So Who’s Got the Ethics? : The more the new panel tries to do its job, the more hostility it will provoke

One thing to keep in mind about the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, which voters created in 1990 when they decisively approved Charter Amendment H: Nothing is going to be easy.

Nothing is going to be simple. All will be made as complex as possible by the very political system that the commission was created, by voters, to police and help reform.

Keep also in mind that virtually everything the Ethics Commission will be doing is new. Not only will some of it be controversial, maybe once in a while it will be misconceived. No matter. The most important thing is that the panel was created. The second most important thing is that it continue to exist. And, eventually, the third most important thing is that it succeed.

We say eventually because it won’t succeed overnight. Or maybe not even before the Rams win a Super Bowl. Again, no matter. It’s vital that everyone understands that without it there would be no institution in the people’s corner constantly worrying about government’s ethics .

Consider the issue of what a public employee does on the job. Does he or she work full-time at the proper business of government, which is to provide a public service . . . or is the time spent, in part if not in whole, preparing for someone’s political race?

It’s not a hard question: Such activity is clearly illegal. But understanding the extent of the issue and seeking to reduce its pervasiveness is a complex procedure. The ethics panel, to its credit, hasn’t shrunk from the task. Tipped by a whistle-blower using the new ethics hot line, (800) 824-4825, it launched a probe into allegations that political campaign activity occurs inside the city attorney’s office, of all places.

Not surprisingly, that investigation already has run into fire. A Superior Court judge, agreeing with a lawyer representing a target of the probe, has raised questions about whether the panel has gone beyond its mandate. This won’t be the last such challenge, of course. There will be many others. The five commissioners and their small staff should be prepared to be worked over very thoroughly by the political system they seek to reform.

So should the public. Let there be no illusions.