WHEREAS, the citizens and businesses of the City of Santa Clarita are entitled to enjoy fair, ethical, transparent, and accountable government as these are among the precepts upon which these United States were founded; and

WHEREAS, the City of Santa Clarita's has established a tradition of governmental excellence, where City employees, elected and appointed officials, and persons conducting business in the behalf of Santa Clarita hold positions of public trust and have an obligation to continue to promote high ethical standards in the spirit of public service; and

WHEREAS, all City of Santa Clarita employees, elected and appointed officials, and representatives are expected to execute their duties in a fair and ethical manner, verifiable through transparent processes, which does not present the appearance nor engage in conflicts of interest or undue favoritism; and

WHEREAS, on October 7, 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger approved Assembly Bill 1234 which in part, mandates all local agency officials receive training in general ethics principles and ethics laws relevant to their public service; and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Club of the Santa Clarita Valley strongly recommends that the City of Santa Clarita adopt and implement a Code of Ethics that delineates appropriate and inappropriate behavior, establish an independent method for evaluating and responding to ethical complaints, and create measures that support compliance thereof, for all City employees, representatives, and officials, whether elected, appointed, or volunteer; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Club of the Santa Clarita Valley requests that the City of Santa Clarita require all City employees, officials, contractors, consultants, and volunteers comply with the City's Code of Ethics and the policies and practices supporting fair, ethical, transparent, and accountable government.