Keeping Secrets From the Public

The effort by the California Senate to revive a bill that would prohibit public scrutiny of the investigative files of the Fair Political Practices Commission is a crass attempt to protect political shenanigans and wrongdoing. The public interest requires that those files be open for inspection, and the public demands the right to scrutinize investigations of public officeholders.

This bill (AB 2203), which was sponsored by the bipartisan political leadership of both houses of the Legislature, was killed by the Senate Governmental Organization Committee last week. But several senators have apparently changed their minds, and the Senate is prepared to waive its rules and bring the bill back to life. There is apparently no limit to what politicians will do to protect themselves and their colleagues.

The Fair Political Practices Commission was created in the 1970s as the watchdog of political corruption in California. Supporters of the legislation to make the commission’s files secret argue that if an investigation has turned up no skulduggery, it is unfair to the person who was accused to allow the files to be made public. But if the public cannot see the files, there is no way to be sure that the investigation was conducted properly and thoroughly and that the right conclusion was reached.

Besides, politicians must be willing to give up a certain measure of their privacy in exchange for holding the public trust. If they want to remain private citizens, they cannot hold public office. If people want to hold public office, the public is entitled to ask questions and to get answers about their financial dealings.

This bill is about integrity in government. If it should pass, the public’s confidence in the honesty of its officials and governmental processes will be damaged. It behooves honest politicians to see to it that the files of the commission are open to public view. The bill was killed in committee, and it deserves to remain dead.