(a) Incompatible employment. No Councilmember, official or employee shall engage in or accept any private employment, or render services for private interest, when such employment or service is incompatible with proper discharge of his or her official duties or would tend to impair his or her independence or judgment or action in the performance of those duties.
(b) Disclosure of confidential information. No Councilmember, official or employee shall, without proper authorization of the Council, disclose confidential information concerning the property, government, or affairs of the City, nor shall he or she use such information to advance the financial interest of himself, herself or others.
(c) Gifts and favors. No Councilmember, official or employee shall knowingly accept any gift which creates a conflict of financial interest and is given by any person, firm, or corporation which to his or her knowledge is interested, directly or indirectly, in any manner whatsoever in business dealings with the City. No Councilmember, official or employee shall accept any gift regardless of amount, retainer or compensation that is contingent upon a specific action by the City Council, a City commission or a City agency.
(d) Representing private interest before the City agencies or courts. No Councilmember, official or employee whose salary is paid in whole or in part by the City shall appear on behalf of business or private interests of another before any agency of the City where such appearance would create a potential of having to abstain from officials participating on that matter or be incompatible with that Councilmember’s, official’s or employee’s official duties. In addition, he or she shall not represent any private interest of another person or entity in any action or proceeding against the interest of the City in any litigation to which the City is a party.
A Councilmember may appear before City agencies on behalf of constituents in the course of his or her duties as a representative of the electorate or in the performance of public or civic obligations.
(e) Interest in City contracts. Regardless of whether he or she abstained from participating in the City decision to award or enter into the contract, no Councilmember, official or employee shall have an investment or monetary interest in any contract with the City made by them in their official capacity, or by any board or body of which they are members, except as permitted by Government Code Section 1090, et seq.
(§ 1, Ord. 868-NS, eff. September 18, 1984, as amended by § 2, Ord. 911-NS, eff. March 4, 1986, and § 2, Ord. 1226-NS, eff. January 3, 1995)