Public disclosure the best option

The flap over the change to a bill limiting state injury liability on public lands shows just how murky ethics laws and rules can be.

State Rep. Sylvia Luke has taken flak for stripping the bill of key language, from critics who say her other job as a personal injury attorney sets up a conflict of interest. A complaint is now before the state Ethics Commission.

Both sides have an argument. One reading of the ethics rule says Luke is to blame only if her action benefited her beyond others in her professional class. The complainants say she still stands to benefit and should have recused herself.

We’ll let the legal eagles settle this one. However, it’s usually best to err on the side of disclosure.

Luke may be right that her proposed remedy — a waiver system for those who want to assume the risk — is better. But stating her interest up front would have lessened the appearance of conflict.

Anti-GMO forces get legal backup

A federal judge is allowing national groups including the Center for Food Safety, Earthjustice, the Pesticide Action Network North America and the Surfrider Foundation to join in defense of Kauai County’s law on agricultural pesticides and genetically modified organisms.

Syngenta and other seed corporations are suing the county in an attempt to block the law, which the Kauai County Council passed over Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s veto.

While it initially looked like the seed companies dominated on the legal front, this move boosts the anti-GMO side’s courtroom clout. At least in the legal realm, this should be a fair fight.