Political Watchdog Agency Names Chief Amid Turmoil

California’s political watchdog agency, the Fair Political Practices Commission, appointed an executive director Thursday in a move aimed at limiting the power of the commission’s controversial chairman.

One commissioner described Thursday’s meeting as taking on the air of a “palace coup” directed at commission Chairman Ravi Mehta.

The meeting amounted to an extraordinary public airing of friction and hard feelings in the agency responsible for policing questionable gifts and campaign donations to politicians and state officials.

And even as the commission voted unanimously to name longtime commission staffer Robert Tribe as executive director in charge of the FPPC’s daily operations, Mehta insisted that his actions would not be limited, and that he intended to carry on as before.

“I don’t think my role has in any way been limited,” Mehta said after the commission, himself included, voted to install Tribe as executive director.

“I disagree strongly. He no longer has the authority,” said Commissioner James Rushmore, who helped lead the effort to clip Mehta’s power. “He no longer has the authority to speak for the FPPC between meetings or to do things on our behalf.”

Commissioner Deborah Seiler said: “Precisely the reason we took the action was to make very clear that [Mehta’s] authority was limited.”

The unusual events came after months of acrimony within the agency responsible for enforcing the Political Reform Act of 1974. Mehta, a politically ambitious lawyer, had been criticized by commissioners and others for heavy-handed tactics and his ethical judgment.

Gov. Pete Wilson appointed Mehta to the full-time, $103,000-a-year post in 1995. Mehta had been Wilson’s deputy appointments secretary. Before that, he had been an Orange County prosecutor and an aide to former Orange County Supervisor Gaddi Vasquez.

The other four commissioners are part-timers and are selected by the governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state controller.

During his tenure, Mehta has presided as the commission has imposed unprecedented fines on political scofflaws. But he also has faced criticism from commissioners for lobbying the Legislature without their approval.

They also criticized Mehta for doing legal work for Wilson’s chief of staff, Bob White, raising potential conflicts at a time when the commission was considering fines against Wilson’s then-agriculture secretary, the late Henry Voss. Mehta also ran into trouble for overbilling the state $300 in travel expenses, although he repaid the money.

Moments before the commission appointed Tribe as executive director, Mehta read a statement citing “half-truths” in various press accounts and saying he was mistaken to have allowed personal anger at some commissioners to have colored his actions.

Pledging to be more congenial in the future, Mehta said: “I want to and am committed to working with all of you. We must work together. The public expects no less.”

Mehta appeared to try and slow down Tribe’s selection, asking whether Tribe’s appointment Thursday would violate the state Open Meeting Act because the decision was being made without formal notice that such an action was being contemplated.

Mehta also argued that Tribe, who is not a lawyer, may not have the legal background to conduct private hearings into violations of the Political Reform Act.

In addition, Mehta said he had been searching for an executive director and intended to make a recommendation soon.

But commissioners, unwilling to wait any longer, brushed aside Mehta’s concerns.

“This agency seems to be floundering,” Commissioner Carol Scott said, moving to appoint Tribe and citing what she called an “absence of leadership.”

Tribe, a 20-year executive at the agency, said he was hesitant to take the job but would accept it for at least a short while. “There definitely is a need for an executive director. It’s critical.”

Tribe will receive between $82,000 and $89,000 a year.

On Thursday, Wilson did not directly answer a question about whether he was pleased with Mehta’s performance.

“As someone who has observed Mr. Mehta,” Wilson said, “I think he has been very aggressive in pursuing the requirements of the act, and I suspect that, in part, some of the unhappiness with him may arise from the fact that he has been aggressive.”