The Los Angeles County’s first-ever independent Ethics Commission began taking shape on Tuesday, May 19, with the Board of Supervisors settling on a formula for nominating members while also asking staff to find millions of dollars to stand up an Office of Ethics Compliance without raising taxes.
After a lengthy discussion, the board adopted the recommendation of the voter-approved Measure G Government Reform Task Force (GRTF) setting a mechanism for appointing a seven-member Ethics Commission with the goal of acting as an independent body, absent influence or interference from the supervisors or other county elected officials.
They agreed on one member each appointed by the chair of the Board of Supervisors, county assessor, and the GRTF itself until there is an elected county executive officer in 2029. The remaining four commissioners will be picked by the three nominees. All seven must be approved by the Board of Supervisors at a public meeting.
The Ethics Commission will examine lobbying practices, conflicts of interest and also contracts from county departments for possible violations, such as a contract financially beneficial to a county employee or county supervisor. Conflict-of-interest laws are already in place but many say oversight is fragmented through multiple county, state and federal agencies and that a centralized Ethics Commission will be a stronger watchdog.
“Today marks an important milestone for Los Angeles County,” said Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who led the creation of the reform initiative, Measure G, approved by voters on Nov. 5, 2024 that will add four members to the board as well as create new transparency mechanisms. “We are taking the first steps in implementing the county’s first Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance.”
Most counties do not have independent ethics commissions. No such commission is in place in San Bernardino, Riverside or San Diego Counties. San Diego County has a measure moving ahead for the November ballot. Orange County does have a five-member OC Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission, in place since June 2016.
The county’s GRTF looked at the city of Los Angeles ethics commission as an example. The city of Riverside also has a Board of Ethics Committee.
Two issues facing the LA County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday was how to pick the members of the commission and create a truly independent oversight body. The other was how to find $14.3 million to pay for 54 positions to run it and the Ethics Compliance office.
On the commission’s make up, the supervisors did not support a motion by Horvath to have the sheriff and the district attorney each pick a nominee, an attempt at bringing a law enforcement perspective to the commission. This was not part of the task force’s recommendation. Members of the public who spoke at the meeting said the board should reject Horvath’s motion. She accepted the amended motion from Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell to remove those two appointments, and go back to the GRTF’s recommendation.
“Do not override the Government Reform Task Force’s recommendation,” urged Vanessa Perez. “The majority of members should not be appointed by elected officials.”
Mya Hendrix, outreach and organizing coordinator for the Reimagine L.A. Coalition, strongly opposed giving the sheriff and the DA an appointee on the Ethics Commission. “This would not improve transparency,” she said. “These are the two that would most be subject to ethics investigations.”
Some did not like either option, saying no member of the Ethics Commission should be appointed by any elected official, saying those members would be influenced by the officials that appointed them.
Eddison Contreras, a UCLA student, wrote in his comments to the board that the supervisors should consider all members from the public chosen at random, not appointees of elected officials. This model is what was used by the Los Angeles County Citizens Redistricting Commission back in 2021, in which 700 public members who met the qualifications submitted their names. These were culled by Dean Logan, the county’s Registrar-Recorder, then the remaining pool were chosen at random.
This approach was favored by Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, who voted for the establishment of the Ethics Commission reluctantly, saying she favored no elected official having a say in who sits on the commission. She said voters favored a totally independent Ethics Commission to help revive their fading trust in government.
“I don’t know how we deliver independence when the very electeds that this commission will oversee and check for corruption and misconduct, get to appoint their representatives on it,” Hahn said.
Meanwhile, Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger was concerned that despite assurances in the measure that was approved, the commission and compliance office will cost county taxpayers or take funds away from safety-net programs.
Joe Nicchitta, acting county executive officer, said he will find dollars and even some employees from existing departments, including the Auditor-Controller, the Registrar-Recorder and his own office. However the “no cost” clause only pertains to implementing Measure G, which county officials estimate would be $8 million. Ongoing operational costs are not under such restrictions, he said.
“We would look first to resources already in our budget that can be repurposed,” he said.
How the county CEO will pay for the new entities will come back to the board in a report, ordered by Board Chair Supervisor Hilda Solis.
Also, a draft ordinance for the Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance comes back to the board for a vote on June 30.
The case of former LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas may have spurred the creation of an Ethics Commission. Ridley-Tomas was sentenced on Aug. 28, 2023 to three years and six months in prison for voting in support of county contracts that would favor USC while accepting benefits for his son from the university.
He was a county supervisor at the time of the bribery corruption scheme. He later was elected to the Los Angeles City Council. In 2024 he appealed his conviction.