After more than nine months of ambivalence toward the idea of
forming an ethics committee to oversee political campaigns in San
Benito County, the board of supervisors agreed to hold a community
workshop to discuss the issue.
Hollister – After more than nine months of ambivalence toward the idea of forming an ethics committee to oversee political campaigns in San Benito County, the board of supervisors agreed to hold a community workshop to discuss the issue.
Since last summer, the board has been sporadically discussing the formation of an ethics committee that would look into complaints from members of the voting public about candidates using false and misleading information in their campaigns. On Tuesday, supervisors scheduled a workshop for July 19, hoping to draw in community members and groups and provide a forum to discuss the formation of a county ethics committee.
“I see it as a meeting where people interested could give input,” said Supervisor Pat Loe, who has long supported the idea of an ethics committee.
It’s an idea that has been sporadically discussed by the board since it was first proposed last August. It surfaced a few months after then-Supervisor-elect Jaime De La Cruz beat incumbent Bob Cruz for the District 5 supervisor seat by 10 votes amid suspicion of election fraud.
The committee has been envisioned as an outlet for voters to air concerns about candidates that use false or misleading information in their campaigns.
In April the board voted to scrap the idea. Then on Tuesday supervisors reversed themselves, scheduling a community workshop for July 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors meeting room to discuss the issue.
“The board is hoping groups will come forward and talk about their propositions for an ethics committee,” said acting Chief Administrative Officer Susan Lyons.
Supervisor Don Marcus said he supports the July workshop and that he has never been opposed to the idea of an ethics committee. But he wants to be sure that the any committee that might be formed operates “at arm’s length” from the county government so the committee remains independent from county politicians.
Also on Tuesday, consultant Sally Reed delivered a report to the board with recommendations for how to create such a committee. Reed’s experience includes stints as CAO for Santa Clara, Modesto and Los Angeles counties, Lyons said.
“There is general agreement that campaigns in San Benito County have involved the publication of unfair, unsubstantiated and untrue information,” the report stated.
First among the many recommendations the board heard Tuseday was that the county request Gavilan College offer a course in ethical campaigning for local office holders and candidates.
Luke Roney covers politics and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at
lr****@fr***********.com
