The Ethics Law prohibits a public employee from engaging in any other employment unless the employment is approved by the Commission. The purpose of requiring approval for outside employment is to make sure that there is no conflict of interest between an outside job and duties as a County employee. Whether the outside job is a business the County employee owns or the County employee is working for someone else, questions of conflict of interest can arise.

In addition to the requirement for Commission approval of other employment generally, an employee must not be employed by, or own more than one percent of, any business that is regulated by the County agency with which the employee is affiliated or any business that negotiates or contracts with the County agency with which the employee is affiliated. In addition, an employee must not hold any employment relationship that would impair the impartiality and independence of judgment of the employee.