MELINDA MURRAY ELECTED ETHICS COMMISSION PRESIDENT

At its meeting today, the Ethics Commission elected Melinda Murray as president and Andrea Sheridan Ordin as vice president. Murray is the Ethics Commission’s first female African American president. Murray and Ordin will serve in these leadership capacities for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2018-2019.

Murray was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She is a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County, where she has dedicated her career to protecting the victims of child abuse, domestic violence, and sex crimes. Murray is currently assigned to the Parole Division, where she prosecutes parolees who are registered sex offenders and gang members. She serves on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Black Lawyers, is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the National Bar Association, and was the president of the John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles in 2013. Murray received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law. Murray was appointed by City Council President Herb Wesson to a five-year term ending June 30, 2022.

Ordin has extensive legal experience in both the public and private sectors. She was the first woman to be appointed United States Attorney for the Central District of California and the first woman to serve as Los Angeles County Counsel. She has served as a Chief Assistant Attorney General for the State of California, as the President of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, and as the Los Angeles County Assistant District Attorney. Ordin was also partner and senior counsel for the international law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where she represented clients in various complex business, environmental litigation, and internal corporate investigations. Ordin has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University School of Law, the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, and the University of California at Irvine School of Law. She is currently senior counsel at Strumwasser & Woocher LLP. Ordin was appointed by City Attorney Michael Feuer to a five-year term ending June 30, 2021.

The Ethics Commission is comprised of five individuals who serve staggered five-year terms. The Mayor, the City Attorney, the Controller, the City Council President, and the City Council President Pro Tem each have one appointment to the commission. The commissioners elect their own president and vice president each year. In addition to Murray and Ordin, Araceli Campos and Shedrick Davis also serve as commissioners.