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Published on 07/31/1995 All articles from this issue

LA Council passes election ethics code, sort of

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By Jan Shaw

Special to the Town Crier

Billed as a first step toward clean campaigns, the Los Altos City Council last week approved a code of ethics to be included in election packets candidates receive.

Council and audience members said no criticism will fall on candidates who chose not to sign the ethics pledge, which includes raising money primarily from the local community and refraining from dishonest campaigns or "scurrilous attacks" on candidates and their families.

Council member Patti Williams said the city will "try out these concepts," to see if they work and make changes if needed.

"I think it sets a tone for the campaign," said Council member Dave Reeder, "but I would like to see some voluntary spending limits."

The Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, the Los Altos Homeowners League, Los Altos Tomorrow and the Los Altos Village Association, who developed and reviewed the code, were not able to agree on campaign spending limits. Over the last decade, campaign costs mushroomed from a few thousand dollars to run for the city council to up to $21,000 in some instances.

Nor does the code of ethics prevent anonymous campaign literature, often used to attack a candidate.

That practice is protected by a series of state and federal supreme court decisions, said City Attorney Bob Booth. However, state fair campaign practices rules do place some limitations on anonymous literature if it is mailed and not hand-delivered, he said.

The code of ethics includes: Conducting campaigns openly and truthfully; repudiating outside support that resorts to unethical tactics or methods; refraining from leveling charges at opponents so close to the end of the campaign that they don't have time respond; and attacking opponents on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, physical health or age.

Mayor Bob Gray argued that the signature line at the bottom of the code of ethics should be eliminated, so that it would be informational, rather than an agreement.

"It's demeaning to put it in the packet because of the quality of people we have in the city," Gray said. He was the lone vote against including the code in election material.

Signing the code is voluntary and becomes a matter of public record at the declaration of candidacy, said city clerk Carol Scharz. The state code of fair campaign practices, which is required to be distributed to all candidates, is treated in a similar manner, she said.