San Diego Watchdogging

Dave Maass, at City Beat, gets in on the local watchdog action with his report of how County Supervisor Ron Roberts and Carlsbad City Councilwoman Ann Kulchin treat the San Diego Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE) like their own personal slush fund. (My words, not Dave's). The fund was established in the 1990s to build out and maintain the system of freeway call boxes through a $1 vehicle tax. Of course, since the call box system is fully built and maintenance is low, the excess monies should be returned to the taxpayers. Sure it is, not. Here are the money paragraphs, literally.

Kulchin and Roberts control the purse strings as a two-vote majority on a three-person budget committee—a group treated to homemade lasagna at each meeting by Eddie Castoria [pictured above], SD SAFE’s privately contracted executive director.

Castoria used to manage the call-box program as a county employee until SD SAFE privatized the system. Castoria formed his own company, TeleTran Tek, and won the contract. SD SAFE paid his company $405,000 in 2010 and plans to increase his rate 2 percent each year until it reaches $478,000 in 2017. In addition, Castoria also picks up hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting contracts from other county SAFEs.

The lasagna is really my favorite part of the whole article.

To her credit, District 6 Council member, Lorie Zapf has gone public with her objections to the waste of your car tax dollars.






Meanwhile, in an update from Sunday's U-T Watchdog recap, the county pension system was embarrassed into reviewing its investment in Mississippi timber venture.

The county pension system will revisit a $50 million investment in a Mississippi timber venture because board members were not told about two business partnerships their own fund adviser has with the wood-harvesting company.

Brian White (pictured below) had initially stated that no review was needed, but reversed field shortly after the U-T Watchdog published their initial article.

Cross posted to sdrostra.com.

Recommended Reading - U-T Watchdog

The U-T Watchdog continues to impress, publishing news that I'm not finding anywhere else. Today's articles include

Convicted City Workers Keep Pensions

In many parts of the country, such public employees face the loss of part or all of their taxpayer-funded pensions as a result of their misdeeds. Not in San Diego, where no city employee has ever had a pension taken away or reduced because of wrongdoing.

One example detailed is the case of Helen Ferrell, who stole $74,000 from a rec center in South Bay, but who is keeping her $33,000 per year pension.

Issa Protests Whistle Blower Demotion

This one has been cooking for some time in the blogosphere. A senior DHS career employee, Catherine Papoi, complained how political appointees were interfering with freedom of information requests from journalists to the DHS IG. This goes to the heart of our democratic institutions, the Freedom of Information Act was a post-Watergate reform intended to keep the federal government honest through citizen and journalist oversight. If true, all responsible should resign. Government Executive, hardly a radical right outlet, details the widespread criticism of this administration's lack of openness. Glad to see Issa is on the beat.

Dumanis sat out Proposition D Sales Tax Issue

I can think of few greater dis-qualifiers for the office of mayor than her cowardly stance on this issue. I may go all in for Carl.

Pension fund’s timber buy questioned

As if our local pension funds didn't have enough trouble.

The county retirement board has decided to invest $50 million with a Mississippi timber-management firm that has ties to the board’s own investment adviser.

Timber? Really? I guess that could round out a portfolio, certainly better than Treasuries, which are probably headed for a negative real interest rate.

Anyway, the Watchdog is a worthy read if you want to keep your eye on government malfeasance. Unfortunately, that seems to be a target rich environment.