As supervisors continue to struggle with how to form a local
ethics committee that will monitor political campaigns in San
Benito County, some see a promising model in Santa Clara County’s
Campaign Ethics Foundation.
Hollister – As supervisors continue to struggle with how to form a local ethics committee that will monitor political campaigns in San Benito County, some see a promising model in Santa Clara County’s Campaign Ethics Foundation.
During an ethics committee workshop held Tuesday, Supervisors Pat Loe and Anthony Botelho both said they thought the Santa Clara Campaign Ethics Foundation could be adapted to fit San Benito County.
Founded in 1998, the CEF was formed by Santa Clara County residents who were tired of negative political campaigns.
“Everybody was sick to death with negative campaigning,” said Susanne Wilson, a founder of the CEF. “We were just sick to death with hit pieces … and that’s why we did it.”
One aspect of the CEF that Loe and Botelho said they found especially attractive is that it was created by community members rather than the county government.
“I like the idea that it’s removed from the Board of Supervisors and run by an independent group,” Loe said.
Some fear that if the board appoints members to a local ethics committee, it could become a tool to further political vendettas. The idea to form an ethics committee first arose after the contentious race for the District 5 Supervisor seat in March 2004. Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz beat incumbent Bob Cruz by 10 votes and accusations of voter fraud and improper campaigning soon followed.
Botelho agrees that an ethics committee cannot be associated with the board of supervisors.
“The board ought to be arm’s length away,” he said.
That clear separation between the board of supervisors and an ethics committee has been a major concern for board members during their on-and-off discussions for the last year about creating a committee to oversee campaigns in San Benito County.
During Tuesday’s workshop County Attorney Claude Biddle advised supervisors not to have a hand in forming an ethics committee, so the actions of the committee could not be linked to the board.
The CEF, which is made up of commissioners and stakeholders, is a non-profit corporation with no ties to the county government. It was formed by private citizens and is supported by private donations, Wilson said.
“We are independent,” she said. “We have no relationship with the government.”
CEF commissioners, who apply for the position and are chosen by a panel of three retired judges, receive complaints from candidates running in a county race who feel that an opponent released misleading or false statements about them. Commissioners, who cannot have any involvement in that particular campaign, then review the complaint and make a decision.
If commissioners decide that a candidate has acted unethically, they recommend consequences – ranging from making the candidate publicly admit their unethical behavior to directing stakeholders to withdraw their endorsement and financial backing from the candidate. Stakeholders are groups within the county, often political action committees, that have agreed to follow the recommendations of the CEF commissioners.
The system is effective, according to Wilson.
“Stakeholders is what gives us our clout,” she said. “In each case when a complaint came before us, and that person was found guilty (of unethical conduct), it has turned the election.”
Further proof of the CEF’s effectiveness in creating more ethical campaigns lies in the fact that people running campaigns consult with the foundation before releasing controversial campaign ads, Wilson said.
“Campaign managers, before they send out hit pieces, would call me and ask, ‘if I did such and such would that be unethical,'” she said.
While the CEF offered a good model for an ethics committee in San Benito County – especially because it is separate from the government – Loe said that it would possibly need to be modified to meet this county’s needs.
“We really have to look at it and see what’s best for San Benito County,” she said.
During the workshop Tuesday, supervisors voted to hold another public hearing, hoping to draw non-profit groups, special interests and private citizens into the discussion of creating an ethics committee. They have not set a date.
“People have to step up and say, ‘I’ll do it.’ That’s what I’m waiting for,” Board Chair Reb Monaco said during Tuesday’s workshop.
Luke Roney covers politics and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected]
