Politics & Government

State: Three Marin Supes Have Creek Law Conflict of Interest – Hearing Postponed

Commission rules that Supervisors Steve Kinsey, Susan Adams and Katie Rice all live close enough to Marin creeks to have a conflict of interest preventing them from voting on a proposed ordinance restricting development near creeks.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors' hearing Tuesday on a proposed ordinance to restrict development near creeks was postponed at the last minute when a state ethics commission determined that three of the five supervisors live close enough to Marin creeks to have a conflict of interest that prevents them from voting on the law.

County officials said that the County Counsel’s Office reached out several months ago to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, a bipartisan independent body, to make sure that the location of homes owned by each of the supervisors would not present a conflict of interest when the board considered the county’s new interim Stream Conservation Area ordinance.

County staff had determined that each supervisors lived far enough away from the Stream Conservation Area, noting, however, that three supervisors – Susan Adams of District 1, Katie Rice of District 2 and Steve Kinsey of District 4 – live within 500 feet of a stream. The commission didn't reply to Zaltsman until earlier this week with its determination that the situation presented a perceived conflict of interest.

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Zaltsman told the board that he’s going to appeal the ruling, and county officials said they hope to have the SCA ordinance back to the board at a Oct. 29 hearing.


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