Press Enterprise newspaper editorial
10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, April 16, 2006
Family ties matter, but they do not trump sound public practice. So the Jurupa Community Services District's regular use of a print shop owned by a relative of district officials deserves public scrutiny.
The district says the links are neither improper nor unethical, but the close family connection, coupled with a lack of public discussion about the choice, make the arrangement look too cozy for ethical comfort.
Starting in 2001, the district used the Print Depot in Glen Avon to print everything from door hangers to billing statements, sending the shop more than $400,000 worth of work over four years. Terry Clark, who owns the business, is the son-in-law of district board President Paul Hamrick and the husband of Sharron Clark, the district's accounting manager.
The district solicited proposals from local printers in 2001, and Print Depot offered the best prices, district officials said. The printing contracts never face a board vote, because they fall below the $25,000 state threshold for soliciting bids and requiring elected officials' approval. But that practice suggests the district does not check for better deals, and other print shops lack the same chance at district business.
District officials say the Print Depot does good work. Fine, but public agencies need to avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest or nepotism -- in small decisions as well as the big ones.