LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck said Wednesday he would pay for the tickets he received for the Academy Awards.
It has been a long-standing practice for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to provide tickets to the police chief and others, but after considering the appropriate rules and a discussion with the academy, and because Beck attended as a private citizen, a determination was made that the chief would pay for his tickets, according to a department statement.
The LAPD is awaiting notification from the academy about the value of the tickets. Once it receives the information, Beck will provide reimbursement from his personal funds, the statement said.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is under investigation by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the city’s Ethics Commission about whether he violated rules by accepting free tickets to entertainment and sporting events.
Villaraigosa has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, insisting he has not broken any laws, because he is allowed to attend events to promote Los Angeles as part of his job as mayor.
