Fourth District city council candidate David Ryu announced on Wednesday that he will refuse all political contributions from developers working on current or upcoming projects in Los Angeles.

Carolyn Ramsay and David Ryu

Calling it his “Transparency First” pledge, Ryu said it will apply during the current campaign and throughout his potential three terms as a city councilman. Ryu and his staff reviewed all prior campaign donations and returned nine donations totaling $4,300.

“The scale and impact of development is the single most controversial issue in our district. And it is clear to me, after months of knocking on doors, that residents have little faith in the city’s process for reviewing and approving development projects,” Ryu said in a statement. “It is easy for politicians to say their judgment is not influenced by campaign contributions. And those who are comfortable with business-as-usual at city hall may not see a problem. Yet people looking at the system from the outside are deeply skeptical. And they have a right to be.”

Ryu added that he believes the best way to restore public confidence in elected officials is to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

“People want to know that projects will be judged solely on their merits and their impact on the community — not by which developer has the deepest pockets,” he said.

Doug Herman, strategist for Ryu’s opponent Carolyn Ramsay, said in a statement that voters shouldn’t trust the pledge.

“David Ryu’s political stunt is complete hypocrisy from a politician very cozy with developers,” Herman said. “Last year he made a $387,000 profit selling his property to a developer. Will he be giving back that money too? Development is a big issue in this race. Saying one thing and doing another isn’t surprising to see from a politician, it just raises more questions about the sale and his leasing of the property from the developer for his campaign headquarters.

“Carolyn Ramsay has received more than 70 percent of her contributions from local residents and businesses within the council district. She is the only candidate to qualify and receive the city’s full matching funds because of her exceptional financial support from within the community.”

Ramsay’s campaign has received $125,000 from the city’s four-to-one matching contribution because of the amount of fundraising support she has received within district boundaries.

Since the end of the primary, she has also announced a wide range of support, including endorsements from third-place primary candidate Tomas O’Grady, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and City Councilman Mike Bonin, 11th District.

“I’m extremely thankful for the hundreds and hundreds of local neighbors who contributed to my campaign and helped me qualify for the full matching funds,” Ramsay said in an earlier statement. “This campaign we’ve built block-by-block has always been about the hard work of improving our neighborhoods and it’s incredibly rewarding to have this level of support marching toward Election Day.”

Ramsay, former chief of staff for current Councilman Tom LaBonge, won the primary election last month with 15.25 percent of the vote. Ryu, a community health director, received 14.9 percent. The General Election will take place on May 19.