The State Bar of California filed disciplinary charges last week against a former Los Angeles city official in connection with an alleged quid pro quo deal involving a $30 million city contract. William Funderburk, then serving as vice president of the L.A. Department of Water and Power Board of Commissioners, approved the $30 million deal around the same time that he solicited and received free legal work from the attorney who was awarded the contract, State Bar prosecutors alleged.
Paradis was a central player in the DWP scandal, which has its roots in the disastrous rollout of a new DWP billing system launched in 2013. While working for the City Atty.'s Office, he secretly drafted a class-action lawsuit against the city in an effort to quickly settle all the legal claims from customers over the billing errors.