matters, Browning Ferris Industries reported spending another $35,000 lobbying on Sunshine Canyon Landfill, and Lennar Partners spent $85,000 to push a 1.3-million-square-foot office tower in Warner Center.

The Ethics Commission’s lobbying report is based on mandatory disclosure statements filed by all registered lobbyists.