“The FPPC Chair Should Be Part-Time, Not Full-Time”

Bob Stern:

I made a mistake when drafting the Political Reform Act of 1974, Proposition 9 passed by 70% of California’s voters in June of 1974.

When Dan Lowenstein, the chief drafter of the Act, and I worked together on the measure, he insisted that the chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission be full-time while the other four commissioners be part-time members.  I resisted saying that no other commission had such a structure and that the chair would be given too much power.  He acknowledged the uniqueness of the structure but said the chair, not an executive director hired by the entire commission, should run the staff.  Dan’s arguments prevailed.

Share this: