"Tovah Ackerman, enforcement chief for Oakland's Public Ethics Commission, notified Rowan, head of the city's departments of transportation and public works, on December 4 that her office tossed Houston's complaint after a preliminary review. "Without evidence of private gain, there is no violation under the Government Ethics Act, therefore, we have decided to dismiss the misuse allegation for being outside of PEC jurisdiction and for lack of sufficient evidence to establish a potential violation," Ackerman wrote."
"Houston's complaint, which we've reviewed, was short on details. Houston claims that Rowan falsely accused him of "bid rigging" but doesn't share additional context. The complaint also included Houston's summary of a brief interaction that he claims happened on Oct. 28 between his aide, Trinity Hall, City Administrator Jestin Johnson, and Rowan, in which the latter supposedly said he would file an ethics complaint if Houston "does this again.""
Oakland's Public Ethics Commission enforcement chief dismissed Councilmember Ken Houston's ethics complaint against Josh Rowan after a preliminary review found no evidence of a violation. The enforcement chief cited lack of evidence of private gain and concluded the misuse allegation fell outside PEC jurisdiction and lacked sufficient proof to establish a potential violation. Houston had accused Rowan of slander and "character assassination" and alleged Rowan falsely accused him of "bid rigging." Houston described an Oct. 28 interaction involving an aide, the city administrator, and Rowan. Rowan filed a separate complaint on Nov. 4. The PEC will be notified Jan. 21, 2026.
Read at The Oaklandside
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