Ethics Articles

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The Influence of Partisan Politics on Government

The Public Sector Roundtable hosts former Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards

View From Sacramento

Materials from a meeting of the Public Sector Roundtable on how state and local government can work together

Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Government Service

Questions that public officials should ask before making a decision
Joe Simitian and Judy Nadler

How the State Legislature Impacts Local Government

How empathy can help state and local legislators work together more effectively
Joe Simitian and Judy Nadler

The Dhaka Factory Fire: Who Is Responsible?

Is the Bangladeshi government or the factory owner more at fault for a fire that killed 112 people?
Saayeli Mukherji and Noah Rickling

Ethical Challenges in the City Manager/City Councilmember Relationship

Three scenarios depicting typical ethical issues that arise between councilmembers and managers
Frank Benest

Effective Council/Manager Relations

Materials from a meeting of the Pubic Sector Roundtable
city manager, city council

Do's and Don'ts for City Managers and City Councilmembers

Advice for new city officials from an advisor to the International City/County Management Association
Frank Benest

Ten New Rules for Elected Officials in Times of Economic Meltdown

Senior adviser to the International City/County Management Association advises public servants to focus on the core.
Frank Benest

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries: Ethical Challenges for Local Government

Cities debate the best way to deal with medical marijuana
Miriam Schulman

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries: Ethical Challenges for Cities

Ethical questions for municipal officials on allowing, siting, and monitoring medical marijuana dispensaries

Old Guard vs. New Guard

A dynamic new city manager comes into conflict with the previous city manager, now elected to the city council. One policy they disagree about: the need for a city code of ethics and values.
Judy Nadler

Land Use Decisions and Community Values

In this case study, city council must decide whether to allow a restaurant that features "scantily clad" waitresses to occupy a vacant storefront.
Judy Nadler

Handling Council Critics

Does incivility violate a city's code of ethics?
Jason Wu

Ethics and the Assessor

PowerPoint presentation for the California Assessors Association 106th Annual Conference on doing the publics business with transparency and integrity
Kirk O. Hanson

On Ethics and Immigration

Arizona Governor looks at ethical issues in developing policy on illegal immigration.
Janet Napolitano

Sunshine reform

Testimony to the San Jose City Council on improving government transparency.
Judy Nadler

Ethics and City Hall

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed outlines reforms.
Suruchi Bhutani

Ethics of Leaking

How to tell whether a leak is worth publishing--or taking seriously
Kirk O. Hanson and Jerry Ceppos

Personal Lives of Public Officials

Ethical issues at the boundary between a politician's personal and public behavior
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

Civility

An introduction to the ethical issues for public officials.
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

Civil Disagreement

A case exploring the limits of public debate
Judy Nadler

Name Calling on the Council

When the mayor and a councilmember disagree vociferously, is it unacceptable conduct or just the normal rough and tumble of politics?
Judy Nadler

No Such Thing as a Free Ticket

A case involving a gift to a government official
Judy Nadler

Councilmember and the Manager

A city councilmember must decide if he can impartially review the performance of the city manager.
Judy Nadler

Relationships Between Elected Officials and Staff

An introduction to the ethical issues that arise between city or county staff and councilmembers or supervisors.
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

Evolution of Human Rights Norms and Machinery

Bertrand G. Ramcharan, former United Nations High Commissioner, offers his perspectives on the evolution of human rights norms and machinery.
Bertrand G. Ramcharan

Open Meetings: A Case Study

An executive session makes citizens question a city council's decision on rezoning.
Judy Nadler

Open Meetings, Sunshine Laws, and Transparency in Government

An introduction to the topic including definitions, dilemmas, cases, and links.
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

What Would a Real Ethics Refresher Course Look Like?

Advice for the Congress and White House about ethical leadership.
Judy Nadler

The Case of the Extra Mile

Ethics case addressing the work-life balance for public employees.
Kirk O. Hanson

The Case of the Mangled Data

Ethics case addressing the responsibility of public employees to provide accurate information.
Kirk O. Hanson

Supreme Court on Educational Diversity

From my standpoint as a constitutional law professor, a particularly interesting strand of the Grutter majority opinion is the reliance upon the First Amendment to uphold the right of public universities to value student body racial diversity.
Margaret M. Russell

Politics, the Supreme Court, and Affirmative Action

The decision in Grutter v. Bollinger that it was constitutionally permissible for public colleges and universities to consider race in student admissions was transparently political, in the sense that the outcome was grounded more in the political choices of the justices and the surrounding political context than in any objective legal principles.
Brad Joondeph

Unavoidable Ethical Dilemmas of Newly-Elected Local Officials

As part of the Center's commitment to government ethics, Senior Fellow Judy Nadler convened 13 mayors and council members for Santa Clara and San Mateo counties to share the top ethical dilemmas confronting every person who comes into local elected office.
Judy Nadler

Alice Hayes and Affordable Housing

A new city councilmember must weigh the community's need for affordable housing with the desire to preserve open space.
Judy Nadler

Business as Usual

A retired city engineer goes back to work for the city as an independent contractor. When he bids for a job, a councilmember raises questions.
Judy Nadler

Case of the Big Box Retailer

A revenue shortfall causes a city council to consider the tax benefits from a big-box retailer versus the potential harm to established small businesses.
Judy Nadler

The Mayor and the Manager

A case exploring the proper relationship between city councilmembers and city staff.
Judy Nadler

Old Friends and Conflicts of Interest

How do relationships with "old friends" change when someone is elected to public office?
Judy Nadler

Sex in the City

Is an elected official's personal life legitimately "private"?
Judy Nadler

Right of Way

As the California coastline changes because of the ocean's continual pounding, the question is asked who has access to the fluctuating landscape?
Rob Elder

Ethical Implications of California's Recall Election

A panel discussion with SCU professors of political science.
Ethics at Noon

Budget Crunch Ethics

A California State Assembly member discusses the ethical choices legislators face during a budget crisis.
Joe Simitian

State's accounting tricks cheat future taxpayers

The responsibility of one generation is shifted to the next by accounting gimmicks.
William K. Black

The Case of the Sikh Temple

Plans for a 94,000 square foot structure raise questions about the zoning of a house of worship.
Mark Ralkowski

Privacy vs. Security

The Center's Framework for Ethical Decision making is applied to privacy vs. security concerns in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
Bharath Krishnamurthy

The Cyber City Network

An online network for city services raises questions about access and whether the provision of services electronically will increase disparities between rich and poor.
Thomas Shanks