ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : A Lot of Interest, Less Principle

It shouldn’t be necessary for a city to have to spell out every instance in which a city official must refrain from voting because of the possibility of a conflict of interest.

But in Costa Mesa, Councilman Orville Amburgey had trouble understanding the limits.

In March, Amburgey provided the key vote for rezoning land on which his son, Ron, wanted to build houses. Current city law did not preclude the vote as long as Amburgey himself didn’t personally benefit.

A father can’t be faulted for having an interest in seeing his son do well in business. But Amburgey should have been able to see that his vote would give at least the appearance of a conflict--frequently all that is needed to erode public confidence. He should have left the decision on the zone change to others.

In the face of criticism, Amburgey last week reluctantly said he would vote for a proposed city ordinance that would preclude officials from voting on projects where there was an investment by an official’s immediate family, including independent children.

To their credit, some members of the City Council saw the need to tighten up current law in the wake of public criticism of Amburgey’s vote. With Amburgey’s support, it now seems assured of passage when it comes up for consideration Monday. That will give Costa Mesa one of the toughest conflict-of-interest codes in Orange County.

While indicating he will vote for it, however, Amburgey has called the new code a “political gimmick for ambitious politicians.” That comment suggests that the councilman does not understand the principle behind the change, which is to make sure political decisions are free of personal interest.

But the councilman’s support in spite of that lack of understanding shows that public sentiment in Costa Mesa and elsewhere in Orange County is on the right side of this issue.

An example: The attorney for Fullerton said last week that his City Council members refrain from voting on a development project “even if there’s a whiff” of a conflict. That’s as it should be to retain the public’s confidence--which, once lost, is difficult to recapture.