L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger said her motion to get the ball rolling on establishing an independent ethics commission for the county is about “reforms to improve our works on behalf of the people.”
At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the motion passed unanimously to have a report done and presented to the board within 30 days on how the county plans to create such a commission.
On top of the new commission, an Office of Ethics Compliance and the position of ethics compliance officer would also be created.
Barger’s motion, co-authored by 3rd District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, came just two weeks after the board had an ethics commission included in a ballot measure for the upcoming November election that would increase the board from five to nine members.
“However, we know that these ethics reform measures are actions that this board can take now, without needing to wait for November,” Barger said during Tuesday’s meeting.
Horvath said having the commission also being part of the proposed charter amendment gives the county multiple ways in which to get stakeholder input and protects voters from having a future board choose to remove the commission.
“Creating, funding and empowering an independent ethics commission for Los Angeles County is necessary and the right thing to do,” Horvath said in a news release. “Through this motion. — and with input from community voices – we will lay the groundwork for the commission while working towards putting to voters a charter amendment to ensure the commission cannot be undone without a vote of the people.”
Also part of Barger’s motion was a request to have an item placed on the board’s Sept. 10 agenda that would double the amount of time people would have to wait to lobby the county after previously working for it. That time period is currently one year.
Originally, the motion included such positions as the presiding judge of L.A. Superior Court and members of academia to sit on the commission, as well as others with expertise in legislative compliance. Barger amended it on Tuesday to have a retired judge, rather than a current one, as an example.
“I’m eager to begin this work and to signify our collective commitment to integrity,” Barger said.
“We know that this is the right thing to do and it is a step in the right direction in showing the voters that we can get important things done with a sense of urgency and ownership. By moving forward with ethics reform now, we can walk the talk in committing ourselves to a culture of integrity and responsibility that will benefit our local operation of government and support a more ethical future.”
Janice Hahn, who represents the 4th District, said the commission is needed and if people don’t like it, “go work somewhere else.” She mentioned previous situations in which county officials have been accused of abusing their power for personal gain.
“Working for L.A. County, especially in positions where you’re trusted with taxpayer dollars, it’s about working for the public and putting other people over yourself,” Hahn said, “and if you’re looking for a career to fill your own pockets, you know, go work somewhere else.”