Government reform expert Robert Stern joins LA Ethics Commission

An expert in the fields of campaign finance and government reform, Stern was the first general counsel of the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

The Los Angeles City Council has confirmed reform expert Robert Stern as the newest member of the Ethics Commission, and Wednesday marks the first time in several months that the five-member body has had all its seats filled.

The council voted 14-0, with Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson absent during the vote. Stern was nominated by Council President Paul Krekorian last week.

A nationally recognized expert in the fields of campaign finance and government reform, Stern was the first general counsel of the California Fair Political Practices Commission — the agency in charge of administering California’s campaign disclosure, ethics and lobbying laws. He previously served as a president of the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws, an organization of local, state and federal agencies in the U.S. and Canada that regulate campaign finance, ethics, lobbying and election laws.

“Bob Stern is one of the greatest champions of government reform in the history of California,” Krekorian said in a statement when he announced Stern’s nomination. “No one could be more qualified to serve on our city’s Ethics Commission, or better equipped to help us restore the people’s trust in our city government.”

For nearly 30 years, Stern served as president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1983 to provide policy research and to recommend improvements to political and government processes in California.

He is also the co-author of numerous books, including the center’s “Democracy by Initiative: Shaping California’s Fourth Branch of Government.” In 2022, reform advocacy group Common Cause named him its Democracy Hero of the Year.

Stern thanked the council for “having the confidence” in him to serve on the commission.

“In 1989, and 1990, I helped the City Council enact the law that established the Ethics Commission. I’m very proud that both the law and the commission are considered to be one of the best in the country,” Stern said prior to the council’s vote.

He acknowledged that no law is perfect.

“I want the public to have more confidence in you, L.A. city government, and other governmental bodies,” Stern said. “At the same time, I want officials who intentionally break these laws to be brought to justice, whether at the federal, state or local level.”

“My hope is that we will see fewer and fewer of these actions as public officials realize there are consequences to violating the laws, and that hopefully the public will have more confidence in our government,” he added.

Established by city voters in 1990, the Ethics Commission serves to preserve the public trust and foster public confidence in city government and elections. Individuals appointed to the five-member board are nominated by the mayor, city attorney, controller, president of the City Council and president pro tempore of the council, with each official nominating one member.

Nominations must be confirmed by a majority of the council.