Sacramento Ethics Commission Regular Meeting – October 26, 2026

The Sacramento Ethics Commission met on Monday, October 26, 2026, at 5:30 PM at City Hall Complex, 915 I Street, Sacramento, CA. A quorum was established with four members present; Commissioner Maikhou Thao was absent. The commission unanimously approved the consent calendar, adopted updates to the Ethics Commission Procedures, and approved the 2026 Annual Report for referral to the Personnel & Public Employees (P&PE) Committee. No members of the public submitted speaker slips or testified during the meeting.

Consent Calendar

• The commission approved the September 28, 2026 meeting minutes, the Ethics Commission Complaint Log, and the Follow-Up Log (File IDs 2026-00073, 2026-00248, and 2026-01880) by a single motion from Commissioner Emery, seconded by Vice Chair Velasquez. The motion passed unanimously with no nays or abstentions.
• Chair LaFaso noted that the follow-up log appeared to say the FPPC would speak in 2007 but that this was intended to read 2027.
• During discussion, Chair LaFaso asked whether the city clerk could reverse a jurisdictional dismissal after receiving city attorney advice. Legal counsel Gary Lindsay advised that, under the current procedures, the clerk's dismissal decision is final. Chair LaFaso then requested that the city clerk and city attorney's office develop a protocol for consulting more frequently on gray-area jurisdictional matters before such decisions become final; both the clerk and legal counsel agreed.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public speakers appeared for the consent calendar, for the procedures update, for the annual report, or for non-agenda public comment.

Discussion: Update to the Sacramento Ethics Commission Procedures (Item 4)

• The proposed updates included delaying entry into the complaint log when the city attorney is consulted and no longer treating complainant and respondent names as confidential.
• City Clerk Mindy Cuppy explained that the existing confidentiality rule was designed to avoid a chilling effect and to encourage complaints. She confirmed that anonymous complaints would still be permitted under the proposal.
• Chair LaFaso said the confidentiality rule had not been discussed when originally adopted, had not always been followed, and that publishing complainant names could discourage frivolous complaints. He said he was not proposing to publish respondent names.
• Commissioner Emery supported the change, stating it would create consistency and clearer expectations. Commissioner Kelly also supported it, saying an accessible log helps the public and the commission understand what is pending. Vice Chair Velasquez suggested monitoring whether anonymous complaints increase after the change.
• Mr. Lindsay answered a question about possible closed sessions, stating that the Brown Act does not permit the commission to hold closed sessions for complaint matters because they are not personnel or litigation matters, and most people subject to commission jurisdiction are not city employees. He further explained that a city code amendment could not overcome the Brown Act.
• Commissioner Kelly moved to adopt the procedures as drafted; Commissioner Emery seconded. Chair LaFaso offered a drafting amendment to remove the redundant word 'information' from the phrase 'confidential materials information' in the redlined procedures. The maker and seconder agreed. The motion passed unanimously.

Discussion: 2026 Annual Report (Item 5)

• City Clerk Cuppy introduced the draft annual report, noted that the chair had reviewed it, and said minor amendments could be made from the dais.
• Chair LaFaso observed that the training goal in the report lacked specifics and would be developed at future meetings. He proposed adding a sentence stating that the commission will seek out in-house resources to minimize training costs, citing roughly $3,500 in recent training spending. The commission supported the addition.
• Commissioner Emery discussed the need to restart community outreach, noting she had given at least half a dozen presentations in a prior year and wanted to build a list of community groups and outreach opportunities. Chair LaFaso appointed an ad hoc committee on systemic outreach consisting of Commissioners Emery and Tao; Commissioner Tao was absent and appointed in absentia. The appointment was not added to the annual report because the committee might not materialize.
• Vice Chair Velasquez identified minor punctuation and formatting issues, including an apparent labeling error in the report, and offered to provide corrections by email.
• Vice Chair Velasquez moved to adopt the annual report as amended from the dais and to forward it to the Personnel & Public Employees (P&PE) Committee rather than bring it back to the full commission for final approval. Commissioner Kelly seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
• The next P&PE Committee meeting was noted as December 1, 2026, where the report could be presented.

Commissioner Comments, Ideas, and Questions

• Commissioner Kelly asked about 2027 commission meeting dates. City Clerk Cuppy said the city council was expected to adopt the meeting calendar in November and distribute it afterward.
• Commissioner Kelly reported that he had contacted the director of finance about auditing campaign statements, but received a response similar to the city auditor's: potential conflicts of interest and no interest in doing the work. He said this likely foreclosed in-house auditing options, leaving the FPPC or outside contractors as possibilities if the audit process is restarted.
• Chair LaFaso noted that the existing ad hoc committee has an April deadline and that the FPPC presentation might occur sometime in 2027.
• City Clerk Cuppy clarified that the term end date for Chair LaFaso, Vice Chair Velasquez, and Commissioner Emery is January 1, 2028, correcting inaccurate information that had appeared online.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent calendar unanimously.
• Adopted the amended Sacramento Ethics Commission Procedures unanimously.
• Approved the 2026 Annual Report unanimously and referred it to the P&PE Committee.
• Directed the city clerk and city attorney's office to develop a consultation protocol for gray-area jurisdictional dismissals.
• Appointed an ad hoc committee on systemic outreach consisting of Commissioners Emery and Tao.