Report 2021-104 Recommendation Responses
Report 2021-104: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Its Leadership Has Failed to Promote Transparency or Ensure a Fair and Equitable Workplace (Release Date: April 2022)
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To ensure that MWD's ethics officer has the authority to independently investigate allegations of ethics violations, the Legislature should amend the requirements in existing state law to include the following:
- Establish MWD's ethics officer as the sole authority for interpreting MWD's ethics rules when conducting investigations into alleged ethics violations.
- Grant MWD's ethics officer the authority to contract with outside legal counsel for the purpose of receiving independent legal advice.
- Require any employee within MWD, including board members, to provide to the ethics officer any documents requested as part of an ongoing investigation without waiving any privileges that may apply.
- Prohibit any employee within MWD, including board members, from interfering in any way in an investigation.
Description of Legislative Action
As of April 7, 2023, the Legislature has not taken additional action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: April 2023
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
As of October 26, 2022, the Legislature has not taken additional action to address this specific recommendation.
SB 480 (Stern, 2021) would have required the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to establish and operate an office of ethics and adopt rules relating to inappropriate conduct, including ethics violations. This bill died on August 24, 2022.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Legislation Proposed But Not Enacted
Description of Legislative Action
SB 480 (Stern, 2021) would require the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to establish and operate an office of ethics and adopt rules relating to inappropriate conduct, including ethics violations. This bill died on August 24, 2022.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: August 2022