Here’s a brief look at ethics issues coming up elsewhere, which often provide needed perspective on issues here at home.

• In California’s Santa Clara County, the chairman of a county water district is accused of mixing personal and public business by pushing projects that would increase the value of his family’s land holdings (MercuryNews.com).

• From the Washington Post: “The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating eight lawmakers who held fundraisers within 48 hours of a major House vote on a Wall Street reform bill or received substantial donations from business people with a financial stake in the bill, according to congressional sources and letters.”

• Details of investigation into fundraising by Georgia Congressman Tom Price (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• The Georgia State Ethics Commission is investigating $120,000 in campaign contributions from a series of insurance industry PACs to the gubernatorial campaign of Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

• A South Carolina bill would make information about ethics complaints available once a determination is made that there is “probable cause” to continue an investigation. But the bill was vetoed by the SC governor, who argued that it should not have exempted the state’s legislature.

• State budget cuts have stalled cases pending before the Ohio Ethics Commission.The commission’s chief investigator says: “We simply don’t have the resources we had five, six years ago, so we’re simply doing the best with what we have.” (Oxford Press)

• “California Ethics Commission finds Mormons guilty on 13 counts of late Prop 8 campaign reporting”, (Examiner.com). After reporting it had spent only $2,000 in support of the campaign against gay marriage in California, an investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission found extensive spending by the church.

And so it goes on the first day of summer.