Recognizing Ethics Issues in Real Time — Part 3 of 3 Few people expected Santa Clara’s July 14 Charter discussion to become one of the City Council’s best deliberations in quite some time. After more than nine months of work, the Charter Review Committee had completed its assignment. The City Attorney’s Office had prepared a … Read more
The Conversation Santa Clara Hasn’t Had in 20 Years Recognizing Ethics Issues in Real Time — Part 2 of 3 The Motion During the July 14 City Council/Stadium Authority meeting, Council Member Kevin Park proposed scheduling a future discussion of what it would take to bring an election ethics advisor back to Santa Clara for … Read more
The Santa Clara pocket card was a training tool decision-makers used in the first few years after the Council approved the 2000 Ethics Code. It was designed to be folded in half, with one side focused on ethical decision-making and the other on the Code’s core values. The card was placed at each Council seat … Read more
Every important City decision changes people’s lives for better or worse. Decision-makers with that kind of power have a responsibility to do everything they can to make sure their decisions do the greatest good and the least harm. It is critically important that cities give the ethics questions that are part of every important City … Read more
This article was originally posted to LinkedIn on October 24, 2025 Why That’s Indefensible Recently, the City of Santa Clara approved a major deal: the Santa Clara Stadium Authority (SCSA) voted to accept a roughly $6.4 million reimbursement agreement tied to hosting Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. Anyone who follows Santa Clara knows that … Read more
This article was originally posted to LinkedIn on October 29, 2025 An Important Discussion Today Today (Thursday, October 30, 2025) at 10 a.m. via Zoom, Santa Clara’s Governance & Ethics Committee will review the city’s Gift Policy and a new policy on event/seat tickets. If the city gets these right, trust can begin to rebuild. … Read more
A Case Study: Should the City Keep or Eliminate Senior Center Fees? At the June 23, 2026 City Council meeting, several residents asked the Council to eliminate the fees seniors pay to use the Senior Center. Suppose you were a Council member. How would you make the decision? Where Do I Begin? The first step … Read more
The Charter Review Committee did admirable and extensive work — but voters should judge the proposed Charter by what it leaves out: the kind of city Santa Clara wants to become, the Stadium Authority, a real ethics code, and the protection of meaningful public engagement. Read more
Buried in the 2022 Civil Grand Jury report “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” is a concise statement of what public office requires: the fiduciary duties every Council member and city staffer owes the people they serve — care, loyalty, impartiality, accountability, and preserving the public’s trust. Here’s why Santa Clara should measure every official against them. Read more
Independent-expenditure committees funded by the San Francisco 49ers have spent more than $10 million across three Santa Clara City Council elections — over $1 million on a single race against a roughly $26,000 voluntary cap. A look at what that imbalance has bought, and what it means heading into November 2026. Read more
Working to improve the ethics quality of local government decision-making — toward a city government of, by, and for the people.