Four L.A. councilmen fined for accepting freebies

Tony Cardenas, Eric Garcetti, Jose Huizar, and Herb Wesson admit to receiving tickets for award shows and dinners from folks who have business dealings with the city. In separate deals worked out with the city's Ethics Commission, they'll pay a combined $13,300. From the LAT:

Of the four fines negotiated with L.A. council members, the largest will be received by Garcetti, who agreed to pay $4,800. He accepted free entry to the Governors Ball that accompanied the Academy Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards in 2007, the same year that his father was a member of the Ethics Commission. He also took tickets to the 2008 Academy Awards ceremony and Governors Ball in 2008 -- but attempted to pay $700 of that ticket's value two years later, according to a report prepared on the fine.

Garcetti said he had misunderstood the city's gift laws. You'll recall that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa agreed to pay a $42,000 ethics fine after failing to report receiving free tickets.