An attorney representing a group of community organizations opposed to the Millennium project is calling for an immediate ethics investigation into the potentially improper relationship between the developers and the general manager of the city’s Department of Building and Safety.

An opponent of the Millennium project holds a sign in protest of the large development during a press conference last week. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

According to Robert P. Silverstein, of The Silverstein Law Firm, opponents of the project filed a complaint with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission approximately three weeks ago after learning that the son of Building and Safety general manager Raymond Chan had served as a paid intern at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP from January to May 2013.

“That same law firm was the chief advocate for the Millennium developer at city hall,” Silverstein said.

Opponents of the project interviewed Chan about the possible conflict of interest on Sept. 20, the day before the Silverstein’s press conference near the project site. In the videotaped interview, which was shot in a parking garage downtown, Chan states that he wasn’t involved in the handling of the project until July. However, Silverstein provided e-mails from Chan that show he has been involved with the project since March 2012.

“We urge the city ethics commission to immediately investigate,” Silverstein said.

In response to a request for comment, the department issued a statement, saying that the allegations are “baseless and false.”

“Safety is the department’s primary mission,” the statement reads. “We ensure every project is rigorously scrutinized for compliance with all rules and code regulations.”

A phone call to representatives of Sheppard Mullin was not returned by deadline. Representatives of the developers, Millennium Partners and Argent Ventures, declined to comment.

Silverstein also discussed the community groups’ lawsuit against the Millennium project, in which they allege that officials in the Department of Building and Safety and the developers illegally hid the project’s relationship to the active Hollywood Fault.

“Many experts believe the Hollywood fault runs straight through the Millennium property, including California’s top geologist, Dr. John Parrish,” he said, adding that there was a “cover-up” to obtain council approval of the proposed 1.1 million-square-foot project in Hollywood.

Silverstein said the problems with the Millennium project “get worse daily.” He said the city accepted falsified reports from the developer’s geologist and suppressed a “damning” seismic report — on top of the recent allegations that Chan’s son worked for the law office while he managed the project at the city level.

“But it gets worse,” Silverstein said, before outlining the interview with Chan in which the general manager said he’s only worked on the project for a few months. “That statement by Mr. Chan is patently false.”

He said the potential conflict of interest with Chan’s son prompts a series of concerns: Who arranged the internship? Was the internship program newly-created? Are other interns routinely paid? How much was Chan’s son paid?

Further, according to campaign finance reports outlined by Silverstein, Chan’s son lived at home with his parents in Monterey Park when he contributed $4,600 to various city candidates, including Mayor Eric Garcetti.

“Oddly, campaign voting records do not show Chan’s son being registered to vote in Los Angeles County, and that includes Monterey Park,” Silverstein said, questioning why Chan’s son would make campaign contributions if he wasn’t registered to vote.

He said the opponents want to see a thorough investigation and the project stalled in the interim.

“The city of Los Angeles should be ashamed. This is a disgrace,” Silverstein said, adding that the city ignored more than 40 community groups and a handful of state agencies in granting approval to the project. “This is the worst project in the last twenty years in the city of Los Angeles.”

In previous interviews, city officials and the developers have contended that they will not build on top of an active fault. The developers plan to dig a trench to further test the site for seismic concerns.

“All of us have said no one wants to build a structure on top of a fault line,” Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District, said. “That’s not going to happen.”

Philip Aarons, of Millennium Partners, said the public benefits and jobs resulting from the project will be “substantial.”

“It has been designed with the utmost safety in mind,” he said in a statement. “It will be built in strict accordance with the local, state and federal laws mandating such, including any additional geotechnical investigations that may be warranted.”