Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Overview

Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

The Ethics of Public Language

This column is a service of the Institute for Local Government (ILG), whose mission is to promote good government at the local level. For more information and to access ILG’s resources on public service ethics, visit www.ca-ilg.org/trust.

Seek Professional Advice

Although the Institute for Local Government endeavors to help local officials understand laws that apply to public service, its informational materials are not legal advice. In addition, attorneys can and do disagree on the best interpretation of the complex rules related to public service ethics. Officials are encouraged to consult an attorney or the Fair Political Practices Commission for advice on specific situations.

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Transparency In Local Government: Protecting Your Community Against Corruption

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Closed Session Leaks: Discretion Is The Better Part of Valor — and Ethics

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Campaigning for Re-Election: Legal and Ethical Red Flags

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Social Media and Public Agencies: Legal Issues You Should Know About

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

A Leader’s Role When Tragedy Strikes

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

A Leader’s Dilemma: Ethics Versus Expediency

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Ethics and the Agency Auditing Function

Auditors can help elected officials and agency managers make sure that public resources are properly used. By conducting periodic audits, local agencies can underscore their commitment to ethics…

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Meeting Great Expectations: Dealing With Emotional Audiences

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Public Agencies and Ballot Measure Campaigns

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Changes to the Gift Rules, PART 2 OF 2

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Changes to the Gift Rules, PART 1 OF 2

In 2008, the Fair Political Practices Commission modified the Political Reform Act’s gift rules. One of these changes – the increase in the limit on the annual monetary value of gifts local…

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials Randy Riddle

Honoring Retirees: Legal and Ethical Considerations

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Commitment to Nonprofit Causes and Public Service: Some Issues to Ponder, Part 3

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Commitment to Nonprofit Causes and Public Service: Some Issues To Ponder, Part 2

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Commitment to Nonprofit Causes and Public Service: Some Issues to Ponder

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

The Ethics of Speaking One’s Mind

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Taking the Bite Out of Blogs: Ethics in Cyberspace

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Semper pro Populus: Fiduciary Duties and Public Service

This column is a service of the Institute for Local Government (ILG) Ethics Project, which offers resources on public service ethics for local officials. For more information, visit www.ca-ilg.org/trust. ILG thanks the following individuals for their contributions to this article: Buck Delventhal, San Francisco City Attorney’s Office; Joe Pannone, Aleshire and Wynder; Richard P. Shanahan, Bartkiewicz, Kronick & Shanahan; and Louis Leone, Stubbs & Leone.

QUESTION

As the chief executive for a local government agency, I have seen elected officials become bogged down in the details of various ethics laws. Instead of examining the proper thing to do in a specific situation, the focus shifts to whether a certain course of action will get an official in trouble with the law.

Article Everyday Ethics for Local Officials

Understanding the Role of Ethics Commissions

This column is a service of the Institute for Local Government (ILG) Ethics Project, which offers resources on public service ethics for local officials. For more information, visit www.ca-ilg.org/trust. ILG is grateful to these individuals for their assistance in preparing this article: Dan Purnell, executive director, Oakland Ethics Commission; Heather Mahood, assistant city attorney, Long Beach; Jennifer Sparacino, city manager, City of Santa Clara; and Carol McCarthy, deputy city manager, City of Santa Clara. Generous funding for the development of this column was provided by the International City-County Management Association (ICMA) Retirement Corporation (www.icmarc.org), whose mission is to build retirement security for the public sector.

Question

We have a citizens’ group in our community considering whether to propose establishing an ethics commission. We have looked for information about ethics commissions but have not really found much. Can you help?