Politics

S.D. County Grand Jury Recommends County Ethics Commission

By Alison St John / Reporter

Published April 27, 2010 at 1:01 PM PDT

This story was published more than 13 years ago.

The San Diego County Grand Jury says the city’s Ethics Commission should be more independent. In a report released today, the grand jury also recommends the County form an Ethics Commission.

The Grand Jury report coincides with Mayor Jerry Sanders’ announcement of four new ethics mommissioners.

The city commission has been hobbled by too few appointments to its board in recent months.

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The Grand Jury repeated earlier calls for an Ethics Commission that is more independent from the elected officials it monitors. The report calls for a ballot measure to establish the commission as an independent body with a budget that is not dependent on a vote from city officials

Forewoman Victoria Stubblefield says the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission can’t handle all reports of local government campaign violations. She says the grand jury recommends San Diego County create its own ethics commission.

"Especially in light of the change in campaign finance laws, where large donors can give money -- that needs to be uncovered so the voters know where these large funds are coming from."

New legislation allows political parties to contribute to campaigns, where they could not before. In San Diego, caps on campaign contributions are expected to increase as a result of a recent Supreme Court ruling.

The city council today considers doubling its campaign contribution limit to a $1,000 as a response to a suit filed by the Republican Party.

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Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.