{"id":7407,"date":"2026-07-16T07:18:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T02:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7407"},"modified":"2026-07-16T07:18:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T02:18:48","slug":"consultant-worked-on-577000-airport-contract-while-advising-bass-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7407","title":{"rendered":"Consultant worked on $577,000 airport contract while advising Bass for free"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/07bf02b\/2147483647\/strip\/false\/crop\/7624x5085+0+0\/resize\/1500x1000!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F32%2F16%2F02fbdf684d26804e7dd63bce7b2f%2F1557113-me-bass-meet-greet-venice-klb-218.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>An informal advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass handled communications for her office for free while simultaneously working on a three-year contract with Los Angeles World Airports worth nearly $600,000.<\/p>\n<p>Yusef Robb, who runs the firm <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tkcommunicationsllc.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\">tk\/Communications<\/a>, was an unpaid spokesperson and advisor for Bass from February through the beginning of June. <\/p>\n<p>On June 19, Robb <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-07-11\/informal-bass-advisor-now-working-for-lineage-whose-cold-storage-warehouse-caught-fire\">began working for Lineage Logistics<\/a>, whose cold food storage facility in Boyle Heights burned for more than a week last month. He continued to serve as an unpaid, unofficial advisor to the mayor, though no longer as a spokesperson, until The Times and other outlets reported on his work for Lineage on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Robb said the airport contract was unrelated to his work for the mayor. But a legal expert said the arrangement raises questions about whether his free labor was a gift to the mayor and whether working for the city and private clients creates conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was done through a transparent and public competitive bidding process,\u201d Robb said in an email to The Times. \u201cI provide communications support and training.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The Bass administration said Robb\u2019s unpaid assistance was \u201cfor the benefit of the city. It\u2019s not a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, Robb signed the contract with Los Angeles World Airports, or LAWA \u2014 the city department that operates Los Angeles International Airport and the Van Nuys Airport \u2014 for $450,000 over three years. <\/p>\n<p>He won the contract, which involved \u201cexecutive media training\u201d as well as \u201ccrisis communications,\u201d over 10 other firms. It was updated in April to include additional work for $137,500. <\/p>\n<p>A report from LAWA in support of the contract update said that \u201cexecutive management at LAWA have benefited from successful, professional media training as well as support for LAWA crisis communications and response.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Because tk\/Communications has subcontracted to at least two other companies, Robb said his firm has earned no more than $315,000 over the three-year contract.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no connection between the work Mr. Robb performs for LAWA and the assistance he provides for Mayor Bass\u2019 Office,\u201d said a spokesperson for Bass\u2019 office. Bass is running for reelection against City Councilmember Nithya Raman.<\/p>\n<p>The LAWA contract was Robb\u2019s second with the city during the Bass administration. The city paid a total of $75,000 in 2022 and 2023 to Robb\u2019s firm to provide \u201cvarious communications services related to the start-up of the administration,\u201d according to a contract.<\/p>\n<p>Tk\/Communications has worked for government agencies as well as political campaigns and private businesses, including the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the music and entertainment company AEG, according to the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tkcommunicationsllc.com\/ourwork\" target=\"_blank\">company\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe develop powerful narratives and engagement to accelerate and amplify our clients\u2019 messages, whether they\u2019re grounded in an investment proposal or a political campaign,\u201d the website states. \u201cWe author and tell stories that build deep connections and lasting relationships that deliver more than you asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robb has worked in and around City Hall for decades. He was a press aide in Mayor Jim Hahn\u2019s administration, then worked for Eric Garcetti when Garcetti was a city council member and then mayor. He left Garcetti\u2019s office in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Robb said he has provided \u201cunpaid help to all sorts of people and businesses, to advance criminal justice reform, organize community movements, or just to find the right words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel it\u2019s important to help the city if I can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School and former president of the city\u2019s Ethics Commission, said the airport contract shows how valuable Robb\u2019s labor is, raising the question of whether he is providing a gift to Bass by working for her for free.<\/p>\n<p>Another concern for the public, Levinson said, is that Robb is working for Bass at the same time that he has other clients and could potentially use his position at City Hall to advance those clients\u2019 interests. His work for Bass could also make him more desirable for clients who believe he has the mayor\u2019s ear, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re worried about is undue influence, preferential access and backroom deals that benefit certain people, as opposed to the public,\u201d said Levinson. \u201cWe don\u2019t want public officials serving two masters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, Levinson said she does not believe that Bass has violated any laws by using Robb pro bono.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an unusual setup,\u201d she said. \u201cThat does not mean it\u2019s illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An informal advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass handled communications for her office for free while simultaneously working on a three-year contract with Los Angeles World Airports worth nearly $600,000. Yusef Robb, who runs the firm tk\/Communications, was an unpaid spokesperson and advisor for Bass from February through the beginning of June. On June&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/414cdc4\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/7624x4003+0+541\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F32%2F16%2F02fbdf684d26804e7dd63bce7b2f%2F1557113-me-bass-meet-greet-venice-klb-218.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}