Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Revenge of Hueso

On Wednesday, September 16, Stacey Fulhorst, executive director for the ethics commission, testified before San Diego's Open Government and Rules Committee and requested authority to issue subpoenas and to sanction officials that lie, mislead, and knowingly obstruct the commission during its investigation. Fulhorst, appearing alongside chair of the ethics commission Richard Valdez, said the commission modeled the request for additional power after other large municipalities in the state. She started off her testimony by listing past examples where she felt the commission could have used some extra muscle.

"We had a situation involving a high-level city official who prepared a document that included what he knew to be false information and submitted to the commission as evidence," said Fulhorst. "And we had another situation with a campaign consultant for an elected official who absolutely refused to be interviewed during an investigation and there was nothing we could do.

"The proposals in front of you," continued Fulhorst, "are not solutions in search of a problem; they are remedies that the commission needs to ensure that its investigative and enforcement activities are as effective as can be."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Unfortunately for Fulhorst and the ethics commission, Council President Ben Hueso didn't forget about his own ethics investigation -- the commission ordered him to shell out $17,000 for violating campaign finance laws during his 2006 run for city council. After councilmember Donna Frye expressed her reluctance to grant more power to an "untrained" legal body, Hueso had questions about his investigation.

"In my experience you told me I could not go out and get information from witnesses because that was considered intimidating and that I needed to hire an attorney," said Hueso. "So is that your policy for elected officials?"

"You're asking me to comment on a case in which you were the respondent?” asked a confused Fulhorst. "Okay...you were contacting city employees and interviewing them. We had city employees contact us and indicate that they were very uncomfortable being interviewed by an elected official...."

"I understand the city employee contacted you just to ask if it was okay to provide you with information and not that he felt uncomfortable,” answered Hueso. "You can argue that a city employee would feel intimidated by you asking them questions."

After stumbling through several unintelligible sentences about his own investigation, Hueso clumsily concluded, "Again, the evidence you obtained could be wrong."

"I'm not understanding your point council president."

Moments later, Hueso ended the discussion: "There are no motions from the committee so we're going to move on. Thank you for coming today."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Digital Currency Wave Hits the Shores of San Diego

Next Article

Will L.A. Times crowd out San Diego U-T at Riverside printing plant?

Will Toni Atkins stand back from anti-SDG&E initiative?

On Wednesday, September 16, Stacey Fulhorst, executive director for the ethics commission, testified before San Diego's Open Government and Rules Committee and requested authority to issue subpoenas and to sanction officials that lie, mislead, and knowingly obstruct the commission during its investigation. Fulhorst, appearing alongside chair of the ethics commission Richard Valdez, said the commission modeled the request for additional power after other large municipalities in the state. She started off her testimony by listing past examples where she felt the commission could have used some extra muscle.

"We had a situation involving a high-level city official who prepared a document that included what he knew to be false information and submitted to the commission as evidence," said Fulhorst. "And we had another situation with a campaign consultant for an elected official who absolutely refused to be interviewed during an investigation and there was nothing we could do.

"The proposals in front of you," continued Fulhorst, "are not solutions in search of a problem; they are remedies that the commission needs to ensure that its investigative and enforcement activities are as effective as can be."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Unfortunately for Fulhorst and the ethics commission, Council President Ben Hueso didn't forget about his own ethics investigation -- the commission ordered him to shell out $17,000 for violating campaign finance laws during his 2006 run for city council. After councilmember Donna Frye expressed her reluctance to grant more power to an "untrained" legal body, Hueso had questions about his investigation.

"In my experience you told me I could not go out and get information from witnesses because that was considered intimidating and that I needed to hire an attorney," said Hueso. "So is that your policy for elected officials?"

"You're asking me to comment on a case in which you were the respondent?” asked a confused Fulhorst. "Okay...you were contacting city employees and interviewing them. We had city employees contact us and indicate that they were very uncomfortable being interviewed by an elected official...."

"I understand the city employee contacted you just to ask if it was okay to provide you with information and not that he felt uncomfortable,” answered Hueso. "You can argue that a city employee would feel intimidated by you asking them questions."

After stumbling through several unintelligible sentences about his own investigation, Hueso clumsily concluded, "Again, the evidence you obtained could be wrong."

"I'm not understanding your point council president."

Moments later, Hueso ended the discussion: "There are no motions from the committee so we're going to move on. Thank you for coming today."

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
Next Article

Pet pig perches in pocket

Escondido doula gets a taste of celebrity
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.