The San Diego County Taxpayer’s Association (SDCTA) held its 11th annual Golden Watchdog & Golden Fleece awards dinner May 17, honoring the good, the bad and the ugly in local government’s use of taxpayer dollars.
“We did what we set out to do,” said SDCTA board member Mike McDowell. “Raise some eyebrows, create some laughs and have a lot of fun along the way.”
The SDCTA event, held at the Town & Country Resort in Mission Valley, awarded Golden Watchdogs for efficient use and Golden Fleeces for inefficient use of taxpayer dollars.
Fleece and Watchdog Awards were given on the “Grand,” “Regional” and “Metro” levels. Media Watchdog Awards were also given to honor local reporters who keep an eye on government spending.
More than 600 business and community leaders attended the “Survivor”-themed event that featured a parody film of the popular reality show starring San Diego city government officials. In one scene, controversial City Attorney Mike Aguirre holds up a sign with his preference for who should be voted off of San Diego. The sign read, “Everyone.”
On hand were Mayor Jerry Sanders and several City Council members, including District 2 representative Kevin Faulconer, who took both their victories and defeats in good humor.
“We haven’t gotten a lot of awards recently,” Sanders said, while accepting the Metro San Diego Watchdog Award for the City’s televised sewer lines project. “This is like the Academy Awards for us.”
The City Wastewater Department’s televised sewer lines project saved taxpayers $52.4 million over four years by allowing the department to assess the condition of some of the oldest, most problematic sewer lines with cameras. As a result of the program, 32 miles of sewer lines that were slated to be replaced were determined to only need repair.
Sanders said these types of positive projects result when city employees are given enough equipment and resources to innovate.
Conversely, when Sanders accepted the Golden Fleece Award for the City of San Diego’s Real Estate Assets Department, which has grossly mismanaged records of the city’s land holdings, he said that is what happens when employees are not given good equipment and support.
The event also featured two new awards this year, the It’s About Time Award and People’s Choice Award for Dumb Ideas Under $1 million.
The It’s About Time Award, was given to the City of San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) for its 18-month comprehensive operational analysis that resulted in an overhall to the city’s mass transit system.
The changes in routes and schedules, based upon a thorough evaluation of where San Diegans are going, is anticipated to increase transit riders by 14,000 per day and provide $5 million in budget savings.
“I’d agree it’s about time,” said Conan Cheung, director of planning and performance monitoring for MTS. “I think what we’re trying to do now is reconnect with the public, and find out where people want to go.”
Cheung also mentioned that several changes are in store to make Pacific Beach’s transit system run more smoothly and efficiently.
The “People’s Choice Award for Dumb Ideas Under $1 million” was awarded to University of California, San Diego for paying new Chancellor Marye [sic] Anne Fox $248,000 for a sabbatical she earned while at North Carolina State University but did not take. This came in addition to her annual salary of $350,000 and an $87,000 relocation allowance. This offer by UC President Robert Dynes was made without the knowledge of the Board of Regents, the legislature, and the public at a time when student fees were continuously increasing.
The People’s Choice Award was selected by an online poll conducted by the San Diego Daily Transcript. UCSD beat out the City of Chula Vista for hiring and soon changing its mind and firing a bodyguard for Chula Vista Mayor Steve Padilla. Chula Vista continued paying the bodyguard $10,000 month for several months before buying out his contract for $40,000.
The print media watchdog award was given to the San Diego Union-Tribune/Copley News Service for its coverage of the Cunningham scandal. The U-T received a Pulitzer Prize for exposing the corrupt congressman.
The Television Media Watchdog Award went to Thom Jensen of 10 News for his story, “Behind Closed doors,” that linked the financing of Petco Park to the city’s pension debt.
The SDCTA is a nonprofit civic organization founded in 1945 to monitor government spending and efficiency. It advocates for reinvestment of tax dollars into regional infrastructure to generate economic prosperity and a stable local economy. They also provide election guides and run educational campaigns. The dinner raised $100,000 for the SDCTA.
Mike McDowell, who has served on the SDCTA board for four years, said that while pension issues have been the organization’s main focus of scrutiny the past few years, they have been active on many fronts. He said that the organization also advocates more citizens’ oversight committees, especially with bonding issues. He said that these outside committees also need to be “given some teeth” and “serve as the conscience” for bond issues.

Winners:
“¢ Grand Golden Watchdog Award: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). TransNet Environmental Mitigation Program.
“¢ Grand Golden Fleece Award: City of San Diego. Pension Consultant Fees.
“¢ Regional Golden Watchdog Award: County of San Diego Department of Public Works. Blanket Regional Permit for Flood Control Facility Maintenance.
“¢ Regional Golden Fleece Award: San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. Airport Site Selection “Education” Campaign.
“¢ Metro San Diego Watchdog Award: City of San Diego Metropolitan Wastewater Department. Televising Sewer Lines.
“¢ Metro San Diego Fleece Award: City of San Diego. Real Estate Assets Department.
“¢ It’s About Time Award: City of San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). Comprehensive Operations Analysis.
“¢ People’s Choice Award for Dumb Ideas Under $1 Million: University of California, San Diego. Chancellor Sabbatical.