Charter Review--ETHICS

The Pomona Charter Review Commission (CRC) will be meeting once again on Wednesday, March 16 at 6:30 pm in the small chambers next to the Council Chambers (just to the south). Slated for discussion will be changes to, Article XIV (Ethics) the subject of this post, Article II (boundaries of the council districts), Article X (Financial Procedures), and Article XVII (final changes on Charter Review Commission passed by the commission). Under new business (if we can get to it) are final reports on Article III (City Powers, a proposal to add the Youth and Family Master Plan language to the charter), Article IV (final approval of amended proposal from last meeting), Article VI (approval of a one word change), and Article VII (no recommended changes). A report by the subcommittee looking at a Police Commission has not yet been presented so is not on the agenda for this meeting.

The work of the commission must be completed by early May to conform to the time limit of one year as specified in the current charter. It is hoped that a draft proposal will be ready by mid-April for presentation to the City Council for their input (NOT approval, as the council has no inherent power to make changes to the work of the CRC).

ETHICS

For me personally, this is a very important part of the proposed changes to the charter. This item was one of the main reasons that I wanted to be part of the Charter Review Process.

Ethics is on everyone's lips today. Whether it's the city of Bell, the actions of the mayor of Upland, the various scandals that have been taking place in San Bernardino County and elsewhere, the public has lost confidence in its elected leaders. It is time to insist that our elected officials act in the best interest of the citizens they serve.

The city of Pomona currently does not have its own code of ethics. It routinely adopts the state code which is, in my opinion, the lowest common denominator for ethical behavior. It covers such things as conflicts of interest and, since the Bell scandals, how compensation is figured. But it doesn't go far enough. Our current charter, has additional conflicts of interest language concerning those who are running for office.

Below is the proposed changes to the City Charter that came out of the subcommittee. I'm proud to say that I had a role in drafting this proposal. One of the main things that this proposal doesn't do, is to try and define what ethics are. It leaves that up to a commission, to be formed, whose sole purpose is to create a citywide code of ethics (covering not only elected officials but city workers as well). It is our hope that a commission who are dedicated to defining and enforcing ethics is what our city desparately needs.

Please take a look at the proposal, and if you having any comments on it, either leave them here, OR better yet, come to the meeting on Wednesday and let your voice be heard.

If the document below doesn't work for you, you can view it at my personal web site at: http://www.johncliffordgraphics.com/uploads/3-16-11%20Item%205A.pdf.  Or on the city's web site at: http://public-records.ci.pomona.ca.us/WebLink8/browse.aspx?startid=22091&&dbid=0.