[San Joaquin County] Lodi officials talk about training, policy on ethics

After the Tracy City Council in 2017 rejected a policy that would require council members to recuse themselves from voting on issues where they or a family member would benefit from the decision, the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury began investigating the city’s ethics policy.

“The whole Idea of having an ethics policy is so that you have something to follow so there are no questions about conflicts of interest of things like that,” grand jury foreman Ward Downs said. “We believe everyone should follow it. Not just elected officials, but city management and staff as well.”

Although the grand jury’s investigation showed that the conflict of interest complaints against the Tracy City Council were unfounded as the council member in question did self-recuse, Downs said the grand jury looked into the ethics policies of cities such as Lodi and recommended changes when necessary.

“We interviewed a lot of people,” Downs said. “We found that Lodi officials did recuse themselves when necessary.”

The City of Lodi’s ethics policies apply to all city staff and elected officials as required by the Fair Political Practices Act, city manager Steve Schwabauer said, but only city council members and some commission members are required to attend training sessions under the current policy.

“The city attorney and I are both authorized ethics trainers and perform training for our council and commissions on the ethics policies that govern city service,” Schwabauer said.

Lodi city attorney Janice Magdich said the ethics training covers areas such as conflict of interest, financial disclosures, gift and travel restrictions and more, and is held in the late fall every two years.

“Steve and I have been conducting in-person ethics training for the Council, Planning Commission, and other city boards and commissions since 2006,” Magdich said.

Schwabauer said that he verbally instructed management staff to attend the last two training sessions, and already has plans to update the city’s ethics policies as recommended by the grand jury in the near future.

“Although it has been my oral policy I see the public value in having the written policy and am glad to reduce it to a formal written policy and will do so before our next training session this fall,” Schwabauer said.

June 26, 2018

Lodi News-Sentinel

By John Bays