The consultant worked on a $577,000 airport contract while advising Bass for free
An unofficial adviser to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass handled free communications in her office while at the same time working on a three-year contract with Los Angeles World Airports worth about $600,000.
Yusef Robb, who runs the company tk/Communications, was an unpaid spokesman and consultant for Bass from February to early June.
On June 19, Robb began working for Lineage Logistics, whose cold storage facility in Boyle Heights burned down more than a week last month. He continued to be an unpaid, unofficial adviser to the mayor, though no longer a spokesman, until The Times and other outlets reported on his work at Lineage on Saturday.
Robb said the airport contract has nothing to do with his job as mayor. But a legal expert said the plan raises questions about whether his free work was a gift to the mayor and whether serving the city and private clients creates a conflict of interest.
“This was done through a transparent and competitive public bidding process,” Robb said in an email to The Times. “I provide communication support and training.”
Bass officials said Robb’s unpaid assistance “is meant to help the city. It’s not a gift.”
In 2024, Robb signed a contract with Los Angeles World Airports, or LAWA — the city department that operates Los Angeles International Airport and Van Nuys Airport — for $450,000 over three years.
He won the contract, which included “management media training” and “critical communications,” over 10 other firms. It was revised in April to include additional work for $137,500.
A report from LAWA supporting the contract review said “senior management at LAWA benefited from effective training, media training and communication support and LAWA’s responses.”
Because tk/Communications subcontracted to two other companies, Robb said his company did not earn more than $315,000 from the three-year contract.
“There is no connection between the work Mr. Robb does for LAWA and the assistance he provides to Mayor Bass’ Office,” said a spokesperson for Bass’ office. Bass is running for re-election against City Council member Nithya Raman.
The LAWA contract was Robb’s second with the city during the Bass administration. The city paid a total of $75,000 in 2022 and 2023 to Robb’s firm to provide “various communications services related to executive initiation,” according to the contract.
Tk/Communications has worked for government agencies and political campaigns as well as private businesses, including the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the Los Angeles Unified School District and music and entertainment company AEG, according to the company’s website.
“We develop powerful narratives and interactions to accelerate and amplify our clients’ messages, whether they are based on an investment proposal or a political campaign,” the website says. “We write and tell stories that create deep connections and lasting relationships that deliver more than you asked for.”
Robb has worked in and around City Hall for decades. He was a press aide in the administration of Mayor Jim Hahn, then worked for Eric Garcetti when Garcetti was a city council member and mayor. He left Garcetti’s office in 2015.
Robb said he has provided “unpaid assistance to all kinds of people and businesses, to advance criminal justice reform, to organize social movements, or to find the right words.”
“I think it’s important to help the city if I can,” he said.
Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School and former president of the city’s Ethics Commission, said the airport contract shows how important Robb’s work is, raising the question of whether he is giving Bass a gift by working for him for free.
Another public concern, Levinson said, is that Robb is working for Bass while he has other clients and may use his position at City Hall to advance the interests of those clients. Working for Bass could endear him to clients who believe he has the mayor’s ear, he said.
“Our concern is undue influence, privileged access and backroom deals that benefit certain individuals, as opposed to the public,” Levinson said. “We don’t want government officials to serve two kings.”
Still, Levinson said he doesn’t believe Bass broke any laws by using Robb pro bono.
“This is an unusual setup,” he said. “That doesn’t mean it’s illegal.”
