For Immediate Release: August 18, 2020
Contact: Nancy Jackson (213) 978-1960
At its meeting today, the Ethics Commission unanimously elected Melinda Murray as president and Shedrick Davis as vice president for Fiscal Year 2020-21. This will be Murray’s third term as president and Davis’s first term as vice president.
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 the president 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.
Davis is the Regional Director of the Western Regional Office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national organization that is committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and people with HIV. He previously served as co-chair of the organization’s Board of Directors and as a founding member of its National Leadership Council. Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Davis served 20 years as vice president and assistant general counsel at JPMorgan Chase, in the areas of financial consumer regulation, litigation, consumer bankruptcy, and creditor rights. He also served as an associate attorney at Manning, Leaver, Bruder and Berberich and as a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County. Davis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Riverside and a Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law. Davis was appointed by Controller Ron Galperin to a five-year term ending June 30, 2023.
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 Davis, Jeffery Daar, Laura Genao, and Andrea Ordin also serve as commissioners.
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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.