Ann Ravel, Gov. Jerry Brown’s pick to lead the state Fair Political Practices Commission, has been on the job less than a year but is moving quickly and provoking strong reactions.
Ravel’s supporters say she is boldly revamping ethics regulations for the better, making them simpler to understand and follow. Her detractors – which include an outspoken fellow commissioner and the previous chairman – say she is weakening oversight of the watchdog agency by siding with the politicians and lobbyists she is supposed to regulate.
Ravel, who took the gavel in February, said she has focused the agency's enforcement on major cases like money laundering and conflicts of interest instead of minor filing violations.
New chair of campaign finance watchdog draws strong reactions
