Ethics watchdog OKs rules on gifts

Elected officials would no longer be able to hide expensive gifts of overseas travel donated by nonprofits and businesses, under rules given preliminary approval Thursday by the state’s political ethics watchdog.

The rules were proposed by the commission staff after The Times reported that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had been taking free overseas trips on luxury jets leased by a taxpayer-subsidized charity linked to the California Chamber of Commerce. The governor’s office had avoided fully disclosing payments of $1.7 million by the nonprofit, the California State Protocol Foundation, for the governor’s jets, hotel suites and support staff.

Fair Political Practices Commission Chairman Ross Johnson said before the panel’s vote Thursday that the new rules would put “sunshine” on gifts benefiting state and local officials.

-- Patrick McGreevy