Politics

New ethics commissioner *

Mayor Villaraigosa has appointed Robert M. Saltzman to the City Ethics Commission. Saltzman is Associate Dean of the University Of Southern California School Of Law. Yes, he's the same Robert Saltzman who was a senior deputy to county Supervisor Ed Edelman and special counsel for a time to the county's Director of Health Services. Villaraigosa also named labor leader Sean Harrigan, past president of the California Public Employee Retirement System, to a seat on the fire and police pension commission.

* Tuesday: He replaces Dale Bonner. LAT

Bios from the mayor's press release hidden after the jump.

Robert M. Saltzman
Robert M. Saltzman is currently Associate Dean of the University Of Southern California School Of Law, where he has served the administration for the past 17 years. As Associate Dean, Mr. Saltzman's responsibilities currently include serving as an instructor on ethics and professional standards, overseeing admissions, recruitment, financial aid, and career services. He has authored dozens of publications and presentations and is the recipient of many academic and community honors.


During the 1980's, Saltzman served as Special Counsel to the Director of Health Services of Los Angeles County, Senior Deputy to LA County Supervisor Edmund D. Edelman and as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at USC Law School. In 1987, he accepted a special assignment as Director of AIDS Programs for Los Angeles County.


Mr. Saltzman is a graduate of Harvard Law School and graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College.


Sean Harrigan
Sean Harrigan was elected as the Executive Director of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Western State Council in November, 2001. He also serves as an International Vice-President to the UFCW International Union. He is a member of the Executive Council of the California State Federation of Labor.


Additionally, Mr. Harrigan is a member of the California State Personnel Board having been appointed in July of 1999. He is the immediate past Board President of the CalPERS Board of Administration where he served in that capacity from February 2003 until January 1, 2005. He was elected as the State Personnel Board's representative on the CalPERS Board in December, 1999.


Mr. Harrigan has a long history with the retail industry that dates back more than 30 years. For seven years, he worked for Safeway Supermarkets in various capacities before joining Richland Retail Clerks Local 1612 as Union Representative. He was elected President of Local 1612 in 1976 and after a multi-local union merger in 1980, became President of UFCW Local 1439 in Spokane.


In 1991, he was appointed Executive Assistant of UFCW Region 8 * Western, and in 1993 he became Assistant to the Director of Organizing in Washington, D.C. In 1994, Mr. Harrigan returned to California to serve as International Vice President and Director of UFCW Region 8 - Western. In 2000, he became Special Assistant to the International Union President and was responsible for coordinating all UFCW activities relating to the 2000 national presidential election. He then served as Director of Field Operations, focusing on engaging UFCW members in the political process and collective bargaining.


He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Whitman College in Washington State. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife Kathleen. He has two children and two grandchildren.


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