On March 21, the same day San Jose plans to listen to a sunshine law proposal to clean up the way it does business, Campbell is planning to sign an ordinance into law that provides a framework which will enable the public to hold officials accountable for their actions, while encouraging high standards of ethical behavior. This proactive way of doing business has been sorely lacking in San Jose.

Campbell's "living" document with its key values--sense of community, equality, honesty, civility, teamwork and accountability--was developed to ensure the public that it can continue to have full confidence in its elected officials, candidates and the democratic process. This values-based policy--loosely styled after the one developed by Milpitas--stresses that public officials reflect the core values of their community.

It further ensures that study sessions are open to the public, planning commission and city council meetings are posted on a timely basis, development projects incorporate neighborhood input, and elected officials are accessible to their constituents.

Granted, San Jose, with its massive budget problems and controversial ethics issues, has far greater hurdles to conquer than its little sister city to the south. But integrity, honesty, public trust, accountability and civility should be part of any city's code of conduct no matter what its size. The governing process is still the same. City officials are still elected, and board and commission members are appointed by elected officials. And, residents still vote for individuals they trust to uphold their personal beliefs and govern their city based on like principles.

Making sure there is a mechanism in place to maintain and nurture the process of good government should be an integral component in any municipality large or small.

As San Jose begins to tackle this difficult problem, it might even consider borrowing a sentence from Campbell's preamble, "Ethical behavior requires a commitment to 'do the right thing.' "