Benjamin Bycel: Ethics Warrior of L.A. | Orange County News

Benjamin Bycel, the pioneering ethics officer who helped clean up Los Angeles politics and fought corruption with integrity, died at 84 from Parkinson’s complications. Before becoming L.A.’s first Ethics Commission director in 1991 — a role born from voter outrage over scandals — he’d served in the Peace Corps, taught, reported, and won a landmark civil rights case protecting unrelated adults’ right to live together. Though hailed as a reformer, his aggressive investigations drew fire, and he was ousted in 1995 amid resistance to his mission. He later led a law school, advised national groups, and returned to private practice, leaving behind a legacy of principled public service. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/0e2f1c6d186a801f