The Grand Jury strongly believes that this report as well as last year’s report should be taken as a cautionary note to the new members of the Council. They can profit from a bad example. We also strongly urge the City Manager and City Attorney to brief the new City Council Members on their legal roles and responsibilities as well as give the carry over City Council Members a refresher course on these issues. – Excerpted from: Postscript to FY2007/2008 Grand Jury’s Report On The City of Livingston
WHEREAS, protection from abusive work environments should apply to every worker, and not be limited to legally protected class status based only on race, color, gender, national origin, age, or disability. – Excerpted from: Proclamation Declaring October 14-20, 2018 as “Freedom from Workplace Bullies Week”.
IMPROPER INFLUENCE: Public Officials and City Employees shall refrain from using their position to improperly influence the deliberations or decisions of City staff, Boards, Commission, Committees or City Council.
COUNCIL-MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Everyone shall respect and adhere to the Council-Manager structure of the City of Livingston City Government as provided for under State and local law. Excerpts from: City of Livingston Code of Ethics – Council Meeting Date: 9/18/18
Livingston California: 09/16/2018
At the September 18, 2018 City Council Meeting, the City Council will, once again take up the topic of a Code of Ethics. The last time I remember this topic coming up with any degree of seriousness was back in February of 2012. After a lengthy discussion, direction was given that staff revise the document and bring it back to the Council for consideration.
It seems, attempts at revisions went by the wayside and slipped into the realm of Political Limbo: the place where things are postponed as long as possible or eventually forgotten. Jose Antonio Ramirez, City Manager and author of the drafted Code of Ethics, eventually decided to resign “out of the blue”around December of 2014.
After a couple of years of not being able to hire and retain a “permanent” City Manager for more than two months or so, Livingston managed to coax Mr. Ramirez back into the City Manager’s Chair in May, 2017.
Now that Mr. Ramirez has been back for a while, and there have been a few “new faces” on the City Council since the first Ethics-go-round, he might be thinking the timing is right to get a Code of Ethics on the books.
(Yes. I know. Elected Officials are supposed to take Ethics Training. But, some of Livingston’s elected officials have already been the subject of at least one Grand Jury Investigation for harassing, intimidating, and otherwise messing with how City Employees do their jobs.)
Now that we are only a few short weeks away from another General Election, we’ll get to see if a Code of Ethics is actually adopted on Tuesday, postponed until after the elections in November, or once again dropped into Political Limbo for a few more years.
BTW. Shouldn’t “Freedom from Workplace Bullies” be a year-round thing?
The Gardening Snail 2 