Posted on 03/07/2009 7:24:05 AM PST by NormsRevenge
Reporting from Sacramento -- After a state Cabinet official's resignation amid questions about her outside income and the free use of government expense accounts by the top aide and other appointees of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the administration on Friday announced new ethics rules for senior staff.
Under the new guidelines, administration officials will conduct a legal review of each annual statement of economic interest filed by the governor's senior advisors to ensure they do not have outside business dealings that create a conflict of interest. The administration will also post those statements and the travel expense reports filed by senior officials on the state government website.
"The governor has ordered a crackdown, and we are going after anyone who is not following the rules," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear.
The moves come after Rosario Marin, head of the State and Consumer Services Agency, resigned Thursday amid questions from The Times about income she received for giving speeches to private companies, some of which were doing business with her agency. State law bars administration officials from accepting speaking fees in most situations.
Marin's travel also raised concern among ethics experts. Earlier in the week, The Times reported that the state paid to fly her to a speaking engagement in Washington, D.C., where she collected a fee. She reimbursed the state for the airfare after Times inquiries.
Other high-ranking state officials also appeared to make free use of government expense accounts with little oversight. Carrie Lopez, the director of the Department of Consumer Affairs, charged taxpayers to fly from Sacramento to Los Angeles to attend a Justin Timberlake concert with her daughter. The concert tickets were paid for by Sempra Energy.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Ethics.
.. in California politics?
wow
“Our policy is we now have a policy to define our policy. Carry On!”
Our new policy is that we will no longer rip off the taxpayers of California and, when we do, we’ll be more careful to cover our tracks.
... The moves come after Rosario Marin ... income she received for giving speeches to private companies...
State law bars administration officials from accepting speaking fees in most situations.
LOL. They didn't follow the law before but these ethics "guidelines", performing a review after-the-fact, will somehow ensure it doesn't happen again?
How about he just quit hiring self-serving crooks?
Enjoy your stay....the populace has begun to speak....and we're not happy...
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