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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003/05/27 Board of Ethics Minutes MINUTES OF A BOARD OF ETHICS MEETING CITY OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA May 27. 2003 City Attorney's Library 3:45 p.m. The meeting was called to order by Chair Ricardo Gibert at 4:13 p.m. 1. Roll Call. MEMBERS PRESENT: Ricardo Gibert, Rudy Ramirez, Jean Rogers, Juan Gonzalez, Karen Batcher, Julius Bennett, Jesse Navarro (tardy). STAFF PRESENT: Deputy City Attorney Nora Smyth 4. Board of Ethics New Members. Gibert motions to move item 4 to item 2 and moves remainder of agenda down. MSUC (Gibert/Ramirez). Karen Batcher introduces herself and provides information on her background. Batcher is an attorney with dealings in business and corporate law, litigation and land use. Julius Bennett introduces himself. He has been a resident of Chula Vista since October 1987. Bennett retired as a Senior Public Information Officer for the City of San Diego and is currently an ordained Baptist minister and full-time pastor at the Mastonian Baptist Church in San Diego where he has been pastor for the past 12 years. The Board of Ethics welcomes Karen Batcher and Julius Bennett and proceed to introduce themselves. Rudy Ramirez, business owner of San Diego Architectural Metals located in Chula Vista. Ramirez is also a member of the General Plan Update Steering Committee. Jean Rogers teaches third grade at Hilltop Elementary. Juan Gonzalez, detective/supervisor for the San Diego Police Department has been a resident of Chula Vista for over thirty years. Ricardo Gibert, current chair has been a resident of Chula Vista for over thirty years. Gibert currently works for a private firm dealing in debt collections. Deputy City Attorney Nora Smyth introduced herself and advised that she is staff appointed by the City of Chula Vista to the Board of Ethics. DCA Smyth also introduced Joyce Malveaux, Secretary to the board. 2. Approval of Minutes of April 22. 2003. MSUC (Rogers/Gonzalez) to approve the minutes of the meeting of April 22, 2003. Soard of Ethics Minutes May 27,2003 Page 2 3. Ad Hoc Committee Report re: Revisions to the Code of Ethics. Chair Gibert advised that due to scheduling problems the committee was unable to meet. Gibert provides a brief background of this matter to new members Batcher and Bennett. Gibert would like to table the Ad Hoc committee report until the committee is able to meet. Upon completion of the report, the committee will contact the Secretary to the Board of Ethics for placing the item back on the agenda. MSUC (Ramirez/Navarro). 5. Board of Ethics Inserts to Waste Disposal Bills. Gibert updated new members regarding the Board of Ethics previously creating inserts detailing the duties of the Board of Ethics for printing in the Spotlight for incorporation in the City's waste disposal bills. DCA Smyth has contacted the department handling the Spotlight and has been informed that should there come a time when space is available in the Spotlight the information could possibly be posted. Satcher suggests the Board of Ethics provide the complaint form online via the City Clerk's website. MSUC on ethics media outreach for next agenda meeting (Batcher/Bennett). 6. Board of Ethics Budqet. DCA Smyth advised that the board has not depleted all of the funds and therefore remaining funds go back to the general fund. DCA Smyth spoke with the Assistant City Manager who is the director of Budget and Analysis and has been advised that the Board of Ethics has been given the same budget for the upcoming fiscal year. DCA Smyth was further advised that if there is ever an investigation that would cost over and above the available budget, the Board of Ethics can request additional funds. Gibert requests a copy of the budget be provided to him at the next Board of Ethics meeting. Gibert would like to see the budget for the possibility of budgeting overtime of staff for meetings that run after 5:00 p.m. or after hour meetings due to board members having professional lives and the difficulty of arriving to meetings at 3:45 p.m. 7. Review of Complaint Received. Review of complaint of Theresa Acerro, regarding Reader Article of October 10, 2002, received electronically via the internet to the City Clerk's. As the complaint has not been signed under penalty of perjury DCA Smyth advises that the complainant be contacted and provided with a complaint form for submittal under penalty of perjury. Board of Ethics Minutes May 27. 2003 Page 3 MSUC directing staff that upon receipt of a complaint in which a name and address has been provided. but has not been signed under penalty of perjury to automatically forward a complaint form to the individuals (Gibert/Rogers). MSUC regarding complaint of Theresa Acerro to revisit this particular matter and place on the agenda upon receipt of an official complaint form signed under penalty of perjury (Gibert/Ramirez). 8. Oral Communications. There were none. 9. Members' Comments. Gibert once again welcomed the new members. Rogers advised that the historical homes tour in Chula Vista is scheduled for June 14th and 15th. Jesse Navarro introduces himself to Batcher and Bennett and provides information on his background. Navarro is currently Special Assistant to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. Gibert advised that the Board of Ethics is due to vote on a new chair at the next meeting as his current one-year term expires. This matter will be placed on the next agenda. Jean Rogers was presented with a plaque for her service to the City of Chula Vista's Board of Ethics in recognition of six years of dedicated service for the years of 1996-2003. MSUC (Gonzalez/Navarro) to adjourn the meeting at 5:00 p.m. to the next scheduled meeting Tuesday, June 24, 2003, at 4:00 p.m. in the City Attorney's Library. ~~\~~ ~ . ..------, Rec rdl ary . ( C:IMinuteslEthics May 27 03