2008 Golden Watchdog & Golden Fleece Awards Dinner
2007 Awards Recap
WINNER OF THE GRAND GOLDEN WATCHDOG AWARD:
- County of San Diego. Retiree Health Benefits Proposal
In December 2006, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors took the unprecedented action of approving a proposal to control retiree health care costs. The proposal is estimated to save County taxpayers $1.2 billion. This comes at a time when public entities cannot afford to pay lifetime retiree healthcare due to skyrocketing premiums. But the battle's not over…the County is urged to stand firm in their decision on behalf of taxpayers in the weeks to come.
WINNER OF THE GRAND GOLDEN FLEECE AWARD:
- San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
Airport Authority Spending From extravagant barbeques to first class travel, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has basked in the life of luxury since its inception. Board members and senior staff globe-trot in style in first class seats the rest of us only dream of or only hope to experience some day. But that's not all! When they arrive at their destination they stay at high-end hotels, dine at fancy restaurants, and attend "exclusive" seminars found only in Conde Nast's Top 10 list. But the topper…how can we forget "Thella's Barbecue?" It must be nice to be an Airport Authority employee. Thella loves her staff so much she flies in meats from Angelo's Barbecue and ice cream from Blue Bell creameries, all the way from Dallas, Texas! And who gets the bill? You guessed it! You and me, the users of San Diego International Airport.
REGIONAL WATCHDOG AWARD WINNER
- Otay Water District – Recycled Water Supply Link Project
The Otay Water District (OWD) is a public agency that distributes water to more than 189,000 ratepayers within 125 square miles of southeastern San Diego County. The Recycled Water Supply Link project redirects millions of gallons of recycled water that was released each day into the ocean and instead uses it to irrigate golf courses, freeway landscapes and parks in eastern Chula Vista. The $43 million project connects the OWD's recycled water system to the City of San Diego's South Bay Water Reclamation Plant. The OWD is purchasing the water at the San Diego City Council-adopted rate of $350 per acre-foot (approximately 325,000 gallons) beginning this year and is projected to generate more than $2 million dollars annually for the City of San Diego. This is a win-win project for OWD and the city of San Diego.
REGIONAL FLEECE AWARD "WINNER"
- City of Solana Beach – Proposition A Special Election
The Solana Beach City Council voted to hold a citywide special election on March 6, 2007, on the question of implementing zoning restrictions in six residential areas in the City. Instead of waiting for the next general election to have the measure on the ballot in June 2008 at a cost of $1,500, this special election cost an estimated $150,000. When the City Council voted to place the measure on the ballot, they decided not to include the implementing ordinance in the sample ballot booklet. Community members complained that they did not know what they were voting on so the City Council reversed course and approved yet another citywide mailing, at an estimated cost of $7,500, to include the ordinance.
METRO WATCHDOG AWARD WINNER
- City of San Diego – San Diego Medical Services Enterprise, LLC
San Diego Medical Services Enterprise (SDMSE) is an innovative public/private partnership between the City of San Diego, Rural/Metro of San Diego and UCSD. Rural/Metro operates the SDMSE in conjunction with the San Diego Fire-Rescue. Unlike a private contractor, the public-private partnership allows the City to retain direct management over the system, while enhancing services and controlling costs. SDMSE generates significant return on investment by contributing more than $5 million to the City through profit sharing and providing $10 million in private capital to improve the system.
METRO FLEECE AWARD "WINNERS" - 3 WAY TIE
- City of San Diego – Brown Field
In 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported deteriorating conditions at Brown Field to Congress, and the City of San Diego promised to evict the noncompliant businesses. The FAA reinstated the airport's eligibility to apply for grants and provided $1.7 million for runway improvements and other projects. Despite orders from federal government, evictions from the airport were stopped and agreements were drafted to allow 31 auto wrecking yards and other non-aviation businesses to remain at Brown Field. Tenants were given more time and given temporary right-of-entry permits by the city. The City of San Diego said it was in no position to turn away the $1.3 million in rental income, even though tenants owe more than $200,000 in back rent. Despite an FAA mandate to attract more aviation businesses to the site, Brown Field has only added one aviation-related company in the last year that currently generates $180 a month in rent for the city. What's wrong with this picture?
- City of Chula Vista – Ticket Give Away
Head to the Coors Amphitheatre in South Bay on any given concert night and you're likely to spot a Chula Vista City Council member or their friends at the private VIP "Silver Bullet Lounge." Since the opening of Coors Amphitheatre in 1998, the City of Chula Vista has received 24 tickets, including box seats and VIP parking passes, to every performance at the venue. The estimated value of the freebies exceeds $50,000. Despite a 1998 city policy adopted with the clear intent not to designate permanent ticketholders, council members still receive two box seats to every event. Ironically, the policy was approved to avoid "potential controversy." Concert tickets don't have to be reported to the state as gifts as long as a city policy regulates how they are distributed. It's time for city leaders to begin following their own rules – now, not after the next Jimmy Buffett or Aerosmith tour.
- City of San Diego – Fox Canyon Debacle
To be or not to be, that is the question facing the City of San Diego regarding Fox Canyon Park. The City received a $2.3 million state grant to build a park in City Heights' Fox Canyon even though it did not own the land. To make matters worse, the City had been negotiating to purchase the land for $475,000 -- without an appraisal -- based on a "handshake deal." After the City spent $375,000 on pre-development for land later appraised at $52,500, the seller canceled the transaction. Upon learning the City was proposing an unapproved extension of Ontario Avenue to be built through the park, the seller increased his asking price, which caused the City to withdraw its offer. The City has now moved the park to a nearby site on Wightman Street. Whether or not the State allows the transfer of funds is yet to be determined. And the plot thickens: the City has transferred $167,000 in gas tax money to replace the Special Park Fees expended on design development for Ontario Avenue in conjunction with the park project; money generally used for road maintenance. Stay tuned for the fate of Fox Canyon and your tax dollars.
IT'S ABOUT TIME AWARD WINNER
- City of San Diego CFO/Finance Department – 5-Year Financial Outlook
For years, San Diego city administrators and council members played a shell game with city finances. Each year, money magically appeared to fund pet programs, but the list of unmet long-term obligations – from the pension fund to deferred maintenance – got longer and longer. Last year, Mayor Sanders released the first comprehensive Five-Year Financial Outlook, a plan that fully disclosed the costs of those long-term obligations, and provided a road map for addressing them. The Mayor's Financial Outlook will frame the debate over the FY2008 budget, and each subsequent city budget, so council members will be forced to transparently address trade-offs between district projects and the city's on-going obligations.
MEDIA WATCHDOG AWARD WINNERS
Andrew Donohue, www.voiceofsandiego.org
"Affordable No More"
Michael Turko, KUSI
"Parks in Peril"