FPPC ranks high in national report on top ethics agencies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 12, 2019

For More Information Contact:

Jay Wierenga (916) 322-7761

The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), California’s governmental ethics and campaign disclosure agency, is ranked among the nation’s top ethics agencies in a newly released report.

The Coalition for Integrity today released a follow up to its S.W.A.M.P. Index, this year rating states by the transparency of their ethics agencies. The acronym stands for States With Anti-Corruption Measures for Public officials. The 2019 report awarded California with the third highest score in the nation with 93 out of 100 points. The ranking is based on items such as how many complaints were filed or dismissed, how many found ethics violations with penalties imposed, and if the cases and documents are made available to the public.

“This report again shows how well Californians are served by the law they put in place 45 years ago to make our public officials and our political process accountable,” said FPPC Chair Richard C. Miadich. “This is a testament to the diligence of the FPPC Staff who do the painstaking work of making sure everyone is playing by the rules.”

The report points to a robust enforcement system in California with the FPPC issuing fines for ethics violations at a higher rate than most other states. The report puts Colorado, Minnesota, Florida and Rhode Island tied for the top billing, with Massachusetts and West Virginia tied for second.

“I am proud of our hard-working staff and applaud their daily efforts in making California a place where politics is as open and transparent as possible,” said Chair Miadich. “The report does remind us there is still room for improvement, as we continue to look for ways to modernize and use technology to make us more open and efficient.”

The report is a follow up to a 2018 report which ranked states by the scope and independence of their ethics agencies, including enforcement power, in which California also ranked in the top tier of states.

The Coalition for Integrity is a nonprofit and nonpartisan political watchdog. The entire report can be found here: http://unpacktheswamp.coalitionforintegrity.org/

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