The Los Angeles Ethics Commission elected Melinda Murray as its president Tuesday to replace Serena Oberstein, who resigned from the post last month.
Murray, who was appointed by City Council President Herb Wesson to a five-year term ending in 2022, is the Ethics Commission’s first female African-American president, and will serve in the role for the remainder of the 2018-19 fiscal year. The commission also elected Andrea Sheridan Ordin as vice president.
Murray is a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney assigned to the Parole Division, where she prosecutes parolees who are registered sex offenders and gang members. She serves on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Black Lawyers, is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and National Bar Association, and served as president of the John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles in 2013.
Ordin, who was appointed by City Attorney Mike Feuer to a five-year term ending in 2021, was the first woman to be appointed United States attorney for the Central District of California and the first woman to serve as Los Angeles County counsel.
Ordin has served as a chief assistant attorney general for California, as president of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and the Los Angeles County assistant district attorney. She is currently senior counsel at Strumwasser & Woocher LLP.
The Ethics Commission is comprised of five members who serve staggered five-year terms. The mayor, city attorney, city controller, City Council president and City Council president pro tem each have one appointment to the commission.