Ethical Political Practices Enforcement of Campaign and Lobbying Laws

Without the protections afforded by being designated as an independent entity in the City Charter, the San Diego City Ethics Commission is subject to elimination by repeal of the ordinance that established it.

Some officials who have been fined for minor violations have expressed a concern that they may be perceived as unethical. Finding # 03: The majority of the activity of the Ethics Commission deals with monitoring compliance with the City's election campaign and lobbying laws and providing training in those laws. Finding # 04: A change of the name of the Ethics Commission to something analogous to that of the State's Fair Political Practices Commission would allay the concerns of City officials and more accurately reflect the actual work of the Commission. Finding # 05: The power to subpoena witnesses granted to the Ethics Commission by ordinance is provided only for administrative hearings and does not extend to investigations. Finding # 06: The power to subpoena witnesses for formal investigations would streamline the process and could eliminate the need for more costly administrative hearings.

The two vacancies on the seven member Ethics Commission endanger its ability to levy fines and to establish a quorum for its meetings. Finding # 08: The State Fair Political Practices Commission is not equipped to perform regular audits of County elections, does not have sufficient staff to investigate conflict of interest allegations against local officials, and does not enforce City and County lobbying laws.