SIMI VALLEY : College Board to Adopt Ethics Code
Spurred by a recent criminal investigation into whether board member Tom Ely misappropriated $15,400 in public money, the Ventura County Community College District’s governing board will establish a code of ethics for itself, Trustee Timothy Hirschberg said.
The board voted 5-0 Tuesday to create the Rules, Procedures and Operations Committee to set tough standards of conduct, list procedures and review the need for such trustee perks as facsimile machines, lifetime health benefits and cellular phones.
The committee is needed to restore public faith in the board, Hirschberg said. “Present and future trustees need to know they will be held accountable.”
Ely, of Simi Valley, has denied the allegations against him, saying that his expense claims did not violate district policy at the time, Hirschberg said.
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