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Lodi city attorney briefs improvement committee on conflicts of interest, training requirements
Summary
City Attorney Katie Lou Casey told the Lodi Improvement Committee that recusal is required when a member has a disqualifying financial interest (roughly $2,000); the committee will receive formal two‑hour ethics training in 2026 and staff will perform conflict analyses on request.
City Attorney Katie Lou Casey spent the bulk of the meeting providing a high‑level Q&A on conflicts of interest and upcoming ethics training for advisory bodies.
Casey said the city’s conflict‑of‑interest code tracks state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) rules and that committee members will be required to take a full two‑hour ethics training in 2026. She described the triggering test for a disqualifying interest as a financial effect on the official or a closely related family member: "If there is a financial interest, then the ... member would recuse themself," she said, explaining that the member should step down from the dais and leave the room for that item.
Casey cited FPPC regulation 18704 in response to a question about what it means to "make a decision," and said staff can run a formal analysis if a committee member raises a concern. Committee members asked whether career advancement or participation in community events could create a conflict; Casey said usually those are too tenuous unless a specific action can be tied to a financial effect and advised members to contact the city attorney’s office with specifics for review.
Committee members also discussed dual roles and gifts. Casey noted statutory and regulatory detail on gift rules and said staff will circulate additional materials and training resources (including planning commission training recordings and Brown Act updates related to SB 707) to assist newer members.
Members were advised to treat the committee as advisory — formal decisions and votes that would create financial effects are made by City Council — and to route potential conflict questions to staff for evaluation.
