For Immediate Release: August 20, 2019
Contact: Nancy Jackson (213) 978-1960
At its meeting today, the Ethics Commission re-elected Melinda Murray as president and Andrea Sheridan Ordin as vice president. Murray and Ordin were first elected to these leadership roles by their fellow members in Fiscal Year 2018-19, and they will now continue to serve through Fiscal Year 2019-20.
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. She is president-elect of the California Association of Black Lawyers, was selected as one of the 2019 Top Women Lawyers of California by the Daily Journal, and is the first African American woman elected president of the Ethics Commission. 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. 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. There is currently one vacancy.
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The Ethics Commission was created by Los Angeles voters in 1990 to impartially administer and enforce the City’s governmental ethics, campaign financing, and lobbying laws.