Commission hears ‘Ethics at Work’ outreach plan; staff to publish materials later this month

Peter Lauterborn, the program manager for Ethics at Work, presented the commission with the program’s approach to proactive ethics education for city employees and other audiences. Lauterborn said the initiative will combine short and longer videos, one‑page guides, position‑specific materials and e‑learning modules, and that an online library of materials is expected to be published later this month.

“Ethics at Work is designed to be a proactive education program that we're reaching out to people before they might think that they need the information,” Lauterborn said. He described a departmental outreach plan organized by department size (largest to smallest by prior fiscal-year budget) with the goal of making initial contact with every department this fiscal year and producing customized dissemination plans.

Commissioners asked whether the commission can require training citywide. Lauterborn said the Commission will redevelop the existing mandatory training but that whether a particular module is assigned is typically a department-level decision; the team is coordinating with the Controller’s Office to make materials available through SF Learn. He added departments so far have been receptive and some plan to assign recommended modules internally.

Public commenters praised the program and urged prioritizing outreach based on risk (for example, departments with large contracting responsibilities) and asked for guidance on Proposition F and post-employment rules for retirees returning to city work. A caller said the budget risks discussed earlier threaten the program: “the budget concerns I discussed earlier very much include this program, which is greatly at risk at this time.”

Commissioners also raised broader budget and staffing concerns for the commission; one commissioner said the proposed budget cuts, “including potential reduction of staffing levels by 40%,” would be an “incredible setback.” Lauterborn said the team will pursue language access, ethnic media outreach and follow up with departments about needs. Because no action was required, the presentation concluded with staff agreeing to return with more materials in coming months.

Next steps noted in the presentation: publish the initial library of materials later this month, continue department outreach, and track departmental uptake and reporting for future updates to the commission.