General (9)
Susana Barrios
From:Steve White <awhitste@pacbell.net>
Sent:Tuesday, August
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] JL Report
Attachments:Corruption.pdf
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1
JL GROUP CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION
The JL Group was selected to investigate wrongdoing by City Officials
and staff following the Stadium sale scandal and subsequent resignation
of former Mayor Sidhu. The intent was to determine culpability, seek
suggestions for corrective measures and ultimately begin a process to
restore public trust and confidence in Anaheim’s government. They
have succeeded in making a start.
One point made clear is the failure was not due to “one bad apple” but
to a rotten barrel. Systemic corruption has infected City Hall for
decades. Officials elected with outrageous amounts of special interest
funding have always served those interests at the expense of the
greater public good. The usual retort that “I am not influenced by
donations; I decide on the facts” has been made laughable by the
report and is increasingly apparent to the public at large.
The report makes some suggestions for changes which might make
modest improvements but does not claim to solve what led to the
worst example of civic corruption in a generation. I believe the best
place to start is to pass an ordinance requiring elected officials to recuse
themselves from voting on matters affecting donors (whether
individuals, businesses, political action committees or unions) exceeding
the current individual limit for two years following receipt. Such a public
integrity ordinance could mark a beginning to restore public respect
and trust in their Anaheim government.
One change suggested by the report is greater fidelity to the City
Manager form of government. In a recent talk I attended, Senator Josh
Newman suggested the opposite. While the manager/part-time council
model works well in smaller cities, Anaheim is a fully mature 10th largest
City in the State. It is time to scrap the manager’s form and move to a
full-time Council compatible with its districts. Councilmember Leon has
suggested a Charter review which should seriously consider this change.
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