GOP Senators Accuse Davis of Ethical Lapses

Emboldened by recent disclosures, Senate Republicans on Thursday accused Gov. Gray Davis of operating an ethically “tone deaf” administration whose officials are plagued by alleged conflicts of interest.

Members of the GOP minority warned that they will no longer routinely vote to confirm the Democratic governor’s nominees unless the appointees are thoroughly scrutinized.

Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio, one of those who has come under criticism for owning energy stocks while working for the governor, defended Davis’ appointees, saying that to his knowledge the state Fair Political Practices Commission had never found “any violations of conflict of interest [rules] by members of this administration.”

“All the governor’s appointees meet strict ethical standards. They are provided with all the information they need to [comply] with legally required disclosures,” Maviglio said.

The governor has been buffeted in the last few weeks by a series of disclosures that numerous officials involved in emergency electricity purchases and related energy issues were investors in power companies.

The issue came to a head on the Senate floor Thursday when Republican Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) said he had identified a “pattern of activities in this administration where appointees are harboring conflicts of interest.”

Democrats sat silently as McClintock and senior GOP Sen. Ross Johnson of Irvine assailed what Johnson called the “ethical tone-deaf nature of the current administration.”

Johnson charged that appointees are not briefed by the governor on their legal duty to file financial reports that expose their assets and sources of income. The documents are intended to disclose potential conflicts of interest.

Senate Leader John Burton (D-San Francisco), dismissed the GOP criticism as a political stunt to try to embarrass Davis. But he also announced that future gubernatorial nominees will be ordered to answer questions about any potential conflicts before they appear for confirmation hearings.

During the summer, Davis has suffered one embarrassment after another over disclosures that some of his energy appointees and advisors had actively bought and sold stock in energy companies even as they were helping to buy huge amounts of electrical power for the state.

The Republican attack occurred as the Senate was considering Davis’ appointees to the Gambling Control Commission.

Johnson complained that some Davis nominees have appeared before the Senate seeking confirmation without having filed the required disclosure statements. The filings are required within 30 days of appointment.

Johnson said accountant Michael C. Palmer, a member of the gambling commission, filed his report six months late, just as the Senate was preparing to hold his confirmation hearing. Palmer and two other commission members were confirmed unanimously. The vote on a fourth nominee, John E. Hensley, was postponed until next week.