TITLE
Recommendation to, by motion of the City Council, direct City Clerk to create a Campaign Ethics Guide specific to the City of Long Beach, and direct City Clerk to distribute the Guide for the April 2014 election by electronic and print.
DISCUSSION
The City of Sunnyvale, City of Livermore, City of Santa Clara and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University have prepared information for voters concerning the key questions and tools that they need in order to evaluate campaign ethics fairly. The City of Sunnyvale has compiled this information into a "Campaign Ethics Guide" (http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Portals/O/Sunnyvale/Publications/Ethics%20Pub%202009- Final.pdf) which it has distributed to the public since 2007.
The "Campaign Ethics Guide" contains:
Explanation of "fair" and "unfair" campaigning.
Things to watch out for in a political campaign - behavior, mailers and last minute attacks.
City of Sunnyvale Ethics Code, including conduct, prohibition on use of city facilities, resources and staff for campaigning, and restrictions of gifts. Where and how to register to vote.
Resources for Campaign Ethics Questions and Concerns.
The "Campaign Ethics Guide" is provided for voters because the City Council of Sunnyvale believes that "ethics in government really begins at the ballot box, when voters compare candidates and choose who will best represent their interests on the City Council. Increasingly, voters have said that they want to elect individuals who are competent and ethical, but that they need some assistance on how to assess ethics."
Adoption of a "Campaign Ethics Guide" with specific information for the Long Beach voter will be another positive step in the many taken by the City Council concerning campaign reform and promoting ethics in government.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City of Sunnyvale spends $6,000 each election to print the attached Guide.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
GERRI...
Click here for full text