Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs has just completed one of her top priorities, a three-pronged overhaul of Orange County ethics policies, a statement from the Mayor’s office said.
“I made a commitment that Orange County Government would be transparent, responsive and accountable to its citizens,” said Jacobs. “These are important steps to help restore citizens’ trust in government.”
Jacobs first created the position of Chief Accountability Officer (CAO) and placed the Office of Professional Standards and Risk Management under the CAO.
Next, in June, with the backing of the entire Commission, the County’s Ethics Code was modified and disclosure rules tightened, to require full reporting of business relationships that could develop conflicts of interest.
The final phase of Jacobs’ ethics overhaul was to assign Chase Smith, Aide to the Mayor, the title of Ombudsman.
Smith’s duties include fielding inquiries, suggestions and complaints (including Whistleblower complaints) from both citizens and employees and, depending upon their nature, referring them to management, the Office of Professional Standards or the Comptroller for further evaluation and action, the statement said. Complaints filed under the Local Code of Ethics, which must be handled independent of county government, will be referred to an independent investigator.
