A quotation on real political leadership from Jim Wallis’s The Soul of Politics.

The City of Santa Clara’s response to the Civil Grand Jury report on Measure J.

The City of Santa Clara’s official response dated September 22, 2016.

An updated version of the Civil Grand Jury’s “Outplayed” report.

A chart of trustworthy-leader behaviors.

The City of Santa Clara’s full response to the Civil Grand Jury’s “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” report.

The separate response of Mayor Gillmor and Councilmember Watanabe to the “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” grand jury report.

The City’s clarifications regarding the Civil Grand Jury’s “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” report.

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The Institute for Local Government’s good-governance checklist.

A 2016 biography of Dr. Tom Shanks.

A resource on ethical leadership.

A resource on everyday ethics challenges in public service.

The final 2006 Santa Clara ethics survey report.

An analysis of Levi’s Stadium’s economics by economists at the College of the Holy Cross.

A discussion of establishing an independent ethics commission.

A City Ethics article, “Appearance Is All We Have.”

A resource on the fiduciary duties of public officials.

Milpitas’s final municipal ethics code.

A 2004 stakeholder report on Milpitas’s ethics program.

A final document from Milpitas’s ethics program.

Final ethical standards from Milpitas’s ethics program.

A final report from Milpitas’s ethics program.

A guide to municipal law.

“Open & Public,” a guide to California’s open-meeting (Brown Act) requirements, revised 2016.

An article on the science of ethical missteps — why well-intentioned people make poor ethical choices.

A Polco report on public trust in local government.

A Silicon Valley Voice article on the city union blaming the dismissed City Manager for poor morale.

A Western City magazine article on establishing a council code of conduct.

Protocols for Milpitas’s Ethics Evaluation Panel.

A 2005 decision of Milpitas’s Ethics Evaluation Panel in the complaint by H. Wolf Reid.

A leadership resource on the GROW model of coaching and mentoring.

A worksheet for selecting elements of a municipal ethics code.

The 2007 Santa Clara ethics survey report.

A facilitation exercise (“red light / green light”).

Leadership Santa Clara program materials (2018).

An Edelman report on the focus on trust in Silicon Valley.

A guide to setting and achieving goals.

A resource on identifying and living your personal values.

A team-building icebreaker for meetings.

An essay by Dr. Tom Shanks on the ethics challenge in public service.

A reflection guide from Milpitas’s ethics program (March 2005).

A summary of Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.

A resource on exemplary leadership.

An overview of core concepts in ethics.

A 2018 collection of quotations on ethics.

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An explainer on ethical awareness — what it is and why it matters.

Creating and Maintaining a Corporate Ethical Culture (Georgetown: Woodstock Center, 1990). A short volume presenting the results of a two-year study by leaders from corporate, nonprofit, government, and academic life on building an ethical culture. Lists strong values and practical suggestions, and includes a few pages of questions an organization can ask itself to assess its own ethical culture.

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Leadership Santa Clara materials on “the heart of the matter.”

A leadership-development exercise (“High Five”).

The STAR test — process steps for acting at our best for public trust (2016).

The STAR test — process steps for acting at our best for public trust (May 2019).

The five components of public trust in Santa Clara.

Ethical Decision Making in Santa Clara — a pocket-card tool bringing together the Code of Ethics & Values, ethical decision-making steps, and the good-governance guiding principles.

A set of fundamental readings in ethics.

The Santa Clara Stadium Authority’s proposed FY 2026–27 operating, debt-service, and capital budget.

The Amended and Restated Stadium Lease, dated June 19, 2013, governing Levi’s Stadium.

The first amendment to the Levi’s Stadium lease.

The Santa Clara Stadium Authority’s adopted FY 2025–26 operating, debt-service, and capital budget.

A three-year survey study of public trust and ethics in the City of Santa Clara.

The City Council’s final response to the Civil Grand Jury report “Irreconcilable Differences” (2024).

The joint response of the Santa Clara City Council and Stadium Authority Board to the “Irreconcilable Differences” grand jury report (2024).

Councilmember Kevin Park’s response to the Civil Grand Jury report “Irreconcilable Differences” (2024).

Councilmember Raj Jain’s response to the Civil Grand Jury report “Irreconcilable Differences” (2024).

Councilmember Karen Hardy’s response to the Civil Grand Jury report “Irreconcilable Differences” (2024).

Councilmember Raj Chahal’s response to the Civil Grand Jury report “Irreconcilable Differences” (2024).

Councilmember Anthony Becker’s response to the Civil Grand Jury report “Irreconcilable Differences” (2024).

Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s response to the Civil Grand Jury report “Irreconcilable Differences” (2024).

Dr. Tom Shanks’s public comment on Santa Clara’s charter review, with the City’s response.

A checklist for good governance.

Robert Wechsler’s “Local Government Ethics Programs” (City Ethics, Inc.).

A concise overview of local-government ethics.

With approved Good Government Guiding Principles, Approved Jan. 12, 2010Thank you for reading this post, don’t forget to …

A Mercury News article (October 21, 2004) on “Final Word” candidate forums in Milpitas and Santa Clara.

A Statista chart showing San Francisco 49ers revenue from 2001 to 2024.

An “Everyday Ethics” resource (December 2007).

A Markkula Center for Applied Ethics resource on public officials as fiduciaries.

The City of Santa Clara’s Leadership Santa Clara program.

Dr. Tom Shanks’s 2022 op-ed in the Mercury News.

Guiding principles for good governance.

An overview of the fiduciary duties owed by public officials.

The Santa Clara Stadium Authority Board’s budget policy.

The Santa Clara Stadium Authority Board’s governance policy.

Materials on the independent ethics commission, dated July 11, 2023.

A guide for candidates on building public trust.

A Silicon Valley Voice editorial on the 2018 election.

Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices (Formerly Ethics Commission) Role of the Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices The San José Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices monitors compliance with all campaign and ethics ordinances in the San José Municipal Code. The board reviews and investigates allegations of violations of the Code and makes recommendations for enforcement action where appropriate. The Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices also makes recommendations to the council with regard to campaign and ethics regulations and policies. The San José Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices is charged under Chapter 12.04 of the San José Municipal Code to investigate complaints alleging violations of Title 12 of the San José Municipal Code and take enforcement action. Formal regulations are adopted by the City Council to ensure that all interested parties are apprised of and understand the procedures by which a fair hearing will be conducted. The board comprises of five members, each serving a four-year term. (Resolution RES2023-312)Thank you for reading this post, don’t forget to …

This is the staff report for the Governance and Ethics Committee meeting on January 16, 2026 at 10 a.m. on Friday.  The consultant spent the whole time presenting a report on ethics commissions, which was not distributed in advance.  These documents were not discussed.  These documents are very difficult for residents to follow.  They repeat current ethics documents, behavioral standards say they are pending other decisions, etc.  Read news articles and see “the crisis” page.Thank you for reading this post, don’t forget to …

The first of a series of articles by Route Fifty, a news outlet focusing on state and local government.  We don’t have enough experience with Route to judge its credibility.Thank you for reading this post, don’t forget to …

Councilmember Kathy Watanabe’s response to the Civil Grand Jury report “Irreconcilable Differences” (2024).

The Civil Grand Jury’s “Outplayed” report examining Measure J and the relationship between the City of Santa Clara and the San Francisco 49ers.

The Civil Grand Jury’s “Outplayed” report on the Santa Clara City Council and Stadium Authority Board.

The City of Santa Clara’s official response to the Civil Grand Jury’s “Outplayed” report on the city’s dealings with the 49ers.

The City of Santa Clara’s response to the Civil Grand Jury’s “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” report.

A LinkedIn article on the City Attorney’s position that the Stadium Authority is not part of the charter review.

Santa Clara’s municipal Code of Ethics and Values — the city’s formal statement of the ethical standards its officials and employees pledge to uphold.

Agenda and supporting documents for the proposed replacement ethics code.

Behavioral standards prepared by the city’s labor and employment consultant, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore (LCW).

A candidate guide for the November 5, 2024 presidential general election.

The Institute for Local Government’s guide to developing a local-agency ethics code.

A photograph of the Santa Clara City Council.

A summary of accomplishments from Santa Clara’s ethics program.

Figures on San Francisco 49ers revenue.

Unsportsmanlike-Conduct-SantaClaraCityCouncilThank you for reading this post, don’t forget to …

2009: Proposal to City Manager for a special project to raise and advise on ethics issues with the Levi Stadium.  Includes ethics impact report attachment plus Mercury and Chronicle Stories about the 49er stadium and another attachment with resources from ethics studies of other stadia as of 2009.Thank you for reading this post, don’t forget to subscribe! PUBLIC TRUST IMPACT REPORT Few City decisions have as much potential impact on the public’s trust as the decision about the 49ers new stadium. Three recent City surveys show the very close correlation between residents’ perceptions of leadership ethics and public trust. 49er-related ethics issues are already part of the public discussion, but the ethics issues are regularly ignored or treated as an optional add-on in the decision process. These issues include public vs. private meetings, potential conflicts of interest, best use of City resources, best ways to advance the Santa Clara community, stadium financing and revenue vs the City’s general fund, land use, and other public trust and ethics issues. To be sure that ethics and values issues are fully integrated into the City’s decision process, this proposal recommends that a public trust impact report be part of the Staff’s recommendation for Council decisions. REPORT DESCRIPTION The Public Trust Impact Report would discuss the various proposals under discussion from the perspectives of the City’s Code of Ethics and Values and the City Ethical Decision-Making Pocket Card. This report would not make a judgment about what is right or wrong. Rather, it would focus on the potential impact of the proposals on public trust and would explore potential: • harms and benefits of the proposals for City stakeholders; • rights and duties, and fairness issues; • implications for the common good; • And which City core values are advanced or are in conflict under the various proposals. Making these perspectives a formal part of the Council discussion will continue to integrate ethics into the operating culture of City Hall and will reinforce for residents the Council’s commitment to impeccable ethics. It could also serve as a model for other City policy decisions by the Council or …