First 5 commissions can face interesting challenges relating to
public trust in their decision-making processes. State law
encourages knowledgeable individuals to participate in First
5 decision-making.
This can result in situations in which individuals either
may be (or may be perceived to be) on both sides of the
decision-making process:
Influencing funding decisions, and
Being a part of organizations that benefit from those very
same decisions.
To respond to local agencies’ interest in understanding more
about the hows and whys of adopting ethics codes, the Institute
developed a guide to walk them through the process.
A positive, values-based ethics code can underscore an agency’s
commitment to ethics in public service. The following California
local agencies have adopted codes of ethics.
The November 2011 issue of Public Management Magazine
includes an interesting article on a bottom-up approach to
developing an employee code of ethics. Authors Kevin Duggan and
Kevin Woodhouse detail the process of developing and, most
importantly, implementing a code of ethics.
Recognizing the sensitive role that procurement practices can
play in the public’s trust public agency decision-making, the
National Institute of Governmental Purchasing has a code of
ethics for those involved in purchasing or materials management.
