Nearly 10 years after a grand jury report noted serious ethical concerns in Alameda County, it is still one of the only counties in the wider Bay Area that does not have an ethics policy, a whistleblower procedure, or both.
A new Alameda County civil grand jury report outlines a series of ethical issues that have persisted over the past half decade, including nepotism and a lack of oversight regarding discretionary spending of public money. The report did not name names or refer to specific incidents.
“Despite repeated findings from prior grand juries on ethical violations, and a specific recommendation to establish an ethics policy and reporting mechanism in 2015, the Board of Supervisors has not acted for nearly a decade,” stated the latest civil grand jury report, released on Friday. “Alameda County’s lack of an Ethics Policy and Code of Conduct specific to the county indicates that ethical government is not a priority.”
Civil grand juries are composed of county residents who serve as local government watchdogs; the county is legally obligated to respond to their recommendations—but not to implement them.
After the 2015 civil grand jury first raised concerns about Alameda County’s “ethical climate,” county officials said they would consider adopting a countywide ethics policy. After some discussion, the county ultimately chose not to, citing existing conflict of interest laws and whistleblower protections.
Even with the added scrutiny, ethical questions have continued...
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