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Orange County Supervisors revisit ethics code in wake of Andrew Do corruption scandal
The Orange County seal inside the Orange Could Board of Supervisors' meeting room.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Topline:
The Orange County Board of Supervisors will discuss whether to revise its code of ethics, including to improve protection for whistleblowers.
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OC poised to strengthen ethics code in scandal's wake
The backstory: Last year, the board asked county officials to recommend ways to strengthen its ethics code in the wake of the corruption scandal involving former Supervisor Andrew Do. He was sentenced in June to five years in prison on a felony bribery charge for receiving kickbacks in exchange for lucrative county contracts.
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What are the proposed changes? County officials are proposing:
- A new section aimed at protecting whistleblowers. It would state that no county official or employee will “discourage, restrain or interfere with, or effect a reprisal” against any person reporting a potential wrongdoing or abuse of authority."
- A requirement that county supervisors review and sign a copy of the code of ethics upon taking office.
- A sentence stating that county officials and employees “shall not act for personal gain.”
You can read more about the proposed changes here.
What’s next? The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on whether to adopt the changes at its next meeting on Aug. 12. Here's how you can attend in person, or via Zoom.
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