CC 09-19-2023 Item No. 11. Ethics Policy Update_Written Communications1
Lauren Sapudar
From:Peggy Griffin <griffin@compuserve.com>
Sent:Sunday, September 17, 2023 9:09 PM
To:City Council
Cc:City Clerk; Christopher Jensen
Subject:2023-09-19 City Council Meeting-Agenda Item11-Ethics Policy Revision SUGGESTIONS
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COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA ITEM.
Dear City Council,
It appears you will start with the 2018 Ethics Policy which was passed AFTER the 2018 elecƟon by Councilmembers that
lost the re‐elecƟon bid thus enacƟng policies that would not apply to them at all! That said…based on this probable
starƟng point, I suggest the following addiƟons/changes:
SUMMARY OF MY SUGGESTIONS:
This Ethics Policy should apply to everyone, all staff included.
Training is criƟcal and needs to be done BEFORE people are allowed to parƟcipate, especially newly
elected/appointed/hired people.
Form 700 submiƩed annually by a date or can’t parƟcipate because there may be a conflict of interest.
Campaign endorsements should not specify a City or Council Ɵtle. It is a personal endorsement not supported
by the City.
The Mayor should not be the sole decision for starƟng an invesƟgaƟon. It uses public funds and staff Ɵme so it
should be discussed in public and voted on by Council in public!
SUGGESTION1:
It should apply to City Councilmembers, Commissioners and ALL staff, too! At minimum, it should apply to all senior staff
(define it).
The 2018 version only applies to selected staff (City Manager, City AƩorney, Treasurer and City Clerk). It does not include
Assistant City Managers, Department Heads, Directors, Assistant City Directors, Managers, Senior staff which is very
important to have a balanced policy with everyone playing by the same rules.
SUGGESTION2:
Training…is criƟcal before people start to parƟcipate!
Training BEFORE officials/commissioners take office
‐ Rosenberg’s Rules of Order
‐ Brown Act
‐ Give them take‐home reference material.
Training YEARLY for all Councilmembers, Commissioners and Staff
‐ Brown Act
o It does change.
o ParƟcularly serial communicaƟons Dos and Don’ts with examples. (54952.1, 54952.2)
2
o AƩending a commiƩee meeƟng as a non‐member (54052.2(c)(6))
o If teleconferencing, announcing if anyone is in the room with you
o Public comments and responding to them (54954)
‐ Open MeeƟng
‐ Form 700 submiƩal by a due date.
SUGGESTION3:
Page 7 of 16, #13 Advocacy…ADD
“When Councilmembers and Commissioners endorse candidates, they should NOT USE their Ɵtles. “ This also
applies to staff. Staff endorsements are not wise, parƟcularly if those they endorse loose.
SUGGESTION4:
Page 7 of 16, #14 Policy Role of Members…ADD
“Staff should not alter the City Council policies and prioriƟes without authorizaƟon from City Council.”
SUGGESTION4:
Page 12 of 16 (e)…ADD
“Staff should not use their Ɵtles if giving support.”
SUGGESTION5:
Page 12 of 16, 5a…Council Conduct with Commissions
I believe this conflicts with the Brown Act, Gov Code 54952.2(c)(6) Councilmembers can aƩend but only as
observers. They can’t speak.
SUGGESTION6:
Page 13 of 16, 5c…ADD
“Commission members volunteer their Ɵme and effort to serve our community. Staff and Council should allow
them to perform their assigned duƟes on a regular basis.”
SUGGESTION7:
Page 13 of 16, 5e…ADD
Commission and Council member Ɵtles should not be used.
SUGGESTION8:
Page 15 of 16, 2nd to last paragraph…REMOVE “the Mayor”. Require the majority Council vote, not just one individual!
Sincerely,
Peggy Griffin
1
Lauren Sapudar
From:Peggy Griffin <griffin@compuserve.com>
Sent:Sunday, September 17, 2023 5:05 PM
To:Christopher Jensen; City Council
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:2023-09-19 City Council Meeting-Agenda Item11-Ethics Policy Survey REQUEST
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the
sender and know the content is safe.
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COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA ITEM.
Dear City AƩorney Jensen, City Council and Staff,
There are quite a few “Other” responses totaling 130 yet they are buried in 70 pages of individual responses rather than
lisƟng them in the summary under each quesƟon. Normally, all the “other” responses are normally shown with each
quesƟon summary . Hiding these comments in 70 pages of other quesƟons means you do not get a true picture of what
the survey may have been missing.
Count of “Other” responses:
Q1 = 31
Q2 = 13
Q3 = 8
Q4 = 5
Q5 = 9
Q6 = 17
Q7 = 10
Q8 = 17
Q9 = 20
REQUEST: Please pull out all the “Other” responses for each quesƟon and list them together or in the summary for each
quesƟon.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Peggy Griffin