Ethics in SB: We deserve better

BY CHERI RAE
Google “ethics in Santa Barbara,” and you’ll get hits about the practical application of ethics in areas as varied as journalism, law, real estate and non-profits, as well as wedding professionals, kayaking, vegans and even nanotechnology. But you’ll tire of your search before you find any mention of ethics in Santa Barbara government, politics or civic life.

That is not the case in California cities from Roseville to Lawndale, from Laguna Beach to Berkeley, Glendale to Oakland. These California cities, along with many more, have made ethics a top priority, and have created ordinances and/or commissions to deal with such matters, defining clear-cut procedures for the airing of grievances and the resolution of ethical questions. Some cities maintain “whistleblower hotlines;” others even charge city employees with the duty to report any and all improper practices.
In the City of Santa Barbara, however, we have neither ethics ordinances nor an ethics commission. Despite dozens of boards and commissions that deal with subjects as far-reaching as signs and festivals, architecture and the arts, mosquitoes and sister cities, but nowhere does the city have a way to focus specifically on ethical values, conduct and behavior.
If there ever was a city that needed an ethics commission, it’s Santa Barbara. If there ever was a time to implement a values-based ethics code, it’s now. There are far too many stories—factual and otherwise—swirling through too many circles in Santa Barbara regarding perceptions of unfairness in process, procedures and decision-making. In the absence of an ethics code or commission, there is no way to fairly evaluate, address or put to rest these perceptions.
In ethics, appearances color reality. And the reality is concerns about the appearance of decision-making, behavior and comments made by city officials and appointees have raised the ire of onlookers in Santa Barbara to a point of no return. Too many people have witnessed, harbored bad feelings, and talked about, too many incidents that the powers-that-be try to explain away as “not illegal.” But there’s a huge difference—in perception and reality—between a situation that’s “not illegal,” but is clearly, by any standard, unethical.
Leaving such issues unresolved serves no one. Official attempts to ignore ethical issues, chastise anyone who raises an ethical question, or hide the facts make the situation even worse.
The creation of an ethics code and commission would benefit Santa Barbara’s citizenry, as well as those who serve as public employees, officials and elected representatives. It would offer clear rules, set high standards, and provide a focus on ethics—much needed in a small city trying to cope with so many big-city problems that affect so many. In short, establishing a culture of ethics, with clearly defined codes of conduct, behavior and consequences, would help restore the public’s trust in every aspect of city government.
Many cities have adopted, as part of their ethics codes, a simple statement that reads, “No person shall grant any special consideration, treatment or advantage to any citizen beyond that which is available to every other citizen.”
In Santa Barbara, however, many citizens have concluded that certain projects, issues and developments are a done deal long before they’re presented to the public. Some individuals report their bitter experience in speaking their truth to our city’s power structure with comments like, “I shouldn’t have wasted my time,” and “They never even listened to what I said.” Others—high-powered professionals who command great respect in their work and personal lives—have left city hearing rooms shaking their heads, saying, “I have never been treated so badly in my entire life.”
Clearly, for far too many well-intentioned citizens, participation in public life has become an exercise in futility.
The good news is that there is plenty of expert ethical assistance available. The City of Santa Clara, for example, has relied heavily on the Makkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University for its Code of Ethics and Values.
Here in Santa Barbara, we’re fortunate to have access to the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion and Public Life, established at UCSB in 2002. I have no doubt that the distinguished advisors and staff would be able to assist a sincere and committed effort to establish a code of ethics and an ethics commission for the City of Santa Barbara.
Absent an ethics code or commission, one of the ways laymen determine whether or not a certain situation is ethical is by asking the question: “Does it pass the smell test?” Too often, the cringe, wrinkled nose and feeling of queasiness provide the obvious answer.
While the “smell test” offers valuable sensory input, and can confirm gut feelings, it’s not enough.
Following our noses only gets us so far; it’s time to use our heads, our hearts and our collective wisdom to establish an ethics code and commission to clear the air and provide a fresh approach to Santa Barbara’s civic life.

Cheri Rae’s column appears every Thursday in the Daily Sound. Send your questions or comments via e-mail to letters@santabarbarafree.com