Update: California Senate to Appoint Ombuds

The California State Senate has passed a bill (SR-43) that will create an Ombuds “to facilitate the receipt of information about potential ethical violations.”  Senate President pro-tem Darrell Steinberg, said the Ombuds is “somebody whose job it is to prevent a problem before it becomes embarrassing to the individual, and most importantly, before it becomes embarrassing to the institution itself.”

The new position will be available to State Senators, officers, employees and the public with concerns about ethical standards or possible violations. The statute states that, “All communications made pursuant to this subparagraph shall be confidential between the informant or complainant and the ombudsperson.”  Few other characteristics of the position are defined by the draft statute. (Calif. SR-43; KQED Blog.)

Related posts: Gov. Christie Appoints an Ombuds; Federal Court for Northern California Creates Ombuds Program; Law Would Create Ombuds for California Legislature.