* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:58] YEAH. THREE. CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 3 0 3. ROLL CALL. UH, COMMISSIONER NOVE. HERE. COMMISSIONER DE DE BENEDICTUS. COMMISSIONER GILL. HERE. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. HERE. COMMISSIONER EATON HERE. COMM UH, CHAIR P*****K HERE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN. HERE YOU HAVE COURT. THANK YOU. UM, AND I KNOW ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE AT THE END, BUT I DO WANNA WELCOME OUR NEW COMMISSIONERS AND WE'LL, UH, UH, TALK MORE AFTER THE MEETING. UH, FIRST AGENDA ITEM IS RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE ETHICS [ROLL CALL] COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH, 2025. DO I HAVE A MOTION? AND I'VE GOT A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER GILL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER [1. 25-56967 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Ethics Commission meeting of Wednesday, October 8, 2025.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] COLEMAN. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS AGENDA? ITEM? PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT. CHAIR. WE CAN MOVE TO A VOTE. MOTION CARRIES AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, RECOMMENDATIONS TO DISCUSS RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE MAY, 2025 REPORT FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON COMMISSION RESPONSIBILITIES. AND I HAVE A MOTION FROM [2. 25-56968 Recommendation to discuss recommendations of the May 2025 report from the Ad Hoc Committee on Commission Responsibilities.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] COMMISSIONER COLEMAN, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GILL. UM, SO, UH, FOR OUR NEW MEMBERS, UH, LET ME GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND. WE HAD, UH, THREE COMMISSIONERS, UH, WHO WERE, UH, THREE OF THE FOUR INAUGURAL COMMISSION MEMBERS ON THE ETHICS COMMISSION, UM, WHO WERE TERM TERMED OUT IN JUNE. UM, BE SEVERAL MONTHS. UH, BEFORE THEY LEFT. UH, WE ASKED THEM TO FORM AN AD HOC COMMITTEE TO LOOK AT, UH, COMMISSION RESPONSIBILITIES AND WHETHER OR NOT WE WERE FULFILLING OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND WHETHER THERE WERE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WE OUGHT TO SEEK FURTHER AUTHORITY, UH, EITHER FROM THE CITY COUNCIL OR IN SOME CASES FURTHER AUTHORITY WOULD HAVE TO COME FROM THE VOTERS OF LONG BEACH. UM, AND THEY, UH, SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME, SEVERAL MONTHS WHERE THEY WENT AND, UH, MET WITH AND INTERVIEWED, UH, MEMBERS OF ETHICS COMMISSIONS IN A NUMBER OF OTHER JURISDICTIONS, [00:05:01] UH, OTHER JURISDICTIONS IN CALIFORNIA, AND THEN ALSO JUST ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ANALYZED WHAT THE RESPONSIBILITIES, UH, AND STAFFING WERE AT THOSE COMMISSIONS. AND, UH, UNPREPARED A REPORT, UH, WHICH WAS ITEM NUMBER TWO IN TODAY'S AGENDA PACKAGE. UM, AND, UH, THEY DIVIDED THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS IN TERMS OF ISSUES WE OUGHT TO CONSIDER, UH, INTO CATEGORIES, UH, SPECIFICALLY CHANGES THAT WOULD LIKELY REQUIRE A CHARTER AMENDMENT, MEANING VOTE OF THE CITY, UH, CHANGES, LIKELY REQUIRING CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL CHANGES, LIKELY REQUIRING CITY MANAGER APPROVAL AND CHANGES, ONLY REQUIRING APPROVAL BY THE ETHICS COMMISSION. UM, WE'VE HAD, UM, PRIOR DISCUSSION AMONG THE COMMISSION MEMBERS OF THIS REPORT, BUT THIS IS REALLY ABOUT BRINGING US INTO THE FUTURE. AND SO IT REALLY IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANTED TO BE SURE WE CONSIDERED WITH THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, ABLE TO WEIGH IN. AND, UH, WITH THAT, I WILL BE QUIET AND LET FOLKS TALK, AND IF YOU WANNA SPEAK, JUST SORT OF RAISE YOUR HAND OR TURN ON YOUR MIC IF NOBODY'S TALKING. AND GO AHEAD. COMMISSIONER GIL. UH, I GUESS I HAVE A, A QUESTION. SO, UH, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THE CURRENT AD HOC COMMITTEES ARE. ARE ANY AD HOC COMMITTEES ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS? NO. OKAY. UH, THE ONLY AD HOC COMMITTEE I THINK WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IN EFFECT IS ONE, LOOKING AT POLICIES OF THE CITY, REVIEWING THEM AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO THE COMMISSION, AND THEN ALSO TO THE CITY ON THE EXISTING POLICIES AND ARS. IS THAT RIGHT? I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER AD HOCS RIGHT NOW. YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT. EXCEPT WE'VE PUT THAT AD HOC ON HOLD FOR A MONTH OR SO, , UM, AS THE NEW MEMBERS ONBOARD. AND SO THAT'S NOT, THEY HAVEN'T MET. THEY OKAY. I DIDN'T KNOW THEY HADN'T MET, BUT OKAY. THEY HAVEN'T MET, BUT I MEAN, THEY'VE MET A COUPLE TIMES. THEY'RE STILL IN EFFECT. WE DIDN'T DISBAND THEM. CORRECT. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL TURNED OUT THAT HAS TWO MEMBERS RIGHT NOW. YES. AND VICE CHAIR WAS, I BELIEVE, JUST KIND OF SUPPORTING THAT AD HOC UNTIL THE NEW COMMISSIONER STARTED. UH, WE DO HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM LATER WHERE WE'LL TALK ABOUT AD HOCS AND ADDING PEOPLE TO AD HOCS, UH, CREATING NEW AD HOCS, DISBANDING ANY EXISTING AD HOCS. SO I, I GUESS MY, SOME OF MY THOUGHTS WOULD BE, AFTER LOOKING AT THESE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT TIMES, WOULD IT MAKE SENSE THAT AN AD HOC COMMITTEE OF THREE OF US WERE TO ATTEMPT TO PRIORITIZE AND MAYBE EVEN A, A TIME BOX PRIORITY, BECAUSE SOME THINGS MIGHT TAKE A COUPLE OF YEARS. UM, BUT THEN TO PRIORITIZE THEM WITHIN THEIR CLASSIFICATION OF WHAT WOULD REQUIRE TO GET THE APPROVAL, UH, AND THEN BRING THAT BACK TO THE FULL COMMISSION FOR AGREEMENT ON WHERE PEOPLE THINK THE PRIORITIES SHOULD BE. YOU KNOW, KIND OF TAKE A SLICE AT THIS. UM, NOT THAT I DON'T WANNA HAVE A TWO HOUR DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW, , BUT, BUT I'M WONDERING HOW TO EFFECTIVELY DEAL WITH THIS. UM, AND THEN EVEN ASSUMING THAT MOST OF US WOULD EVEN AGREE TO WITH EACH OF THE, OF THE BULLET POINTS. RIGHT. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? COMM UH, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN, UM, ONE, ONE I WANT TO AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER GALE AND ALSO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORICAL CONTEXT. THERE WAS A QUESTION OF WHETHER WE WERE GOING TO PRIORITIZE, UM, THESE ITEMS PRIOR WITH, WITH THE PREVIOUS AD HOC. UM, TRUTHFULLY, I WAS PART OF THE, THE GROUP THAT SAID, UM, WE SHOULD WAIT UNTIL NEW MEMBERS OF THE AD OF THE COMMISSION, UM, UH, GET, UH, ONBOARDING. AND THEN WE, AS A KIND OF A REFRESHED COMMISSION, COULD, SHOULD LOOK AT THESE ITEMS, UM, AND PRIORITIZE THEM AMONGST OURSELVES. UM, HOWEVER, I DO THINK THIS WAS [00:10:01] REALLY GREAT WORK BY PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE FROM THE BEGINNING, UM, WHOSE SHOULDERS I STAND ON, UM, AND WHO I WILL MISS. UM, UH, BUT I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THE CREATION OF AD HOC TO PRIORITIZE. SO, UM, I'M DEFINITELY IN AGREEMENT. I RAISED THIS AT THE LAST MEETING, BUT NOW WITH THE FULL COMMISSION, I DO THINK WE HAVE POSSIBLY AN AGENDA ITEM ON HERE. I'M GOING TO PREFERENCE THIS BY SAYING ONE OF THE PRIORITIES IS PUBLIC OUTREACH. UM, AND I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT I THINK STAYS ON TOP OF MIND. UM, I THINK, UM, ETHICS, ESPECIALLY KIND OF IN THIS DAY AND AGE, THE TRANSPARENCY THAT GOVERNMENT HAS, IT'S VERY FUNDAMENTALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE AND SHOW THAT YOU CAN HAVE TRUST IN GOVERNMENT, EVEN AT THE CITY LEVEL, BECAUSE OUR GOV, OUR GOVERNMENT IS TRANSPARENT. UM, AND SO THE MORE PUBLIC OUTREACH THAT WE CAN DO TO SHOW, UM, THAT WE HAVE, FIRST OF ALL AN OFFICE OF ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY, , UH, BUT ALSO YOU CAN, UM, BRING ITEMS TO US AND, YOU KNOW, TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES, WE WILL ADDRESS THOSE ITEMS. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IN WHATEVER WAY THAT WE CAN, UM, INCREASE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE, UM, AND PUBLIC OUTREACH, I, I WOULD, UH, SUPPORT ANY OF THOSE EFFORTS. A A AND I SHOULD SAY, WITH RESPECT TO SOME OF THE ONE, SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT CAN BE DONE BY THE COMMISSION OURSELVES, UH, WE ARE HAVING THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT MAKE A PRESENTATION, I THINK, IN JANUARY. I BELIEVE SO. UM, AND THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS AGREED TO, UH, PERIODICALLY UPDATE US ON, UM, A ANY PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON, UH, CLAIMS OF, OF ETHIC, UH, ELECTION VIOLATIONS, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, VIOLATIONS OF THE CAMPAIGN REQUIREMENTS. SO WE, A, AS TO THOSE FEW ITEMS THAT ARE WITHIN OUR AUTHORITY, WE HAVE BEEN CREEPING ALONG TOWARDS DOING THAT. SO I THINK THE AD HOC PRIORITIZATION WOULD BE THE LONGER TERM ITEMS THAT WE ARE GOING TO NEED MORE AUTHORITY ON. ABSOLUTELY. IF, IF, IF WE DECIDE LATER WHEN WE HAVE THE AGENDA ITEM ON IT TO CREATE ANOTHER AD HOC. UM, OTHER, OTHER THOUGHTS? ANY OTHER INPUT FROM THE COMMISSION? I ALSO SUPPORT THE, THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE AD HOC. AND I, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION, GIVEN OUR SMALL NUMBER HERE. WHAT IS OUR TYPICAL NUMBER FOR THE AD HOC MEMBERSHIP? WELL, THE AD HOC CAN'T BE MORE THAN THREE. OKAY. BECAUSE FOUR IS A QUORUM. GOT IT. UM, IF THE AD HOC IS NOT GOING TO HAVE PUBLIC MEETINGS, YES. AND, UH, IN OUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS TYPICALLY HAD AN AD HOC WITH THREE, UM, WHO DOES THE DIGGING AND THE COLLECTION AND THE ANALYSIS WORK, AND THEN THEY BRING IT BACK TO THE FULL COMMISSION. UM, THE AD HOCS ARE NEVER A DECISION MAKING BODY, BUT RATHER A, A BRINGING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COMMISSION. IT IS MORE, UM, IT, IT MAKES IT EASIER TO KIND OF GET SOME THINGS DONE WHEN THERE'S RESEARCH OR THAT KIND OF THING. UNDERSTOOD. UH, COMMISSIONER GI DOES CREATING AN AD HOC UNDER THIS AGENDA ITEM, UH, THEN REQUIRE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION. UH, WE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM LATER ON THE AGENDA, WHICH IS A STANDING AGENDA ITEM FOR THE, UH, CONSIDERATION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD CREATE AN AD HOC OR DISBAND ANY AD HOCS. IT IS ON TODAY'S AGENDA, ISN'T IT? YES. NUMBER SIX. IT'S ON, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S A STANDING ITEM. BECAUSE OF EXACTLY THIS ISSUE, WE FOUND THAT SOMETIMES THE IDEA WAS TO CREATE AN AD HOC, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM FOR IT. SO WE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM, BUT IT'S LATER. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER INPUT FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? UH, DO WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS AGENDA ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT CHAIR. LET'S MOVE TO A VOTE. UH, EXCUSE ME. OH, UM, JUST TO MAKE SURE, UM, THE MOTION IS A RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS RECOMMENDATIONS, OF THE REPORT. UM, AND THAT'S ALL. WE'RE, THAT'S ALL WE'RE VOTING ON, RIGHT? RIGHT. OKAY. THANKS, . JUST WANNA MAKE SURE. , [00:15:07] MOTION CARRIES RECOMMENDATION NUMBER THREE, I'M SORRY, AGENDA. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS THE DEFINITION AND REPORTING PROCESS FOR NON-FINANCIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AS OUTLINED IN THE CITY'S CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS. AND IF APPROPRIATE, MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE MAYOR AND [3. 25-56974 Recommendation to discuss the definition and reporting process for non-financial conflicts of interest, as outlined in the City’s Code of Conduct and Ethics; and, if appropriate, make a recommendation to the Mayor and City Council.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] CITY COUNCIL. I HAVE A MOTION FROM CHIEF COLEMAN, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ANNOVA. UM, I GUESS I'M KICKING OFF THE DISCUSSION ON THIS ISSUE. UM, SO THE, UH, CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS, UM, IT TALKS ABOUT, UH, LET ME PULL IT UP IN FRONT OF ME. I'M SORRY. . UM, UH, A, AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY, I WILL PLACE THE PUBLIC'S TRUST BEFORE MY PERSONAL INTERESTS. I WILL DISCLOSE AND IF NECESSARY, RECUSE MYSELF FROM THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS AND ANY ACTIVITIES, DEALINGS, TRANSACTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY THAT MAY BE RELATED OR BE INFLUENCED BY MY PERSONAL FINANCIAL OR OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES. AND, AND THERE'S MORE, THERE'S, UH, IN, IN THE CODE OF ETHICS, UM, RECENTLY I WAS, UH, I PARTICIPATED AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, UH, UH, ONLINE REMOTELY, UH, IN THE MEETING OF ANOTHER COMMISSION. UH, AND IT WAS MY INTENT TO, UM, MAKE A STATEMENT AT THE TIME OF PUBLIC COMMENT. DURING THAT MEETING. UM, THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE MAKING PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, AND, AND THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE EXACT POINTS THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE. AND I DIDN'T, UH, IN THE CONTEXT SOLELY OF THAT MEETING. AND, AND I WAS THERE IN MY PERSONAL CAPACITY, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MY POSITION ON THIS COMMISSION. UM, BUT IN MY PERSONAL CAPACITY, I DECIDED THAT PILING ON WAS NOT GOING TO BE FRUITFUL. AND SO I DID NOT MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, IN THINKING ABOUT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND THINKING ABOUT SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED ABOUT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, UM, I ALSO WENT THROUGH A THOUGHT PROCESS AS TO, GEE, IF I MADE A PUBLIC COMMENT, WOULD I HAVE CREATED A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR MYSELF IF THE ISSUE THAT WAS BEFORE THE OTHER COMMISSION EVER CAME BEFORE OUR COMMISSION? AND THEN I WENT DOWN INTO A RABBIT HOLE A BIT, AND I THOUGHT, WELL, MY PERSONAL BELIEF IN MY POSITION IS NO GREATER IF I MADE A PUBLIC COMMENT THAN IT IS AFTER I MADE THE DECISION NOT TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT. SO, HOW, HOW DOES THE ETHICS CODE DEAL WITH THAT SITUATION, IF AT ALL? AND SO, I, I THOUGHT, WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND WHAT IS A CONFLICT, A NON-FINANCIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST, UM, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CODE OF ETHICS, UM, IN, IN OUR VIEW. NOW, I SHOULD ALSO SAY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS, UM, IS REALLY SMART ON CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AND SHE'S GOT A LOT OF RELEVANT EXPERIENCE. UM, AND I, AND SHE DID CONTACT ME WHEN SHE, UH, REALIZED SHE COULD NOT MAKE IT TO THIS MEETING, AND THAT THIS WAS ON THE AGENDA. AND I TOLD HER THAT I THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD START THE DISCUSSION TODAY, BUT WE WOULD NOT END THE DISCUSSION TODAY. I REALLY WANNA PROMOTE DISCUSSION ON THIS ISSUE, AND IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, AND IF YOU BELIEVE THAT IT'S APPROPRIATE THAT WE DO SO, UM, THAT WE AT LEAST DEFER PREPARATION OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS SO THAT COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS CAN PARTICIPATE. BUT I'D REALLY LIKE TO [00:20:01] HEAR, UM, DISCUSSION ON THIS, UH, COMMISSIONER GILL, COMMISSIONER GILL. SO, UM, I THINK THAT MOST OF US HERE HAVE BEEN ON OTHER BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, OTHER, UH, TYPE OF BODIES. AND I'VE ALWAYS LOOKED AT IT, AND TO ME, IT'S QUITE SPELLED OUT IN NUMBER TWO HERE, UNDER THE CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS, THAT WHEN YOU'RE SERVING ON SOMETHING LIKE, EVEN AS SIMPLE AS MY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION BOARD THAT I SERVE ON, UM, YOU WEAR A VERY SPECIFIC DEFINED HAT. AND THOSE HATS ALL COME OFF WHEN YOU ARE JUST PURELY BEING PART OF THE PUBLIC. BUT HERE ON THE ETHICS COMMISSION, I KNOW I'M NEW, BUT I SUSPECT THAT I SHOULD ONLY BE WEARING AN ETHICS COMMISSIONER HAT. AND WHEN I'M ON MY NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD, I SHOULD ONLY BE WEARING MY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION BOARD HAT. AND WHEN I'VE DONE STUFF FOR THE POLICE CHIEF ON HIS POLICY AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEE, I ONLY WEAR THE POLICE CHIEF'S POLICY PROCEDURES HAT, UH, I'VE DONE, I'VE DONE COUNTY THINGS. I'M ONLY WEARING THE COUNTY HAT. UM, AND I FIND IT DISTASTEFUL THAT SOMEBODY OR ANYONE WOULD SIT ON A BODY OR A BOARD AND ESPOUSE, UM, THINGS THAT ARE NOT APPROPRIATE OR COUNTER TO, YOU KNOW, THE AGENCY THEY'RE ON OR TAKING A POI TAKING A POLITICAL POSITION, UM, OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DECIDE THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE ON THAT BODY'S BOARD, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE MADE THE DECISION TO, TO RELINQUISH SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL FEELINGS AT THAT TIME. AND SO, I I, IT, IT REALLY DOES BOTHER ME TO HEAR THAT THERE HAVE BEEN GROUPS THAT, OR THERE HAVE BEEN INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE DONE THAT, WHO HAVE VIOLATED THAT. OH, WELL, THEY HAVEN'T NECESSARILY VIOLATED IT. UM, THE QUESTION IS, SO FOR EXAMPLE, IT'S EASY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A FINANCIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST. SAY YOU'RE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND SOMEONE IS LOOKING FOR A DEVIATION, AND THEY ARE TWO DOORS DOWN FROM YOU ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION, YOU ARE PROHIBITED FROM PARTICIPATING. EVEN IF YOU SAY, I'M ONLY PUTTING ON MY PLANNING COMMISSION HAT TODAY. STILL, YOU HAVE A POTENTIAL PERSONAL INTEREST. AND SO YOU'RE PROHIBITED FROM PARTICIPATING IN THAT DECISION. THE, THE, THE RULES SAY THAT YOUR PERSONAL INTEREST IN THAT CASE OF POTENTIALLY FINANCIAL INTEREST, BUT YOUR PERSONAL INTEREST IS TOO STRONG TO, FOR US TO ALLOW YOU TO SAY, I'M ONLY WEARING MY PLANNING COMMISSION HAT. RIGHT. BUT MY, I, I THINK, I'M SORRY. DIDN'T MAKE MY POINT VERY WELL. BUT IN THE CASE OF THIS NON-FINANCIAL, AS THIS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, I SHOULD NOT BE SITTING HERE AS A COMMISSIONER AND SAY, I AM IN FAVOR OF PROP 50. THAT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE. THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S COMPLETELY NON-FINANCIAL. YEP. BUT IT WOULD BE INCR. NOW, IF I TAKE OFF MY HAT AND I SIT IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC, NO MATTER WHAT THAT MEETING IS, AND I SAY, AS AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON, A CITIZEN OF THIS COUNTRY, MY BELIEF IS THIS. WELL, OKAY. I MEAN, THAT'S MY FREE, THAT'S MY, BUT IF WE WERE, BUT NOT, NOT AS A COMMISSIONER, IF FOR SOME REASON THIS COMMISSION WAS EVER TAKING UP PROP 50 AND YOU HAD VOICED STRONG INDIVIDUAL BELIEFS ABOUT PROP 50, WOULD THAT BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST THAT WOULD PREVENT YOU FROM WEIGHING IN ON THE COMMISSION? THAT'S, NO, NOT IF IT'S A MOTION ITEM, BECAUSE THEN BY DEFINITION IT FALLS UNDER THE BODY. HUH. ANYONE ELSE? I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTUAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND PERCEIVED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, UM, SORT OF, AND, AND I, AND THAT GETS TO A MORE LEGAL DEFINITION. 'CAUSE I'M HAVING A TOUGH TIME SORT OF PARSING OUT HERE. WHAT WE'RE, DO WE THINK THAT WE NEED TO BE MORE PRESCRIPTIVE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE CONSIDERING HERE? UM, OR AM I NOT ON THE RIGHT TRACK? UH, I'M ACTUALLY NOT TAKING A POSITION. OKAY. UM, I AM SHARING WITH YOU ALL MY THOUGHT PROCESS AS TO WHETHER I WAS CREATING A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR MYSELF, AND THEN REALIZED [00:25:01] THE ACTUAL PARTICIPATION IN THE MEETING WOULD HAVE ONLY GONE TO PERCEPTIONS, NOT TO ANY LANGUAGE IN THE CODE OF CONDUCT. BECAUSE MY PERSONAL, UH, BELIEF IS NO LESS STRONG WHEN I DON'T MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT AS WHEN I DO. SO I, YEAH, I, I'M NOT, I, I DON'T, UH, COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS MAY HAVE A STRONGER OPINION. I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE NON-FINANCIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST, RECUSAL RULES, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD TRIGGER THEM. I, I MEAN, I GUESS JUST TO FURTHER WHAT I HAD JUST SAID, IF, IF, IF THE CITY COUNCIL MADE A MOTION TO ASK X, Y, Z COMMISSION TO CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY SHOULD SUPPORT PROP 50, THAT XY, Z COMMISSION WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE DISCUSSING PROP 50. AND THE PEOPLE ON THAT COMMISSION WOULD BE DISCUSSING THE PLUSES AND MINUSES AND POSSIBLY THEIR OWN, WITH THEIR HAT ON BELIEFS OF WHAT PROP 50 SHOULD DO FOR THE CITY. SO I, I THINK THAT IT'S A MATTER OF WHAT IS THE HAT YOU'RE WEARING? UH, OKAY. SO TAKE THAT TO THE, TO THE NEXT STEP. I HAPPEN TO BELONG TO ANOTHER ORGANIZATION, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, THAT TOOK A STRONG POSITION ON PROP 50 AND I TABLE FOR THAT ORGANIZATION. SO I, YOU, THERE'S PROBABLY A PICTURE OF ME SOMEWHERE HANDING OUT LITERATURE ABOUT PROP 51 WAY OR THE OTHER. IT DOESN'T MATTER. RIGHT. SO WOULD I THEN HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FROM CONSIDERING WHETHER TO RECOMMEND TO THE COUNCIL THAT THEY SUPPORT IT? NO, BECAUSE YOU SHOULD BE HAVING THAT STRENGTH OR, UH, THE PLUS OR THE MINUS BASED ON THE CITY, YOUR INTERPRETATION OF HOW IT'S GONNA HELP OR HURT THE CITY BECAUSE OF THE CITY HAT YOU'RE WEARING. BUT IS THERE ALSO A PUBLIC PERCEPTION THAT I'M NOT ACTING IN THE CITY'S BEST INTEREST, BUT RATHER ACTING CONSISTENT WITH A POSITION THAT I AM AT THAT POINT, PUBLICLY KNOWN TO HAVE TAKEN? AND, AND WE DO HAVE TO, IN, IN THE ETHICS FIELD, WE DO HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PERCEPTIONS. IF WE'RE ACTING IN ACCORDANCE WITH, SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE VALUES OF ACCOUNTABILITY, THE VALUE OF ACCOUNTABILITY, THEN WE ARE, UM, MAKING JUDGEMENTS ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING. AND IF THERE IS A FEAR OR CONCERN THAT WHAT WE ARE SAYING OR DOING, MAYBE MAY BE PERCEIVED AS IN CONFLICT WITH THE MATTER AT HAND, THEN WE SHOULD RECUSE OURSELVES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CODE OF CONDUCT. SO IN THE PROP 50 EXAMPLE, UNDER NUMBER THREE, I GUESS IT IS, IT SAYS, I WILL DISCLOSE ALL PERSONAL FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS OR OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES THAT MAY RELATE TO OR INFLUENCE MY ROLE. OR, SO IN THAT CASE, I WOULD SAY, HEY, BY THE WAY, I TABLED AT AN EVENT THREE WEEKS AGO, AND HERE'S THE LITERATURE I WAS HANDING OUT. AND THEN ASK THE REST OF THE COMMISSION TO DECIDE IF I SHOULD RECUSE, OR BY VIRTUE OF, YOU KNOW, BUT I FEEL THAT I CAN, UH, REPRESENT THE CITY IN THIS CONTEXT. I CAN PUT ON THE CITY HAT, OR I DON'T KNOW, IN, IN MY LINE OF WORK, I, YOU KNOW, WHEN MY, UM, OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE CONCERNS OR HAVE DIFFERENT THOUGHTS ON WHETHER THEY SHOULD ACCEPT SOMETHING OR PARTICIPATE IN WHATEVER DECISION MAKING, THEY REACH OUT TO LEGAL TO INQUIRE WHAT THEIR, WHAT THEY SHOULD DO. SO IT'S THAT INITIATIVE TO APPROACH SOMEONE TO FIND OUT WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR ME AT THIS TIME, WHICH I THINK IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING. AND, UM, I, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, DISCLOSURE IS ALWAYS BEST. MM-HMM . AGAIN, THAT'S JUST MY PERSONAL FEELING. AND THEN OUR MOTIONS COME TO A VOTE. SO IT'S REALLY A DISCUSSION. AFTER REVIEWING EVERYONE'S THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS, THEN IT COMES TO A VOTE. UM, AND I, I'M ALWAYS OF THE THOUGHT THAT WE, YOU KNOW, TRANSPARENCY IS ALWAYS BEST. [00:30:02] SO, OH, COMMISSIONER NOR THANK YOU, CHAIR. UM, I JUST WANNA PIGGYBACK ON THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'RE HAVING. UM, WHAT I FLAGGED AFTER READING THE, THIS, THIS DOCUMENT, UH, IS THE LIMITED DEFINITION OF THE NON-FINANCIAL CONFLICTS. RIGHT? UM, I THINK WE WOULD ALL BENEFIT OF THE DEFINITIONS. W UH, COULD BE CLEARER. UM, FOR EXAMPLE, MAYBE WE CAN HAVE EXPLICIT SCENARIOS ABOUT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, AFFILIATIONS, OR ADVOCACY ROLES, UM, THAT MAY CREATE OR BE PERCEIVED AS BIAS. ANOTHER CONCERN OR FLAG THAT I HAD WAS, UM, THE DOCUMENT STATES THAT CONFLICTS MUST BE REPORTED, BUT DOESN'T SPECIFY HOW DISCLOSURES ARE REVIEWED, UM, WHO ADJU ADJUDICATES THEM OR WHAT OUTCOMES FOLLOW, UH, RECUSAL REASSIGNMENT, UM, ADVISORY OPINION. AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT OR WORK ON IS TO ESTABLISH A REVIEW AND RESOLUTION PROCESS, UH, FOR DISCLOSURES. ANOTHER, UH, GAP OR FLAG THAT, UM, I BELIEVE WE NEED TO LOOK AT IS THAT PERHAPS, I KNOW ETHICS IS, I KNOW ETHICS TRAINING IS REQUIRED, BUT I'M JUST WONDERING IF, UH, CONFLICT OF INTEREST TRAINING IS REQUIRED. MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT. AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ENOUGH CLARITY FOR MEMBERS, UH, OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, UM, IN TERMS OF THE BROWN ACT. SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE, UH, WE CAN LOOK AT. UM, I THINK WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER BROWN ACT. OKAY. UM, REFRESHER, UM, HEATHER, IS THAT RIGHT? I I VAGUELY RECALL THE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HAVING A BROWN ACT REFRESHER, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THIS SB 7 0 7, WHATEVER CHANGES, RIGHT? THE RECENT UPDATE, RIGHT. OR REVISION. BUT WE WERE GONNA DO A BROWN ACT PRESENTATION THAT MILLICENT WILL BE THE LEAD ON. YEAH. AND SHE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. BUT THAT, THAT CHANGE IN THE BROWN ACT DOESN'T AFFECT THIS BODY. I, I HAVE TO SAY, I, I DID READ IT AND, UH, THAT WAS A, WELL, DEEP, DEEP HOLE. 7 0 7, I MEAN, NOT THE BROWN ACT. I GOT THE BROWN ACT NOW , BUT I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT MAYBE IN THE NEW YEAR. YEAH. YEAH. SO WE WILL HAVE THAT. BUT, UM, IS THERE A SEPARATE CONFLICT OF INTEREST TRAINING IN ADDITION TO ETHICS TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY? NO, IT'S COVERED UNDER THE ETHICS CODE OF CONDUCT. YEAH. FORM 700 FILERS, YOU GET AB 1234, BUT NOT ALL EMPLOYEES. YEAH. BUT THAT'S ALL FOCUSED ON THE FINANCIAL MM-HMM . AND, AND IT'S THE NON-FINANCIAL CONFLICTS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN I'M THINKING THROUGH IT ON MY OWN, AND IT'S LIKE, OKAY, IF I OWN $2,001 WORTH OF STOCK IN A COMPANY, THAT'S A DISCLOSURE OBLIGATION. YOU KNOW, ARE MY NON-FINANCIAL BELIEFS STRONGER THAN MY CARING ABOUT 2001? YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF A FINANCIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST VERSUS A, VERSUS A NON-FINANCIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST. I JUST, I DON'T KNOW HOW I, I, I, LIKE, I, I APPRECIATE THE IDEA OF A, OF, OF ESTABLISHING A REVIEW AND, AND RESOLUTION PROCESS, BUT I DON'T KNOW, AND THAT WOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY, UM, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS BROADER THAN JUST THE ETHICS COMMISSION. RIGHT. AND JUST TO, UM, CLAR, UH, IN TERMS OF THE CLARIFYING, THE NON-FINANCIAL, UH, CONFLICT DEFINITION, I THINK, LIKE I REFER TO EXPLICIT EXAMPLES, FOR EXAMPLE, FRIENDSHIPS, MEMBERSHIPS, UH, POLITICAL ADVOCACY, FAMILY RELATIONS, VOLUNTEER ROLES THAT MAY, UM, THAT MAY BE PERCEIVED, UH, OF COMPROMISING ONE'S, UM, IMPARTIALITY, WHICH IS NOT VERY CLEAR IN THIS DOCUMENT. WELL, AND, AND, AND I DON'T THINK A CODE OF CONDUCT EVER WOULD DEAL WITH ALL OF THOSE THINGS, BUT WE COULD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR, FOR SOMETHING. [00:35:01] ANY, UH, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN ? I JUST HAD SOME THOUGHTS. UH, ONE, UM, WHILE THE CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS CERTAINLY, UM, IS A PLACE TO LOOK, UM, I, AGAIN, A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR THE NEW MEMBERS WE HAVE CURRENTLY. UM, ECHO, WHAT, WHAT DOES ECHO STAND FOR? ETHICS AND GOOD GOVERNANCE. YEAH. ACT, THE ETHICS AND GOOD GOVERNMENTS ACT, UM, WHICH IS PENDING, UM, BEFORE CITY COUNCIL, WHICH DOES LAY OUT SOME OF THESE NON-FINANCIAL CONFLICT OF INTERESTS ALSO CURRENTLY IN THE MUNICIPAL CODE. APART FROM THIS, ALBEIT IN DISPARATE PARTS, THERE ARE SOME, UH, ASPECTS TO THE NON-FINANCIAL, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO, UM, PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, UM, SITTING ON BOARDS. THIS IS MAINLY FOR ELECTEDS AND SOME, I THINK BOARDS, BUT THAT WASN'T CLEAR, WHICH IS PART OF THE REASON THERE WAS AN EMPHASIS IN, IN EGA. UM, AND SO THIS IS NOT THE, THE FULL LITERATURE THE CITY HAS ON THE NON-FINANCIAL. I DO THINK AS WE TALK ABOUT THIS, WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND THOUGH, UM, I LIKE THE EXAMPLE POLL THAT COMMISSIONER NOR BASE SAID OF, YEAH, IF YOU ARE, UH, PERHAPS ON A, A VOLUNTEER OR IF YOU SIT ON ANOTHER BOARD AND YOU, AND YOU HAVE SOME, UM, UH, PER AT LEAST PERCEIVED, UM, CONFLICTS THAT MAY, YOU KNOW, HARM A VOTE ON THIS COMMISSION OR ANY COMMISSION, THOSE SHOULD BE, UH, UH, OUTLINED. BUT I DO THINK ANYONE APPOINTED TO A COMMISSION COMES IN WITH IDEAS, THOUGHTS, UM, DEEPLY HELD BELIEFS. AND FOR MANY OF US, THAT IS PART OF THE REASON WHY WE ARE CHOSEN TO BE ON COMMISSIONS FOR THOSE THOUGHTS, BELIEFS, IDEAS. UM, AND SO I, I DO HAVE, I THINK, A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED OF SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE A DEEPLY HELD BELIEF, BUT JUST BECAUSE THEY CHOOSE NOT TO JOIN A, YOU KNOW, VOLUNTEER BOARD WITH THAT BELIEF MAY BE ABLE TO VOTE ON SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE WHO VOLUNTEERS, UH, AS A PART OF THEIR CAPACITY, MAY HAVE TO SIT OUT OF THAT VOTE, EVEN IF THOSE VOTES ARE ON THE DIFFERENT SIDES. I, I DO THINK THAT THAT PRESENTS SOME PROBLEMS. AND I THINK THAT AS WE DISCUSSED THAT WE SHOULD JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, HAVE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF TIME. THEY COME FROM DIFFERENT, UM, MANY MAY HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS. AND JUST TO THINK ABOUT HOW THE IMPACT OF WHATEVER WE DECIDE MAY THE REPERCUSSIONS THOSE MAY HAVE, UM, ON LARGER DISCUSSIONS AND VOTES THAT, UM, PEOPLE WHO WERE PUT ON COMMISSIONS FOR THEIR IDEAS AND THEIR STRONG HELD BELIEFS, AS WELL AS THEIR BACKGROUND, UM, WHAT THAT MIGHT DO. NOT SAYING THAT IF THEY HAVE A TRUE CONFLICT OF INTEREST, THEY SHOULD NOT RECRUIT THEMSELVES. ABSOLUTELY, THEY SHOULD. UM, BUT I, I DO TAKE A LITTLE ONUS THAT IF THERE'S A, A BELIEF OR A PIECE OF THEIR BACKGROUND THAT MIGHT BE PERCEIVED, MERELY PERCEIVED, UM, THAT THAT PERSON WOULD HAVE TO RECUSE THEMSELVES, I, I THINK DOES NOT SIT WELL WITH ME. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE PART OF A LARGER CONVERSATION, BUT NOT SURE. YEAH, I, I DO AGREE. I, THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT BEING MORE PRESCRIPTIVE, BECAUSE I DO NOT AGREE WE SHOULD BE MORE PRESCRIPTIVE ABOUT THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT. I'M ALL ABOUT PROVIDING ADDITIONAL EDUCATION ABOUT WHAT THE CONTOURS OF A PERSONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST MIGHT ENTAIL. BUT IF WE ARE TOO PRESCRIPTIVE ABOUT THIS, THEN WE RISK, UM, IT HAVING A SIGNIFICANT CHILLING EFFECT. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS FROM THE COMMISSION? AND DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. NOW. I WILL BE SHORT. 'CAUSE I PROMISED MY FAMILY I WOULDN'T DO THIS. THIS IS REALLY, REALLY TOUGH. I SUGGESTED IF YOU DO PUBLIC OUTREACH, DON'T PROMISE ANYTHING YOU CAN'T DELIVER, BECAUSE IT'S, I I, I'M NOT CONDEMNING ANY OF YOU, BUT IF I COME TO YOU WITH WHAT I SEE DOCUMENTED ETHICS [00:40:01] PROBLEMS, AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE POWER TO MOVE THEM AHEAD AND HAVE THE CITY LOOK AT IT, IT, IT REALLY CREATES A DISAPPOINTMENT. AGAIN, AT THIS COMMISSION. I APPLAUD YOU. UM, MY CONCERN, AND I THINK COMMISSIONER COLEMAN, YOU HIT IT. IT'S NOT TO PREVENT PEOPLE WHO HAD BELIEFS AND AFFILIATIONS. MY CONCERN IS, EVERYTHING I'VE SEEN IS PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT AND PREFERENTIAL ACCESS TO AGENDA ITEMS, PRESENTATIONS TO THEIR FORMER OR CURRENT ASSOCIATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS AND FRIENDSHIPS OR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER COMMISSIONERS. IT'S NOT TRANSPARENT. AND FROM THE FEW EMAILS I'VE GOTTEN FROM DOCUMENT REQUESTS, IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE IS AN ABSOLUTE STRAIGHT PATH FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS TO TOUCH BASE WITH FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND CITY OFFICIALS WITH NO DISCLOSURE. THE ONE COMMISSION I'VE BEEN MOST CONCERNED WITH. I LOVE THAT ALL OF YOU GO BACK AND FORTH AND AGREE AND DISAGREE. IF YOU WATCH THOSE MEETINGS, IT'S ALWAYS, FOR THE MOST PART, I SAY ALWAYS, SO A HUNDRED PERCENT CONSENSUS IN ONE DIRECTION. SO THERE IS NO ROOM OTHER THAN BY PUBLIC COMMENT TO, TO SPEAK UP. AND THE FEW TIMES I HAVE, I HAVE BEEN SHOUTED DOWN AND ADMONISHED BY COMMISSIONERS. THAT'S MY CONCERN. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? SEEING NONE, UH, WE WILL TAKE THIS ISSUE UP AGAIN, UH, IN, IN, PROBABLY IN THE NEW YEAR. COMMISSIONER YEN. MOTION CARRIES AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS THE 2026 CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE ETHICS COMMISSION AND STRATEGIES TO BOOST PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. I HAVE A MOTION FROM CHIEF COLEMAN, UH, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN, UH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. [4. 25-56969 Recommendation to discuss the 2026 calendar of events for the Ethics Commission and strategies to boost public participation.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] UM, SO THIS ITEM, WE'VE TALKED A NUMBER OF TIMES ABOUT HAVING A, A MEETING IN THE EVENING WHEN IT MAY BE MORE CONVENIENT FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE, UH, AND WHEN WE, IF, IF WE HAVE SUCH A MEETING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO IDENTIFY THE ISSUES OF MOST IMPORTANCE TO THE PUBLIC. UM, SO I'M INTERESTED IN OTHER COMMISSIONER'S THOUGHTS ON WHETHER WE SHOULD HOLD A, A MEETING IN THE EVENING, UH, HOW WE, HOW WE BOOST PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THAT MEETING. UM, AND WHETHER IT'S AN ADDITIONAL MEETING OR A, A SPECIAL MEETING INSTEAD OF A REGULAR MEETING. I, UM, THIS IS MY FIRST ETHICS COMMISSION MEETING. HOWEVER, I'VE WATCHED MOST OF THE VIDEOS ONLINE, AND I WAS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE NUMBER OF ATTENDEES. AND, UM, I DO BELIEVE THAT HAVING A MEETING AFTER WORK HOURS WOULD INCREASE PARTICIPATION. WHILE WE DO OFFER THE ABILITY TO JOIN ONLINE, UH, EVEN THOSE WHO ARE STILL AT WORK WON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE ABILITY TO LOG IN, UM, WHATEVER TYPE OF WORK THEY'RE DOING. SO TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION, WE NEED TO BE MORE ACCESSIBLE. UM, I, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE OFFER FREE PARKING FOR, FOR THE MEETINGS. HOWEVER, IF PEOPLE CAN'T PHYSICALLY GET HERE OR PHYSICALLY LOG ON BECAUSE OF WORK OBLIGATIONS OR OTHER OBLIGATIONS, THEN, THEN WE WILL LOSE THOSE. UM, PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT. COMMISSIONER GILL, UM, FROM THE CITY CLERK'S PERSPECTIVE, ARE THERE NIGHTS THAT WE COULDN'T BE [00:45:01] SUPPORTED OR WOULDN'T HAVE A FACILITY JUST BASED ON OTHER COMMISSIONS, CITY COUNCIL, THINGS LIKE THAT? WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE CALENDAR. I DON'T KNOW IF PHILLIP, YOU KNOW, RIGHT AWAY, BUT YEAH, WE'D, WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE CALENDAR. AND THERE, THERE'S NOT LIKE, NO, YOU COULD NEVER DO IT ON A TUESDAY EXCEPT WHEN THE, THE CITY COUNCIL IS DARK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WOULD THAT BE THE ONLY TIME, UH, MONDAYS ARE RESERVED FOR THE HARBOR? AND THAT'S ABOUT IT. THAT I KNOW OF. OKAY. SO, RIGHT, SO THERE'S MEETINGS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH, BUT THERE AREN'T, I MEAN, WE COULD FIND AN EVENING THAT WORKED WELL FOR YOU ALL. SO, I, I, I, JUST IN THINKING OF SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS I'VE SERVED ON, TYPICALLY WE KNOW OF AN AGENDA ITEM THAT IS GONNA BRING PEOPLE, AND MOST AGENDA ITEMS BRING NOBODY. UM, EVEN FOR THE POINT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETINGS, IF THERE'S NOT SOMETHING REALLY BRINGING UP THE NEIGHBORHOODS ALL UPSET ABOUT OR INTERESTED IN OUR 4,500 PERSON NEIGHBORHOOD, WE'LL GET NINE PEOPLE TO AN ANNUAL MEETING. UM, BUT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IONIZATION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WE WOULD'VE, WE'VE GOTTEN OVERFLOW CROWD OF THREE, 400 PEOPLE. SO TO ME, IT'S VERY MUCH AGENDA DRIVEN, ITEM DRIVEN. SO I'M WONDERING IF IT MAKES SENSE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A SCHEDULED, NORMALLY SCHEDULED EVENING MEETING AS OPPOSED TO A TOPIC DRIVEN SPECIAL TIME MEETING, AND THAT IT ISN'T SOMETHING WE NEED TO SCHEDULED OR CONSIDER TODAY. IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD, IN THE COURSE OF OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS, SAY, WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THIS AGENDA ITEM. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD GET 50 PEOPLE TO WANNA BE INTERESTED IN THIS ITEM, AND THAT WE SHOULD SCHEDULE THAT FOR SIX 30 AT NIGHT, BUT NOT SITTING HERE TODAY, SITTING HERE IN THE FUTURE. YOU KNOW, UH, THAT'S MY THOUGHT IS THAT WE, WE DON'T NEED TO SCHEDULE A EVENING MEETING. NOW, UH, OTHER INPUT, COMMISSIONER EATON, IS IT POSSIBLE TO FLEX IN THE MANNER IN WHICH COMMISSIONER GILL IS DISCUSSING WHERE WE COULD DETERMINE WAS SUFFICIENT ADVANCE NOTICE TO CONDUCT AN EVENING MEETING? I DON'T KNOW. YES. SPECIAL MEETINGS REQUIRE 24 HOUR NOTICE SO THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO SCHEDULE A MEETING OUTSIDE THE REGULARLY A SCHEDULED MEETING SET BY THE BYLAWS. UM, YEAH, WE, WE'D WANT TO HAVE AT LEAST A COUPLE WEEKS NOTICE TO GET PUBLIC TO, FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW WE'RE DOING IT. UH, I THINK, UM, SO NORMALLY THE AGENDA IS SET THE THIRD WEEK OF THE MONTH, SO IT'S THREE WEEKS IN ADVANCE OF THIS MEETING USUALLY. YEAH. UM, BUT AT THE AGENDA SETTING MEETING, IT'S JUST THE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR AND STAFF. AND I WOULDN'T WANT TO HAVE US MAKE THE DECISION THAT, HEY, THAT AGENDA ITEM THAT WE JUST IDENTIFIED IS ONE THAT THERE'D BE A LOT OF PUBLIC, UH, INTEREST IN. SO WE COULD, DURING THE AGENDA SETTING MEETING, IF WE HAD SUCH AN ITEM DECIDE TO DEFER IT AND BRING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION, AND THEN IT WOULD BE A SIX WEEK DELAY BETWEEN THE AGENDA SETTING MEETING AND THE ACTUAL EVENING MEETING FOR THAT ITEM. UM, I ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. AND I, I DON'T THINK WE'VE HAD THAT BEFORE, RIGHT? I LOOK BACK AT WHEN WE, UM, WERE DISCUSSING THE LOBBY AND ORDINANCE ORDINANCE, WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT. UM, WE CHANGED LOCATIONS, MADE SPACE FOR THEM. I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK THAT'S AN ISSUE. UM, BUT I THINK PART OF THE REASON WHY I REALLY, YOU KNOW, I THINK A BUNCH OF US, BUT REALLY WANTED THIS ON THE AGENDA, UM, IS BECAUSE WE CAN, YOU KNOW, DO IT THAT WAY, WHICH IS KIND OF THE NORMAL COURSE OF YOU HAVE A MEETING, YOU THINK SOMETHING IS GOING TO BRING PEOPLE IN. UM, BUT AT THAT POINT, OFTEN FOLKS ARE EITHER UPSET, UM, IN THIS CAPACITY, THERE'S PERHAPS BEEN A DISTRUST OR A BREAK IN ETHICS. UM, AND THAT'S REACTIVE, RIGHT? I, I THINK PART OF THIS IS, I, I WANT TO BE, UH, WE HAVE HAD ISSUES COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION. [00:50:01] PART OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT IS THAT WE CANNOT RESPOND TO PUBLIC COMMENT THAT IS A PART OF THE BROWN ACT. WE, WE CANNOT, WHEN THERE'S A PUBLIC COMMENT, WE SAY, THANK YOU, UM, AND THE PERSON WHO HAS COMMENTED GOES BACK TO THEIR SEAT. AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IN MY OPINION, IF I WAS IN AND I HAVE BEEN IN THAT SEAT, IT'S NOT VERY REWARDING TO BE IN THAT POSITION. RIGHT, ? UM, I THINK THE HOPE HERE IS THAT WE, WE GET A LITTLE CREATIVE. WE PERHAPS FIND A WAY TO MEET, CREATE MORE OF A DIALOGUE IF POSSIBLE, OR AT LEAST MORE OF A, WE'RE A CHANCE TO TRULY HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC A CHANCE TO TRULY, UH, AT A LATER TIME TRULY BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THE CONCERNS ARE, SO THAT FOLKS, WHEN THEY COME, THEY'RE NOT UPSET, THEY CAN COMMUNICATE WITH US, AND THEN WE CAN GO AND LOOK AT WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO? WHAT ELSE CAN WE PUT ON OUR CALENDAR? WHAT ELSE CAN WE COMMUNICATE WITH STAFF ELECTEDS TO HELP, UH, INCREASE THAT TRANSPARENCY, TO HELP INCREASE THAT PUBLIC TRUST? THAT, THAT'S HOW I'M KIND OF ENVISIONING IT. UM, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. WE'D HAVE TO PUT ON OUR THINKING HATS. WE HAVE TO GET A LITTLE CREATIVE. UM, BUT I THINK ESPECIALLY IN THE ETHICS CONTEXT, BEING REACTIVE ISN'T ALWAYS, AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BE, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE BEST WAY IF WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, GET PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY CAN COME TO US AND COME CONSISTENTLY. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE, AS I'M HEARING THAT, THAT, UH, SUGGESTION IT COMES TO MIND. UM, THE LISTENING SESSIONS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE MORE ENGAGING WITH THE COMMENTS THAT ARE BEING MADE. I'M NOT SURE IF WE'VE DONE THAT AS A COMMISSION YET, BUT IF THAT'S THE TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, AS OPPOSED TO, AND I'M SURE ALSO MORE ATTENDEES TO THE MEETINGS, THEN I THINK A LISTENING SESSION WOULD BE GOOD. AND WE CAN DETERMINE WHAT TOPICS, UH, WOULD BE MOST INTERESTING, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING IN OUR CURRENT EVENTS. AND COMMISSIONER NOVE, THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, I COMPLETELY SUPPORT WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN SHARING. UM, IN RESPECT TO, UM, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN'S SUGGESTION, UM, I AGREE. I THINK EDUCATION AND TRANSPARENCY, UM, IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. UH, I THINK IT HELPS DEMYSTIFY, UM, CERTAIN WORDS, LANGUAGE CONCEPTS, RULES OR IDEAS, UM, MORE INTO, UH, PLAIN ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR MANY TO UNDERSTAND. UM, SOME, HE, UH, THAT VICE CHAIR, UH, MENTIONED THE WORD CREATIVE. UM, SOMETHING THAT MAYBE WE COULD DO IS KIND OF DOING AN UNDERSTANDING CITY ETHICS. UM, ETHICS 1 0 1. UM, LET'S SEE WHAT OTHER NOTE I HAVE. AND TO, UM, COMMISSIONER GILL'S SUGGESTION ABOUT, UM, WHETHER IT'S A REGULAR AGENDA OR A TOPIC, A FOCUSED AGENDA. I THINK ALSO SIMPLIFYING THE AGENDA IN VERY PLAIN LANGUAGE, UM, I THINK WOULD HELP, FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA. SOMETIMES WHEN I READ THE, OUR AGENDAS, UM, I MYSELF CAN BE A LITTLE CONFUSED ON THE LANGUAGE. SO I THINK SIMPLIFYING IT FOR THE DAY THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, A PUBLIC MEETING OR A, A COMMUNITY MEETING OR SOMETHING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, I THINK SIMPLIFYING IT WOULD REALLY WORK TO OUR BENEFIT AND TO THE COMMUNITIES. UM, AND YEAH, I MEAN, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS A BIG PART OF, UM, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN THE CITY. I MEAN, WE, WE ARE FORTUNATE TO LIVE IN THE CITY WHERE WE HAVE OUR OWN AIRPORT, OUR OWN PORT HEALTH DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE SO MANY RESOURCES. UH, ONE CAN GO TO SCHOOL FROM KINDERGARTEN ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND GRADUATE FROM CAL STATE LONG BEACH. AND WE CAN ENGAGE THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. LEADERSHIP, LONG BEACH, CAL STATE LONG BEACH, UH, PUBLIC POLICY. UM, WE HAVE A, A, A CENTRAL CHA, WHICH IS THE LATINO COMMUNITY GROUP. WE HAVE THE CENTER, WHICH IS THE L-G-B-T-Q COMMUNITY GROUP. THERE'S SO MANY WAYS AND AVENUES AND COMMUNITIES THAT WE CAN ENGAGE. SO I THINK WE JUST NEED TO DEVELOP SOME PLAN, OUTREACH PLAN TO DO THAT. AND, UM, AGAIN, AND I ALSO AGREE ABOUT, UH, VARYING TIMES, AND I ALSO AGREE ABOUT HOLDING THE MEETING AT OTHER LOCATIONS. I KNOW WE'VE DONE IT IN NORTH LONG BEACH. WE DID IT AT THE LIBRARY, BUT I THINK GOING TO THE WEST SIDE, GOING TO BELMONT SHORE, GOING TO CENTRAL LI TO CENTRAL LONG BEACH WOULD ALSO BE GREAT IDEAS. UM, I JUST WANNA UNPACK ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SAID. MM-HMM . UM, BECAUSE, UH, IN PRIOR YEARS, WE [00:55:01] DID SOME REGULAR MEETINGS AT OTHER LOCATIONS. YES. UM, YES. AND I THINK WE CAN LOOK AT THAT YES. IN ADDITION TO, AS A SEPARATE ISSUE FROM HAVING A SPECIAL MEETING, UH, IN THE EVENING. CORRECT. UM, WE COULD HAVE THE SPECIAL MEETING IN THE EVENING AT ANOTHER LOCATION, BUT, BUT THAT ISSUE DOESN'T HAVE TO STOP US FROM HOLDING A MEETING E ELSEWHERE. THAT'S A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING. ABSOLUTELY. UM, AND ALSO I'M JUST CONCERNED THAT IF WE SET A MEETING IN, IN BELMONT SHOW, FOR EXAMPLE, ON A TUESDAY NIGHT AT 5:00 PM TO ACCOMMODATE WORKING RESIDENCE, IF WE DON'T GET THE AGENDA OUT AND WE DON'T DO THE OUTREACH, AND SOMETHING ON THE AGENDA DOESN'T CALL TO THEM, NO ONE WILL SHOW UP. THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING TO SIMPLIFY THE AGENDA AND JUST, YEAH, THOSE ARE MY, UM, PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS. THANK YOU. YEAH. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. THANK YOU, CHAIR. UM, I JUST WANT TO MAKE A SUGGESTION THAT IF WE DO GO OFFSITE, WE, WHICH WE HAVE DONE WITH ANOTHER COMMISSION, THAT WE LOOK INTO LOCATIONS WHERE THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CALL IN SO THAT WE MAKE OURSELVES MORE ACCESSIBLE. SO I'M NOT SURE WHERE WE ENDED UP. AND I GUESS TO CLOSE OUT THIS ITEM, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS MAYBE GET WITH CHIEF WITH VICE CHAIR COLEMAN . SORRY. IT'S OKAY. LET'S PUT TO , I KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING THERE. UM, UH, LET'S PUT TOGETHER A POTENTIAL AGENDA ITEM FOR A SPECIAL EVENING MEETING ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, A LISTENING SESSION QUOTE, WHAT CAN WE DO TO INCREASE PUBLIC TRUST, UH, TO INCREASE THE UNDERSTANDING OF CITY ETHICS? UM, UH, AND I'M SURE THERE'S MORE TO THAT. SO I'VE, I'VE PULLED WHAT COMMISSIONER VE SAID AND WHAT YOU HAD SAID, MAYBE WE PUT TOGETHER AN AGENDA ITEM FOR A LISTENING SESSION. I THINK THAT'S A, A A A A GOOD IDEA. WE WERE HOPING THAT AT LEAST IF WE STAY WITHIN THE AGENDA, WE CAN HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACK AND FORTH TO ASK PEOPLE TO UNPACK THEIR COMMENT OR THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT SORT OF THING. A LITTLE BIT OF BACK AND FORTH. AND THAT WOULD STILL BE CONSISTENT WITH BROWN ACT AS I UNDERSTAND IT, AS LONG AS WE STAY WITHIN THE AGENDA, UM, AND, AND BRING IT BACK TO THIS GROUP AS TO WHETHER TO SCHEDULE A SPECIAL EVENING MEETING ALONG THAT AGENDA, OR WHETHER WE WAIT AND SEE AS THE YEAR GOES FORWARD, THE AGENDA ITEMS THAT COME UP IN THE AGENDA SETTING MEETING AND SAY, WOW, THIS ONE'S GONNA BE OF INTEREST TO THE PUBLIC. AND SET A MEETING BASED ON THAT. IT, IT COULD EVEN BE END UP BEING TWO DIFFERENT EVENING MEETINGS, OR IT COULD BE THAT ONE OF THOSE OVERTAKES THE OTHER, UH, COMMISSIONER EATON, MAY I JUST MAKE A SUGGESTION THAT IT, A LISTENING SESSION IS GREAT, AND WE'RE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE AND INCREASE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL PROFOUNDLY UNCOMFORTABLE RAISING ISSUES PERSONALLY. AND SO, UM, THAT, MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS ETHICS HOTLINES. AND I UNDERSTAND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH HAS AN ETHICS HELPLINE. I DON'T KNOW HOW WELL UTILIZED THE HELPLINE IS. UM, AND, AND WHAT IT, AND IT'S STATED PURPOSE IS TO COLLECT REPORTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, BUT PERHAPS IF IT'S REPURPOSED AND THERE'S COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AROUND ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO SUBMIT PERHAPS ANONYMOUSLY. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MEETS OUR OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE BROWN ACT FOR CONSIDERATION, BUT JUST AN IDEA AND SOMETHING I WANTED TO PUT FORTH. UM, PEOPLE CAN COMMUNICATE ANONYMOUSLY WITH THE HELPLINE, AND THEY CAN COMMUNICATE ANONYMOUSLY WITH US. THEY CAN, PEOPLE CAN SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT TO US IN ADVANCE ANONYMOUSLY, AND WE GET THEM ANONYMOUS ON OCCASION. BUT JUST AS A MECHANISM FOR INCREASING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, I THINK THE KEY THING IS THAT WE HAVE THIS RESOURCE, THE HELPLINE, BUT PERHAPS THERE HASN'T BEEN A BROADER COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AROUND UTILIZATION OR ITS PURPOSE AND WHAT, UM, AND, AND, AND HOW PEOPLE CAN USE IT. YEAH. I KNOW WE'VE DONE OUTREACH WITHIN THE CITY EMPLOYEE WORKFORCE. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE DONE THAT MUCH OUTREACH TO THE PUBLIC NOW. WE MIGHT TRY THAT TOO. [01:00:02] I, I THINK THAT IT, I, I LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING A, A SCHEDULED LISTENING SESSION, UM, IN THE EVENING. UH, I THINK THAT IT SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE NOT JUST A BACK AND FORTH LISTENING SESSION, BUT IT PROBABLY SHOULD INCLUDE A ETHICS 1 0 1, YOU KNOW, A PRESENTATION OUT OF WHAT IS ETHICS IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, WHAT DOES THE ETHICS COMMISSION DO? UM, HOW DO YOU REPORT ETHIC ISSUES, THINGS LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT ISN'T 30 MINUTES, 'CAUSE EVERYONE WILL LEAVE, UH, . BUT YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT IS CRISP AND MAYBE EVEN IS A ONE OR TWO PAGE HANDOUT TOO THAT, YOU KNOW, MAKES THE REFERENCING REALLY, REALLY SIMPLE. AND THEN GO INTO SOME TYPE OF A LISTENING SESSION. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. YES, I, I AGREE WITH THAT. SO IN OUR LAST LISTENING SESSION ON ANOTHER COMMISSION, WE INVITED, UH, THREE GROUPS TO, UH, PRESENT ON THE TOPIC AT HAND. AND, UH, WE HAD A MEET AND GREET PRIOR TO THE LISTENING SESSION. AND, UH, WITH EACH TOPIC, IT WAS OPENED UP FOR COMMENTS AND THERE WAS JUST A LOT MORE ENGAGEMENT. BUT IF WE COULD CATER, UH, YOU KNOW, THINK OF SOME ORGANIZATIONS THAT, THAT WERE MENTIONED AND HAVE THEM PRESENT, THAT WILL TRIGGER THE CONVERSATIONS. AND, UH, INVITE MORE COMMENTS, HOPEFULLY FROM THE PUBLIC. ANY OTHER INPUT? UM, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF THERE ARE NEW MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT CHAIR. OKAY. UM, WE'LL PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING AND COME BACK, UM, IN DECEMBER. MOTION. CARRIE, UM, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS, AND IF APPROPRIATE, TAKE ACTION ON CANCELING ONE MEETING OF THE ETHICS COMMISSION DURING THE 2026 CALENDAR YEAR. UM, I, I AM GOING TO RE REQUEST, OH, WAIT, I, I GUESS I NEED A MOTION FIRST. OKAY. UH, MOVED [5. 25-56970 Recommendation to discuss, and if appropriate, take action on canceling one meeting of the Ethics Commission during the 2026 calendar year.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] BY COMMISSIONER EATON, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GILLETTE, UM, IN LIGHT OF COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICT'S ABSENCE. UM, AND THIS WAS AN ISSUE THAT HAD COME UP PREVIOUSLY. UM, I'D LIKE TO DEFER DISCUSSION ON THIS ISSUE UNTIL OUR NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING. SO, DO WE VOTE OR JUST MOVE ON? UH, WE CAN VOTE, UH, BUT IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT. WE CAN TABLE THE MOTION TILL GREAT. FURTHER. YEAH. THANKS. OKAY. THE AGENDA ITEM. I KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS, AND IF APPROPRIATE, TAKE ACTION ON CANCELING ONE. NO, THAT'S THE WRONG ONE. I'M SORRY. THAT, OH, DO WE HAVE TO VOTE ON, OH, I'M SORRY. UH, CHAIR. UH, JUST BECAUSE WE DID TAKE A, UH, MOTION, UH, I THINK FOR, UH, UH, THE RULE ORDER, WE STILL WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A, UM, A VOTE IF WE COULD, IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH THAT, TO LAY THE ITEM OVER? TO LAY IT OVER. YES. SO IF I VOTE YES, I'M VOTING TO LAY IT OVER, OVER THE NEXT SCHEDULED, UM, AT A REGULAR MEETING. GOT IT. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. NOW THE ITEM THAT I THINK EVERYONE'S BEEN WAITING FOR RECOMMENDATION, UH, TO DISCUSS ANTICIPATED AD HOC COMMITTEES FOR UPCOMING PROJECTS. AND IF APPROPRIATE, TAKE ACTION TO DISSOLVE, CREATE OR REAUTHORIZE AD HOC COMMITTEES. I HAVE A MOTION. [6. 25-56971 Recommendation to discuss anticipated Ad Hoc Committees for upcoming projects; and, if appropriate, take action to dissolve, create or reauthorize Ad Hoc Committees.        Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] COMMISSIONER GI HAS MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER EATON. UH, OKAY. SO WE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THE [01:05:01] POSSIBLE CREATION OF AN AD HOC COMMITTEE ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ETHICS COMMISSION. UM, I, I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON POLICIES, ANDRS NOW ONLY HAS TWO MEMBERS AND WOULD WELCOME A THIRD OR WELCOME TWO . SO, UM, UH, DO WE WANT TO CREATE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE ON, WE'LL TAKE THE FIRST ONE. FIRST. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ETHICS COMMISSION FOLLOW UP FROM THE PRIOR AD HOC. UM, I WOULD SECOND THAT. UH, DO I HAVE VOLUNTEERS FOR THAT COMMITTEE? I, I'M SORRY. COULD YOU PLEASE RE-EXPLAIN SOMEHOW MY BRAIN DIDN'T FUNCTION ON THAT. WHAT IS THE CURRENT AD HOC COMMITTEE AND EXACTLY WHAT DOES IT DO? UH, THE CURRENT, WELL, I'LL LET YOU VICE CHAIR COLEMAN EXPLAIN THE CURRENT AD HOCS. SURE. SO THERE'S, UM, AR WHICH ARE, UH, THE, UH, SERIES OF POLICIES THAT, UM, JORGE IS STILL, YEAH, JORGE AS WELL AS HEATHER ARE WORKING ON THAT ARE, UH, POLICIES THAT SOMETIMES ARE LEGACY POLICIES, SOMETIMES HAVE BEEN UPDATED. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING REVIEWED BY EVERY, UH, CITY MANAGER, BRANCH OF THE CITY MANAGER'S DEPARTMENT. RIGHT. THERE'S SEVERAL IN THAT WOULD BE IN ANY DEPARTMENT. YEAH. SO WHAT THE VICE CHAIR IS EXPLAINING IS THAT, UM, JORGE, WHO YOU'LL MEET NEXT MONTH, HE IS LEADING AN ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION UPDATE PROJECT. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS WHEN THEY WERE CREATED, WHAT MAY NEED TO BE CHANGED, UPDATED, CREATED. AND THIS IS WITH ALL DEPARTMENTS UNDER THE CITY MANAGER. AND THE MEANTIME, THIS AD HOC, AS THE, AS THE AR PROJECT MOVES ALONG, THEY'RE ALSO LOOKING AT POLICIES. UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE WE LEFT OFF WAS OUR GIFTS AND GRATUITIES ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION, THINGS THAT ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TOUCH ALL EMPLOYEES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATED IN A WHILE. UM, SO THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT THE AD HOC HAS STARTED MOVING FORWARD AND, AND LOOKING AT FIRST, AND AGAIN, WE'VE, I SAY WE, 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN SUPPORTING THE AD HOC, BUT THEY'VE ONLY LOOKED AT ONE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION SO FAR. SO IT'S REALLY UP TO THE COMMISSION AND THE AD HOC ULTIMATELY WHAT POLICIES. BUT THEY'RE, THERE'S, UM, A THEME TO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY ETHICS RELATED POLICIES, THINGS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO EGA, ET CETERA. UM, THERE'S ALSO A THIRD POSSIBLE AD HOC. UM, WE HAVE TALKED A ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS ABOUT, UH, THE RULES AROUND, UH, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA THAT'S CREATED WITH CAMPAIGN FINANCING, CAMPAIGN FUNDING VERSUS SOCIAL MEDIA THAT THEN TRANSFERS FROM DISTRICT OFFICE TO DISTRICT OFFICE FOLLOWING AN ELECTION. UH, SO I, I'VE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR THE CREATION OF AN AD HOC TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT ISSUE. THERE ARE SOME, UH, PROVISIONS IN THE LA CITY MUNICIPAL CODE ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. UM, WE HAVE HAD SOME ISSUES IN LONG BEACH, BUT WE DON'T RIGHT NOW HAVE, UH, CLEAR RULES DIRECTLY ON POINT. COMMISSIONER GILLETTE FOR CLARIFICATION. SO ARE THE THREE POTENTIAL AD HOCS, OR I MAY HAVE LUMPED THEM ALL INTO ONE, IS THE FIRST ONE, THE POLICIES, A REVIEW OF POLICIES INCLUDING LEGACY POLICIES, TWO RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSION, THREE RULES AROUND THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RELATED TO, SO SOCIAL MEDIA ON COMPETING CAMPAIGN. THOSE ARE THE THREE POTENTIAL AD HOCS RIGHT NOW THAT NEED BODIES IN THEM. UH, YES. WE ALSO DID HAVE LAST YEAR FOR NOW . YEAH, LAST YEAR WE DID HAVE AN AD HOC THAT LOOKED AT, UH, UH, CAMPAIGN FILINGS. AND NEXT YEAR IS AN ELECTION YEAR. SO ALTHOUGH WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO SET THAT ONE UP TODAY, UM, WE PROBABLY WILL IN EARLY 2026 [01:10:02] LOOK AGAIN AT WHETHER WE WANT TO ESTABLISH AN AD HOC TO LOOK AT CAMPAIGN FILINGS. AND WE CAN HAVE, PEOPLE CAN BE ON MORE THAN ONE AD HOC, SO LONG AS THE AD HOCS ARE SUFFICIENTLY DISTINCT. AND WE'RE NOT CREATING A SITUATION WHERE SOMEONE IS REALLY A FOURTH ON AN EX ON AN AD HOC, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE ON A DIFFERENT AD HOC DEALING WITH SIMILAR ISSUES. DO YOU WANNA TALK, COMMISSIONER EATON, ARE WE PREPARED TO SHARE WHAT, UH, AD HOC WE'RE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN? BECAUSE I'M INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING ON THE COMMISSION RESPONSIBILITIES AD HOC. I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN GET THE INTEREST TODAY AND MAKE THE DECISION TO CREATE THE AD HOCS AND, UH, AND STAFF THEM. SO COMMISSIONER GILLETTE, I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN THAT AD HOC FOR RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSION CHAIR TO CLARIFY ON THE AR AND THE LEGACY POLICY AD HOC. UM, IF THERE IS, IF THERE IS AN ISSUE, DOES THE AD HOC THEN PROPOSE POLICY OR IS THAT FORWARDED TO SOMEONE ELSE? YES, IT CAN BE A RECOMMENDATION OF POLICY AS WELL. OKAY. UM, I'LL JUMP ON THE AR. WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO JOIN ME ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN AD HOC? IF SOMEONE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE MY SPOT ON THE AR I WILL JOIN THE SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, AD HOC, UH, CHAIR, IF I MAY. I MEAN, WITH COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS, THERE ARE TWO NOW ON THE AR REVIEW AD HOC. SO IF VICE CHAIR WANTED TO SWITCH TO A DIFFERENT AD HOC, THAT WOULD BE OKAY. OKAY. SO, UH, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN WOULD BE RESIGNING FROM THE POLICIES IN AR AD HOC AND JOINING THE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN. OKAY. AND TO BE CLEAR, THE AR IS WHERE THIS MEMO, IT WOULD BE FURTHERED? NO, THIS MEMO WOULD BE FURTHERED ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSION. AND SO FAR WE HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONERS, EATON AND GILLETTE HAVE, HAVE VOLUNTEERED ON THAT ONE. I'M, AND WE COULD HAVE SOME OVERLAP. I, I, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED IT. IT'S, IT'S INTERESTING THAT WE'D ONLY HAVE NEW PEOPLE ON THAT AD HOC. UM, MIGHT BE GOOD. UH, I CERTAINLY WOULD VOLUNTEER FOR THE SOCIAL MEDIA ONE IF THERE WAS A SLOT. SURE. THREE IS FINE. SO COUNSEL , UM, IF I'M ON THE ONE THAT'S DEALING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, COULD I ALSO BE A MEMBER OF, ALTHOUGH NOT DRIVING, JUST AT LEAST IN THE BEGINNING, UH, ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSION, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE HISTORY IS SHARED? YES, THAT'S FINE. OKAY. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. SO I THINK WE, UH, WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE WILL ESTABLISH TWO NEW AD HOCS, ONE ON RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSION WITH COMMISSIONERS, EATON, GILLETTE, AND P*****K, AND A, UH, AN AD HOC ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND CAMPAIGN FUNDING. AND, UH, WITH COMMISSIONERS P*****K, COLEMAN AND GIL. AND WE WOULD ADD COMMISSIONER ANOVA AND SUBTRACT COMMISSIONER COLEMAN FROM THE AD HOC ON POLICIES ANDRS WITH THAT CHANGE IN THE, UH, MOTION. UH, DO, IS THERE ANY OTHER FURTHER DISCUSSION? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? UH, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENTARY. LET'S MOVE TO A VOTE. AND BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE A, A POINT OF ORDER OR A, A CLARIFICATION. SO, UH, THE [01:15:01] RES, UH, THE TWO NEW AD HOCS, THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE, UH, ETHICS COMMISSION WILL BE, UH, UH, MAN BY EATON AND P*****K? NO, EATON. GILLETTE AND P*****K. OKAY. AND GILLETTE. OKAY. AND THEN, UH, THE SECOND, UH, ADDITIONAL AD HOC WILL BE THE, UH, WAS IT SOCIAL MEDIA AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITY, I GUESS WE'LL CALL IT. SO SOCIAL MEDIA AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITY. AND THAT'LL BE, UH, SEATED BY, UH, UH, P*****K, UH, COLEMAN AND GILLETTE. IS THAT RIGHT? UH, NO. P*****K COLEMAN AND GALE GALE. AND THEN, UH, THE LAST EDITION IS THE AD HOC ON POLICY ARS, UH, A NOVE WILL BE, UH, ADDED AND COLEMAN WILL BE REMOVED. IS THAT CORRECT? YES, THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. OKAY. COMMISSIONER GI, DID YOU VOTE? OH, MOTION CARRIES. SO FOR THE NEW FOLKS, THIS NEXT AGENDA ITEM ALSO IS A RECURRING AGENDA ITEM. IT WILL APPEAR ON THE AGENDA FOR EACH MEETING, A RECOMMENDATION TO DIS OH, I SKIPPED SOMETHING. OKAY. NO. UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE ETHICS OFFICER. [7. 25-56972 Recommendation to receive and file a monthly update from the Ethics Officer.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER NOVE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GILLETTE. THANK YOU, CHAIR. JUST A FEW THINGS. UH, A REMINDER FOR THE COMMISSIONERS, I NEED, UH, YOUR ANNUAL RENEWAL COMPENSATION FORM. THERE'S STILL A COUPLE OF YOU. UM, WE HAVE A COUPLE WEEKS, BUT I'LL, I'LL REMIND YOU AGAIN VIA EMAIL. UM, I SHARED WITH THE CHAIR, I WILL BE ABSENT FROM THE DECEMBER MEETING. I'LL BE TRAVELING BACK FROM A CONFERENCE THAT DAY. UH, BUT JORGE AND TYLER WILL BE COVERING FOR ME. THAT BEING SAID, UH, THE COMMISSION AND CHAIR, YOU CAN EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT TYPICALLY THE COMMISSION AND STAFF GET TOGETHER FOR A HOLIDAY DINNER THAT WEDNESDAY. UM, SO THE CHAIR JUST WANTED TO LOOK AT OTHER DAYS TO, TO HAVE THAT HOLIDAY DINNER. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO DECIDE ON THAT DATE TODAY. BUT, UM, JUST TO START THINKING ABOUT, UM, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS PROJECT UPDATE THAT JORGE IS LEADING AND HE WILL, UM, HE'S GONNA BE DOING A PRESENTATION IN JANUARY, UM, IS WHEN HE'LL BRING THE NEXT PRESENTATION. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE A DATE FOR EGA, WHICH IS NOT CALLED EGA ANYMORE. UM, SO ON TUESDAY THE 18TH, WHICH IS NEXT TUESDAY, THE, UH, MAYOR'S ETHICS PACKAGE IS, HAS GONE TO COUNCIL. IT'S ON THE AGENDA, SO IT WILL BE, IT'S HERE. WOW. YEP. UM, LET ME GET MY CALENDAR UP. UH, AND JUST, JUST SO YOU KNOW, YOU'LL READ THE AGENDA ON YOUR OWN. IT, IT'S, THERE'S THREE PARTS AND IT'S REALLY JUST KICKS OFF NOW THE, THE HANDOFF TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, THE REVIEW, UM, ET CETERA, BY THE CITY ATTORNEY. UM, AND AGAIN, THIS WAS ALL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMISSION, UM, INCLUDING THE NAME EGA. SO THE MAYOR WANTED TO CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE THAT HE THOUGHT WAS MORE APPROPRIATE. SO, UH, HE'S CALLING IT, OR HE'S, HE'S CALLING IT THE LONG BEACH FAIR ACT. UM, AND FAIR IS ACCOUNTABILITY, INTEGRITY. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT IS, BUT IT HAS TO DO WITH OUR VALUES. UM, BUT YEAH, IT'S VERY EXCITING THAT AFTER YEARS, YEAH, WE'RE FINALLY ON THE AGENDA, LITERALLY YEARS. UM, AND SO FOR THE NEW FOLKS, UM, THE PRIOR ME, THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED ME AND THE VICE CHAIR TO APPEAR ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. SO ONE OF THE FEW TIMES THAT WE ACTUALLY CAN STAND AT THE PODIUM AND SAY, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE ETHICS COMMISSION. AND JUST TO CONFIRM CHAIR, THE, THE ACT WILL BE CALLED THE FRAMEWORK, THE LONG BEACH FRAMEWORK FOR ACCOUNTABILITY, INTEGRITY, AND REPORTING, WHICH IS, UM, THEY BE CALLED THE FAIR ACT AND REPORTING. OKAY. AND IF I UNDERSTAND IT, THAT INCLUDES [01:20:01] WHAT WE PUT FORWARD EGA, INCLUDING THE LOBBYING PROVISIONS PLUS APPARENTLY THE MAYOR HAS ADDED SOME THINGS. JUST SOME MODIFICATIONS. SOME MODIFICATIONS THAT HE'S TAKEN YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS INTO CONSIDERATION AND MADE HIS OWN. AND IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN QUICKLY SEE WHAT, WHERE HIS MODIFICATIONS ARE? WE CAN READ THE COUNCIL LETTER. YOU SAW THE STAFF ANNOTATION THAT WENT OUT, UHHUH, . UM, SO THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT HE'S PROPOSED. OKAY. IS INCLUDING, BUT OF COURSE, ONCE THE CITY ATTORNEY BEGINS THEIR REVIEW, THEIR VERY THOROUGH REVIEW PROCESS, SOME OF THAT COULD CHANGE JUST BASED ON LEGALITIES, ET CETERA. OKAY. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. WELCOME. EXCITING AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. AND WILL YOU SUGGEST A FEW DATES, UH, SEND AN EMAIL OUT TO EVERYONE ABOUT, WITH A FEW DATES FOR THE HOLIDAY DINNER? YEP. OKAY. I MEAN, MY EVENINGS ARE PRETTY OPEN, SO WE'LL, WE'LL PICK A DATE. AND IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT CHAIR, MOVE TO A VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. NOW, THIS IS THE ITEM WHERE THIS WILL, UH, FOR THE NEW FOLKS, THIS ITEM APPEARS ON REGULARLY ON OUR AGENDAS, UM, RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL AGENDA ITEMS FOR FUTURE COMMISSION MEETINGS. AND THIS IS JUST AN OPPORTUNITY IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU BELIEVE WE OUGHT TO TAKE UP AND LOOK AT, UM, [8. 25-56973 Recommendation to discuss potential agenda items for future Commission meetings.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] THAT YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT CONSISTENT WITH THE BROWN ACT AND THEN IT WOULD BECOME AN AGENDA ITEM IN THE FUTURE. AND I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER GILL, SECONDED BY COMM, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN. AND DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDAS? AND IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT CHAIR. LET'S MOVE TO A VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. AND IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON ANY NON AGENDA ITEMS? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON NON AGENDA ITEMS, UH, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW. NO PUBLIC COMMENT. CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS. WELCOME . UM, IT'S WONDERFUL IN MY VIEW TO HAVE YOU ALL OF OUR NEW PARTICIPANTS, OUR NEW COMMISSIONERS. UM, AND I THINK THIS IS [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Ethics Commission on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] SUCH AN INTEGRAL [ANNOUNCEMENTS] PART, ALTHOUGH I SECOND THE VICE CHAIR'S COMMENTS THAT WE WILL MISS THE COMMISSIONERS WHO HAVE MOVED OFF. UM, THIS IS PART OF THE RENEWAL PROCESS OF DEMOCRACY THAT WE BRING IN NEW PEOPLE AND NEW IDEAS. AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO WORK WITH YOU, UH, MOVING FORWARD. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW YOU BETTER. ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? MOVE TO ADJOURN? WE CAN ADJOURN THIS MEETING. THE TIME IS 4 25. THANK YOU. AND I'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF CAKE IN THE BACK. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.