Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor from a pool of nominees nominated by the Council and City Attorney and confirmed by Council. A Commissioner's four-year term begins July 1 and ends on June 30.

The Commission is composed of seven members. At least two members must have been candidates for elective governmental office or otherwise held high level positions in a campaign for elective governmental office, and at least three of the members must be attorneys in good standing with the California Bar Association. No more than three members may be registered with the same political party.

• Former Commissioners

Current Commissioners

Caridad Sanchez

Chair of the Ethics Commission. Commissioner Sanchez is the Chief of Public Affairs for Caltrans District 11 covering San Diego and Imperial Counties. She is the chief public relations, communications and public information and legislative advisor to the District. Ms. Sanchez also serves as the District focal point for providing products and services to the Caltrans External Affairs Division in Sacramento, the California State Transportation Agency and the Governor’s Office. Previously, she served as the San Diego and Imperial Counties regional Director for United States Senator Barbara Boxer. Ms. Sanchez oversaw the day-to-day operation of the San Diego office. She also served as a liaison for Senator Boxer to the communities in San Diego and Imperial counties. In addition to her work as liaison, she also provided strategic input regarding relevant legislation. Ms. Sanchez's interest in public affairs developed from her experiences growing up in San Diego's toughest inner-city neighborhoods. She remembers her mother, a housekeeper, working hard to provide and improve their quality of life. Ms. Sanchez and her mother, Cristina, actively participated in political campaigns and organized voter registration drives. Through these life experiences, Ms. Sanchez developed an understanding of and deep commitment to improving her community and country. Born in San Diego, Ms. Sanchez grew up in the neighborhoods Logan and Sherman Heights. She graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in History and Political Science. Ms. Sanchez previously worked as a senior community representative in the office of United States Congresswoman Susan Davis in San Diego. She previously chaired the San Diego Cesar E. Chavez Commemoration Committee and the San Diego Leadership Alliance. Longtime residents of San Diego, Ms. Sanchez and her husband Nicolaz Portillo remain active in school and civic organizations. They live in Southcrest, with their sons Nicolaz, Jr. (10) and Cruz (5) and dog Ira. Ms. Sanchez is a registered Democrat. Her term on the Ethics Commission expires on June 30, 2027 (or until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed).

Paul Cooper

Vice Chair of the Ethics Commission. Commissioner Cooper is currently the Vice President and General Counsel of the RMD Group. Prior to that he was with the San Diego Office of the City Attorney for over 23 years and retired in May of 2017 as the Executive Assistant City Attorney. Mr. Cooper began his career in the Office of the City Attorney as a prosecutor and was eventually promoted to Head Deputy City Attorney overseeing the office’s nationally recognized Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Unit. He also served as Senior Legal Advisor to the San Diego Police Department and spent nearly a decade as Counsel to the Chief of Police, William Lansdowne. In 2002, Mr. Cooper successfully argued a case before the California Supreme Court on behalf the City. Mr. Cooper graduated from BYU with a B.A. in Political Science, then received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from University of Southern California and then graduated from J. Reuben Clark School of Law (BYU) with honors, Cum Laude. Mr. Cooper is not registered with any political party. He fills one of the three attorney seats on the Ethics Commission. He also fills a position for a former candidate for elective office. His term on the Ethics Commission expires June 30, 2025 (or until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed).

Hon. Laura W. Halgren

Commissioner Halgren recently retired after serving more than 20 years as a San Diego Superior Court judge with assignments in criminal, civil, and family courts. Before ascending to the bench, she worked at the esteemed law firm of Gray, Cary, Ames & Frye, followed by a dozen years at the California Attorney General's Office. She has extensive experience on ethical issues and responded to judicial hotline calls on ethics, chaired the California Judges Association Judicial Ethics Committee, developed an ethics curriculum for judges, taught ethics classes, and served on the California Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics. She graduated from UCLA Law School and Loma Linda University. Judge Halgren is not registered with a political party. She fills one of the three attorney seats on the Ethics Commission. Her term on the Ethics Commission expires June 30, 2025 (or until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed).

James Hauser

Commissioner Hauser is the Director of Government Affairs for Aya Healthcare. Headquartered in San Diego, Aya Healthcare is the nation's largest travel nurse and allied staffing agency, as well as a leading provider of locums, per diem and non-clinical staffing. Mr. Hauser has been involved with many successful local and statewide elections in California and in the U.S., most recently serving as the Chief of Staff for a Council member in the City of San Diego. He has worked for elected officials in both the State of California and Congress. Mr. Hauser holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and International Relations from the University of California San Diego. Mr. Hauser is not registered with a political party. He fills one of the seats for members who have worked in a high-level position in a campaign for elective office. His term on the Ethics Commission expires June 30, 2027 (or until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed).

Tom Lincoln

Commissioner Lincoln attended California State University at San Diego (B.A. History - Honors 1977) and received his law degree from the University of San Diego in 1980. He is admitted to the California and Nevada Bars. He is a member or past member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Clark County Bar Association, San Diego County Bar Association, San Diego Defense Lawyers, and Las Vegas Defense Lawyers (Founding Member). He is an active arbitrator for the San Diego County Bar Association and State Bar and has acted as an arbitrator on more than 150 matters. He was selected for the Executive Committee of the Nevada Supreme Court on Professionalism and Ethics. He worked as a prosecutor for the San Diego City Attorney's Office (1980-1981), an associate with McCormick & Royce (1981-1984), a partner with Bacalski & Lincoln (1984-1987), and as a partner with Lincoln Gustafson and Cercos (founding partner, 1987-present). He provides expert witness services for legal malpractice and fee issues. Mr. Lincoln taught Civil Litigation and Ethics at the University of San Diego in the paralegal studies program for five years. He has lectured on a variety of topics, including litigating traumatic brain injury claims, mediation, fee issues, construction defects, indemnity issues and ethics. He was honored with winning the Larry Syhre Award in 2001 for providing education and ethics to the profession by the West Coast Construction Defect Panel. Mr. Lincoln is active in the community and has served as General Counsel for the San Diego Tourism Authority, Autism Society of San Diego, and others. He also served as a board member, President and legal counsel for Temple Emanuel. He has been appointed by the Mayor of San Diego to the Citizens Review Board for the San Diego Police Department. Mr. Lincoln’s current practice is focused on general civil litigation, advising clients on all aspects of business formation and business legal issues, and acting as an expert/consultant on legal malpractice and fee issues. Mr. Lincoln acts as a private mediator on legal disputes and received his mediator’s credential at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine School of Law. Mr. Lincoln has resided in the 7th Council District for over 40 years, where he and his wife raised their 3 children and were active in their sports, schools and other activities. Mr. Lincoln is not registered with any political party. His term on the Ethics Commission expires June 30, 2025 (or until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed).

Jimmie Slack

Commissioner Slack has over three decades of public service experience to the County and City of San Diego. He served as Chief of Staff to former San Diego County Board of Supervisor Leon L. Williams and held the same role for former San Diego City Council Presidents Tony Young and Myrtle Cole until his retirement in 2018. He also worked as Regional Project Manager for Lockheed Martin/ACS State and Local Solutions. Mr. Slack received his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration/Management from San Diego State University. Mr. Slack is a registered Democrat. His term on the Ethics Commission expires June 30, 2025 (or until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed).

Deval Zaveri

Commissioner Zaveri is Vice President of Legal Affairs at Netradyne, Inc. She began her legal career as a Navy JAG, where she was ranked as top criminal defense counsel. Ms. Zaveri then moved into private practice, including work with Morrison and Foerster, and Cooley LLP, where she represented clients in federal and state courts as well as before regulatory bodies. She also conducted internal investigations, including investigations in response to SEC and NASD inquiries. For six years she was the managing partner of Zaveri Tabb, APC, before her client Netradyne brought her in house. Ms. Zaveri believes in the importance of public service and accordingly volunteers for numerous civic organizations and at her children’s school. She is also a co-founder of the South Asian Bar Association of San Diego and past President of the San Diego chapter of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs). She is a graduate of Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, and Harvard University. Ms. Zaveri is a registered Democrat. She fills one of the three attorney seats on the Ethics Commission. Her term on the Ethics Commission expires on June 30, 2027 (or until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed).

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