Commissioner Frank Cardenas told his fellow commissioners that the FPPC must be seen as an impartial watchdog over campaigns and said the recent controversy has undermined that perception. He noted that the panel has been criticized in letters from the public and newspaper editorials for suspending the rule. In one email to the FPPC, retired Los Angeles attorney Jane Goichman singled out Hatch’s decision to contribute to a campaign before the rule was lifted. Advertisement“Regardless what his 1st Amendment rights are, he should have and should now recognize that in accepting the position, it is imperative that the FPPC members not appear biased,” Goichman said. “We have a duty to be candid and transparent with each other and with the public as a whole.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 19, 2019 21:45 UTC