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Ethics and government transparency are the focus of much Civil Beat coverage.

There were too many ethics controversies over the past year to cover all of them in this end-of-year round-up, but here are 10 stories that give a flavor of the state of ethics in Hawaii. (Read a related article about government transparency.)

• Today’s Disclosure, Yesterday’s News, Jan. 19, 2011: Hawaii’s citizens have no means of scrutinizing their representatives’ current financial ties as lawmakers begin the legislative session.

• Loophole Limits Disclosure of Lawmakers’ Income , Jan. 20, 2011: Hawaii’s ethics code is so loose that a politician can receive income from a firm or lobbyist doing business before the Legislature without disclosing the financial relationship.

• The Big Fat Gray Area of Lobbying Laws, Feb. 1, 2011: Hawaii’s lobbying laws leave organizations guessing what expenditures they’re required to report with the state ethics commission.

• Lobbyist Violations in Hawaii? Who Knows, Feb. 1, 2011: Hawaii lobbyists don’t have to say what, or who, they’re spending money on.

• Hawaii Anti-Nepotism Bill Facing Long Odds In House, March 22, 2011: Did you know that Hawaii has no anti-nepotism law?

• What Should Politicians Be Required to Disclose?, March 30, 2011: The flap over Honolulu City Council Chairman Nestor Garcia’s $60,000 a year contract raised questions about what politicians should be required to disclose to the public.

• Apo Committed Same Ethics Violation — Twice, April 5, 2011: Former Honolulu City Council Chair Todd Apo lost out on a possible appointment to the city’s new rail authority after news surfaced about repeated ethics violations.

• Session Wrap: Gifts Were Focus Of Ethics Debate, May 9, 2011: Potential is nice. But results are better. And when it came to ethics bills introduced for the 2011 legislative session, there was plenty of the former and almost none of the latter.

• The New Sheriff In Town, Aug. 25, 2011: Les Kondo, executive director of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, drew the ire of some legislators for his hard line on accepting meals and gifts, disclosing financial interests and lobbying by task force members.

• Hawaii Ethics Commission Throws Brushback Pitch at Rookie Lawmaker, Sept. 2, 2011: A legislator using his office to help a girls softball team learned that good intentions aren’t enough.

The Series:

• 2011 Year in Review — Civil Beat Tells Hawaii’s Story
• 2011 Year in Review — DC808
• 2011 Year in Review — Hawaii
• 2011 Year in Review — Honolulu
• 2011 Year in Review — Land
• 2011 Year in Review — Money
• 2011 Year in Review — Education
• 2011 Year in Review — Government Transparency