Commission schedules outreach on gift and disclosure reforms; Supervisor Haney ordinance to proceed to meet-and-confer

Pat Ford presented the monthly policy report and outlined next steps for phase two of the commission's ethics policy project, which focuses on gift rules, conflict-of-interest refinements and public outreach.

Ford said staff will reschedule initial information-and-preparation (IP) meetings to late April to allow more time for public notice and outreach to community groups. The report includes a set of questions that staff intends to explore in the next phase, and Ford invited commissioners to suggest community organizations to include in outreach.

Commissioners requested a schedule of IP meetings within the next three months and emphasized the importance of public engagement as the office proposes changes. Commissioner Lee asked staff to research best practices, including examples such as a recent Hawaii proposal that contemplated a stricter gift ban; staff agreed to include comparative examples in the analysis.

Ford also updated the commission on related legislation. He said Supervisor Haney introduced substitute legislation to bring that ordinance more into line with the commission's November recommendations; before the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee may hear it, staff must complete meet-and-confer with employee bargaining units. Ford said a meet-and-confer session is scheduled for April 20 and described a typical timeline of a primary meeting followed by about two weeks of written follow-up with bargaining units, after which a closure letter is issued by Department of Human Resources and the item can move forward to committee.

Commissioners asked staff to provide monthly updates as the work progresses and to prioritize public engagement on the electronic filing and disclosure elements of the project.