Los Angeles County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to start building the county’s first independent Ethics Commission and an Office of Ethics Compliance, moving ahead with implementation of Measure G. The motion directs departments to find existing funding and positions, recruit staff and commissioners, and prepare a charter amendment for the November ballot.
The board’s motion spells out a to-do list. County Counsel was ordered to draft an interim ordinance and place it on the Board’s June 30 agenda, while the Executive Officer, Auditor-Controller, and Registrar-Recorder were told to identify ethics-related positions and funding within 14 days. The motion also hands departments authority to hire consultants and directs the Interim Chief Executive Officer to carve out money in the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget so the commission and office can stand up this year. Those directives appear in the Board agenda.
"Los Angeles County is taking a historic step toward stronger ethics, accountability, and public trust," Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath said after the vote, adding that the action "delivers on the will of the voters." Her office also pointed out that Los Angeles would join San Francisco and Orange County as one of the few counties in California with a standalone ethics commission. Horvath's office details the motion and its timeline.
How members will be chosen and who objected
Under the plan the board approved, the Assessor, the District Attorney, the Sheriff, the Governance Reform Task Force, and the Board chair will each nominate one commissioner, and those five would then nominate the remaining two members after a public recruitment and application process. Supervisor Janice Hahn said she supported creating the commission but objected to elected officials picking members, warning that allowing electeds to name commissioners "compromises" the panel’s independence. MyNewsLA reported Hahn’s concerns and the board's vote.
Backstory: Measure G and why it matters
Voters approved Measure G in November 2024, a charter overhaul that requires an independent Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance to be established by 2026 and also lays out broader governance changes. The reform grew out of concerns about transparency in local government and has been shaped by the Governance Reform Task Force. LAist covered the board’s vote, and Measure G has shaped recent county politics.
What’s next
County Counsel is due back to the Board by June 30, 2026, with a draft interim ordinance establishing the Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance, and staffers will begin recruitment and public outreach ahead of that date. The motion also calls for a draft charter amendment to be prepared for the November ballot to codify the commission’s long-term structure and independence if voters approve it. The Board agenda lays out the deadlines and next steps.
