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After Years of Delay and Denial, Santa Clara Governance and Ethics Committee Considers a New Ethics Policy – Seriously?

By Robert Haugh

Four years ago, a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury made a recommendation: create an independent Ethics Commission to oversee Councilmembers who put the 49ers’ interests ahead of Santa Clarans.  

The 49er Five did not like that idea. No surprise.

Councilmembers Anthony Becker (now a convicted felon), Raj Chahal, Suds Jain, Karen Hardy, and Kevin Park publicly rejected the idea that Santa Clara needed an Ethics Commission at all. 

The 2022 Grand Jury report itself was attacked as biased, political, and flawed.

Jain questioned the Grand Jury’s credibility and suggested bias in the jury selection process. 

He said the Grand Jury process bordered on a conspiracy.  (Coincidentally, that’s similar to criticisms that “Roger Kint” has been writing).

Park dismissed the report as a “waste of time” and implied it lacked rigor. 

Becker read prepared remarks attacking the findings and accuracy of the report. 

Instead of implementing the recommendation, the City delayed action, buried the proposal in committee, and spent years debating the motives of unpaid grand jurors.

Fast forward to 2026.

The Santa Clara Governance and Ethics Committee will meet today to review changes to the City’s ethics policies and — wait for it — discuss whether Santa Clara should pursue an independent Ethics Commission after all. No kidding.

Ahead of the meeting, longtime Santa Clara ethics architect Dr. Tom Shanks warned that the City may be weakening the very system the Grand Jury sought to strengthen.

“Tomorrow’s (today’s) meeting could approve eliminating Santa Clara’s award-winning ethics framework with zero public input, replacing it with compliance documents that make enforcement nearly impossible,” Shanks said. 

“This is the culmination of a systematic dismantling that started when the 49ers came to town.”

Ouch.

Here are the meeting details:

  • Time:  Friday, January 16, 2026, 10:00 AM
  • Location:  City Hall – East Wing, Sparacino Conference Room
  • Via Zoom: https://santaclaraca.zoom.us/j/98559951444
  • Webinar ID: 985 5995 1444
  • By phone: +1 669 444 9171

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