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# Is Wendy Carrillo Really Applying for the Ethics Commission?!
October 29 2026
Written by Paul McDermott and Alicia Romero Perez.
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LA POLITICS - One bedrock of ethics in government is compliance with the law. The people in charge of monitoring and enforcing ethical standards in local government must lead by example to adhere to the letter and spirit of laws in order to be effective in performing their official duties.
This basic truth about government ethics here in L.A. County bears repeating now that the County Ethics Commission is adding members to improve its representation and fulfill its mission. That mission, according to the [Commission’s website](https://ethics.lacounty.gov/), is “promoting fairness, openness, honesty, and integrity in County government.” After receiving hundreds of applicants, the Commission [shortlisted 36 applicants for the final 4 positions](https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/0234f496-d2b7-00b6-17a4-b43e949b70a2/8257ea58-12d1-4514-839e-75371d17d50e/Ethics%20Commission%20Candidate%20Document%20Directory.pdf) on the Commission. That short list reveals an odd, familiar name: former Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo.
We are concerned that Carrillo has a track record of serious missteps and violations of the law that make her unsuitable for any role overseeing ethics.
In February 2020, Wendy Carrillo was [officially reprimanded for sexual harassment](https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article240097903.html) in her Assembly office over conduct involving her employee George Esparza.
In June 2020, Wendy Carrillo faced [complaints over keeping Esparza on her office staff](https://lapublicpress.org/2024/03/cd14-guide-wendy-carrillo/) even after he was [federally indicted for his involvement in the racketeering](https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-aide-la-city-councilmember-agrees-plead-guilty-rico-charge-stemming-pay-play) scheme led by then-Councilmember Jose Huizar.
In November 2020, Wendy Carrillo raised red flags by ethics watchdogs for [flying to Hawaii for a junket amid a state-ordered restriction on non-essential air travel](https://lamag.com/news-and-politics/maui-lawmakers-pandemic/) by state workers.
In November 2023, Wendy Carrillo was [arrested for drunk driving in northeast Los Angeles](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/assemblywoman-wendy-carrillo-is-fined-and-ordered-community-service-for-dui/) after reportedly hitting two parked cars while intoxicated at a level more than twice the legal limit of blood alcohol.
In April 2026, Wendy Carrillo accepted a $20,000 check from the prison guard’s association for a political committee she appears to operate. That big donation came even as Carrillo was running a campaign for state senate, which she lost six weeks later. Was Carrillo currying favor with the prison guards? How is fund-raising for multiple entities at the same time like this ethical?
At the County Ethics Commission, it appears that five applicants, including Carrillo, stepped forward for a seat designated to represent unincorporated areas in L.A. County. At least one of the other four applicants for that seat appears to be a Latina.
So, there are four other applicants who meet this jurisdictional requirement. Is Carrillo, with a checkered history of run-ins with the law, really the best and strongest of these applicants?
We cannot be silent about an ethically challenged applicant for a government role that actually sets ethics policy. We are also concerned by the appearance of a dangerous double standard.
As longtime teachers, we see public servants punished on a regular basis for small violations of rules, sometimes with minimal to no evidence or based on hearsay. Yet any single ONE of the well-documented episodes cited above involving questionable conduct by Carrillo could be disqualifying or deemed a fireable offense for educators like us or other public servants.
No one should be bending over backwards to excuse and give special consideration to Carrillo. The possibility that rules were bent or favors traded to put Carrillo on the short list casts a shadow over her application and the application process, which reportedly drew hundreds of other candidates.
Does the Commission really want L.A. County residents to laugh at their decisions, if Carrillo were named a Commission member? Could the past actions of Wendy Carrillo be cited in challenges or appeals of any penalties that such a Commission might issue?
Bringing sunlight and enforcement to ethics compliance in L.A. County is a valuable function. That purpose of the County Ethics Commission is too important to let it be weakened by Wendy Carrillo. Her track record of misconduct has made for troubling headlines, even if those were omitted from her application.
*(**Alicia Romero Pérez** is a public school teacher of 32 years who has lived for 46 years and raised her family in the Eastside neighborhood of City Terrace.)*
*(**Paul McDermott** is an educator who taught for 24 years in L.A. public schools and for 13 years at public universities. He has lived for 41 years in the Northeast L.A. neighborhood of Glassell Park and is a longtime officer of the Uptown Gay & Lesbian Alliance (UGLA).*
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