Ethics code gaining support
A long-needed ethics ordinance that bars campaign contributions from individuals and businesses with city contracts and places time limits on developer donations appears to have majority support among Yorba Linda’s City Council members.
The legal prohibitions, proposed by Councilman John Anderson, would prevent council candidates from accepting contributions from city contractors, such as those providing engineering, landscaping, trash-hauling, ambulance and other services to the city.
Anderson’s proposal also would stop council members from voting on projects of major contributors within one year of accepting a contribution or taking money within 90 days of voting on a contributor’s project.
He also proposed statutes protecting whistle-blowers, prohibiting soliciting political endorsements from city commissioners, providing new guidelines for commissioner behavior, tape-recording closed-session proceedings and opening others to the public.
Many of Anderson’s reforms were advanced in May, but one was defeated 4-1 and others weren’t even seconded. This time Anderson’s motion for city staff to develop ordinances received positive votes from recently elected members Nancy Rikel and Mark Schwing.
The heyday of developer contributions to the political campaigns of council candidates—mostly incumbents or challengers supported by incumbents—came in the 1990s and early 2000s and included cash funneled through developer-funded political action committees.
Lately, however, incumbents with developer contributions have not sought re-election or have been defeated by candidates who promised not to accept donations from developers.
A suggestion by Councilwoman Jan Horton to post state-required campaign contribution forms on the city’s Web site also is an improvement, even if the added publicity for $100 or more contributors hampers fund-raising efforts for future candidates.
Anderson’s proposals and Horton’s suggestion are welcome signs of reform, and votes cast on any forthcoming ordinances are likely to be major issues in next year’s election.
A FINAL NOTE
Could Measure B—the voter-approved 2006 initiative that requires the public to vote on major changes to city planning documents—prevent construction of low-income housing units in Yorba Linda?
Maybe not. If voters deny a zone change to more than 10 units per acre, or a commercial to residential zoning change or a height above 35 feet on property designated as available for low-income housing stock, Measure B might succumb to a court challenge.
Under a state formula, the city is short 768 low-income and 327 moderate-income units.
The legal prohibitions, proposed by Councilman John Anderson, would prevent council candidates from accepting contributions from city contractors, such as those providing engineering, landscaping, trash-hauling, ambulance and other services to the city.
Anderson’s proposal also would stop council members from voting on projects of major contributors within one year of accepting a contribution or taking money within 90 days of voting on a contributor’s project.
He also proposed statutes protecting whistle-blowers, prohibiting soliciting political endorsements from city commissioners, providing new guidelines for commissioner behavior, tape-recording closed-session proceedings and opening others to the public.
Many of Anderson’s reforms were advanced in May, but one was defeated 4-1 and others weren’t even seconded. This time Anderson’s motion for city staff to develop ordinances received positive votes from recently elected members Nancy Rikel and Mark Schwing.
The heyday of developer contributions to the political campaigns of council candidates—mostly incumbents or challengers supported by incumbents—came in the 1990s and early 2000s and included cash funneled through developer-funded political action committees.
Lately, however, incumbents with developer contributions have not sought re-election or have been defeated by candidates who promised not to accept donations from developers.
A suggestion by Councilwoman Jan Horton to post state-required campaign contribution forms on the city’s Web site also is an improvement, even if the added publicity for $100 or more contributors hampers fund-raising efforts for future candidates.
Anderson’s proposals and Horton’s suggestion are welcome signs of reform, and votes cast on any forthcoming ordinances are likely to be major issues in next year’s election.
A FINAL NOTE
Could Measure B—the voter-approved 2006 initiative that requires the public to vote on major changes to city planning documents—prevent construction of low-income housing units in Yorba Linda?
Maybe not. If voters deny a zone change to more than 10 units per acre, or a commercial to residential zoning change or a height above 35 feet on property designated as available for low-income housing stock, Measure B might succumb to a court challenge.
Under a state formula, the city is short 768 low-income and 327 moderate-income units.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 AM
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