Committee narrows ethics commission reclassification denials, allows auditor reclassification to support audit program

BLA summarized five recommended actions for the Ethics Commission, including denying several upward‑substitution requests to higher classifications (auditor series and investigator upgrades) and recommending position adjustments tied to the department’s enforcement and audit work. Executive Director Patrick Ford presented the commission’s recent effort to clear a decade‑long audit backlog (outsourcing historically used) and argued establishing auditor classifications would allow internally managed audits to be conducted faster and, over time, more cost‑effectively.

Ford outlined the costs of reclassifying three auditor positions (initial year cost ~$48,000; second year ~$83,000) but said internalizing audits reduces outsourcing costs and improves timeliness. He also explained changes in how enforcement investigators and administrative prosecutors are used to clear backlog and the retention/recruitment risks if reclassifications are not approved.

Committee action: Chair Chan proposed rejecting BLA recommendations 1 and 2 (denials of certain auditor reclassifications) to permit reclassification of policy analysts into auditor roles, while accepting the remainder of the BLA’s recommendations to deny other upward substitutions. Supervisors debated but largely supported this hybrid approach — preserving internal auditing capacity while limiting broad upward substitutions that add to long‑term budget pressure.

Outcome: The committee signaled support for the selective reclassification approach (rejecting certain BLA denials) and will reflect that direction in committee recommendations to the full board as part of the budget deliberations. Patrick Ford said the changes would let the commission do audits internally and avoid future outsourcing costs.

Quote: "If we are able to do them internally, it ultimately will be a cost savings," Executive Director Patrick Ford said, noting that internal staff can clear audits more quickly than outsourcing in many cases.

Next steps: The committee will include the selective reclassification direction in its recommendations to the full board and expects departments to provide updated cost estimates and vacancy status in subsequent materials.