SUSANVILLE, California (STPNS) -- Every elected and local agency official in California must take ethics training before Jan. 1, 2007, except members of the state legislature.

Her revelation of the legislature?s exemption of its members drew ethics trainer Jennifer Brown Shaw big laughs from the 115 local officials and board members who gathered at Jensen Hall on Oct. 17 and 18 to take the training mandated by Assembly Bill 1234.

Every member of the Lassen County Board of Supervisors attended, according to Personnel Director Ron Vossler. They and other local board members heard a two-hour presentation from Shaw, of Sacramento-based Shaw Valenza LLP, a well-recognized employment law expert.



Gene Herndon, the safety officer for Trindel, the county?s self-insurance fund, also presented parts of the training. Shaw told the participants every elected or appointed official whose salary is paid by a local agency must take ethics training.

?Why are the ethics so much stronger and the requirements so much higher for those in the public sector?? she asked.

Everyone who pays taxes has an interest in what people employed in the public sector are doing ?and how well you?re doing your job,? she said, answering her own question.

The goals of the training were to help participants become more familiar with California ethics law, understand it, and understand why they should try not just to comply but go beyond it and learn when to ask questions.

Defining ethics as ?How a moral person should behave based on universal consensus values,? Shaw said values are inner judgments that determine how a person behaves.

She went on to list the universal consensus ethical values and describe their characteristics. Values are trustworthiness, loyalty, responsibility, respect, fairness and compassion, according to the presentation.

Shaw defined trustworthiness as honesty, integrity, reliability, and loyalty. The elements of respect are civility, courtesy, decency, dignity, autonomy, tolerance and acceptance.

Responsibility includes accountability, pursuit of excellence and self-restraint. Fairness involves having an open and impartial process,  where no favoritism or prejudice takes place and equity ensures everyone knows it?s improper to take advantage of the weakness or ignorance of others.

Compassion involves displaying concern for the welfare of others and causing no more harm than necessary when performing one?s duty.

The presenters said local officials must balance considerations of what is the right thing to do with what the public will perceive as the right thing to do. Each official must then make a decision ?that best supports public service values.?

They added just because something is legal doesn?t make it ethical and said public servants cannot financially benefit from their positions.

A public official must not participate in any decision if his or her financial interests are affected. Financial interests include any source of $500 or more in income ? positive or negative ? for the board member and his or her partner or child.

?You may not discuss the matter or influence anyone (staff or colleagues) regarding the matter,? according to Shaw?s PowerPoint presentation. ?Identify the nature of the conflict at the meeting. Leave the room for the discussion.?

Each participant was required to sign in, receive a proof of participation certificate and give it to the county clerk. Participation of each official then became part of the public record.