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San Diego, California

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Budget Y
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Meetings Y
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Elected Officials Y
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Administrative Officials Y
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Permits, zoning Y
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Audits Y
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Contracts Y
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Lobbying P
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Public records Y
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Local taxes Y
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School district websites
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Transparency grading process


San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California, after Los Angeles, with a population of 1,307,402 as of the 2010 census within its administrative limits on a land area of 372.1 square miles (963.7 km2). The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. The urban area of San Diego extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 2,880,000, making it the third-largest urban area in California. San Diego is also the county seat of San Diego County[1], the 5th largest county, by population, in the United States. San Diego is the 33rd richest city in the world.

The city was rated the fifth-best place to live in the United States in 2006 by Money magazine.[2] According to Forbes magazine, San Diego was the fifth-wealthiest city in the United States in 2005, and the 9th safest city in the top 10 list of safest cities in the U.S. in 2010.[3][4] San Diego's top four industries are manufacturing, defense, tourism, and agriculture.[5]

[edit] Website evaluation

In 2011 San Diego earned a Sunny Award for having a perfect website transparency score.

This Web site was most recently reviewed Jan. 16. 2012.

[edit] The good

  • The current proposed budget, latest adopted budget, Five-Year Financial Outlook reports, and budget monitoring reports are available. Archived budgets from 2005 through the present are also posted.[6] The city's financial policies are also disclosed.
  • City Council meeting documents and dates are available. Documents for City Council committee meeting are also posted.[7][8]
  • Contact information for the mayor[9] and city council[10] is available.
  • Contact information is available for administrative staff.[11]
  • Planning information, including Official Zoning maps, is available through the Development Services Department. Specific zoning information is available on request.[12]
  • Audit reports are posted. The audit manual and a Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline are also provided.[13]
  • Bids and contracts are available for download in the Purchasing Department.[14]
  • Information regarding current and past registered lobbyists, as well as lobbying requirements, is available.[15]
  • Public Record Act request information is available.[16]
  • Information regarding city taxes and fees is provided. A link is also posted to property tax information on the County of San Diego website.[17][18]

[edit] The bad

  • Membership and fees paid to any taxpayer funded lobbying associations is not disclosed.

[edit] Budget

Current budget breakdown:[19]

Fund Type FY 2010
Adopted Budget 		FY 2011
Adopted Budget 		Change Percent
Change
General Fund $1,129,706,375 $1,096,228,151 -$33,478,224 -3.0%
Special Revenue $343,052,585 $362,677,490 $19,624,905 5.7%
Debt Service and Tax $3,654,129 $5,964,097 $2,309,968 63.2%
Enterprise $863,068,584 $884,026,175 $20,957,591 2.4%
Internal Service $126,322,518 $107,756,485 -$18,566,033 -14.7%

[edit] Public Pensions

More than $2.4 million is being paid out annually to the top 10 former employees in the San Diego City Employees Retirement System, according to a new report. A report from the city’s pension system showed about 500 retired city employees received more than $100,000 a year in total compensation from their pensions in 2011. A former assistant city attorney tops the list, receiving $307,758 annually. The average pension payout for former city employees was about $40,000 a year in 2010, according to the latest data available from the retirement system. [20]

San Diego is one of those cities looking at putting new hires into a 401(k) style plan, with the exception of police recruits. It's a measure that's drawn a line in the sand between labor unions and conservatives and business interests, who say it will save the city between $1-$2 billion over 30 years. [21] A ballot initiative is set for the next election cycle. [22] The city has been reforming its pension system since a 2004 scandal involving its failure to fully disclose pension liabilities. That resulted in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A 2008 study of states by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence found that defined-contribution plans generally have higher investment and administrative expenses than defined benefit plans. [23]

A pension initiative is headed for the June 2012 ballot that would eliminate guaranteed pensions for most new city hires and give them a 401(k)-style plan instead. [24] Several public union representatives attempted to block the referendum from appearing on the ballot, however San Diego Superior Court Judge William Dato turned away the challenge. He said the labor unions could come back to court to invalidate the measure if it should pass. [25]

[edit] Public officials

[edit] Elected officials

The mayor, city council members, and city attorney seats are all officially non-partisan by state law. There are 8 members of the city council, each elected from single member districts. The mayor and city attorney are elected directly by the voters of the entire city. The mayor, city attorney, and councilmembers are elected to four-year terms, with a two-term limit.[26]

On January 1, 2006, the City of San Diego's system of government changed from a City Manager form to a Strong Mayor form. The change, approved by city voters in November 2004, will exist on a five-year trial basis, after which voters will decide whether or not to make the shift permanent. Under the new system the Mayor is the City's chief executive officer, similar to the governor or the president. The Council is the legislative body, providing checks and balances to the Mayor's new authority.[27].

The current Mayor is Jerry Sanders.[9]

City Council members:[10]

Name Title District
Sherri Lightner Councilmember District 1
Kevin Faulconer Council President
Pro Tem 		District 2
Todd Gloria Councilmember District 3
Tony Young Council President District 4
Carl DeMaio Councilmember District 5
Lorie Zapf Councilmember District 6
Marti Emerald Councilmember District 7
David Alvarez Councilmember District 8

[edit] Administrative officials

Under the strong mayor form of government, the mayor is responsible for the day to day operations of city government. A city organizational chart can be found here. A list, with links, of all city departments can be found here.

[edit] Pensions

City employees can contribute to a Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), which allows them to place city pensions into a special account with guaranteed interest during the last five years of employment.[28] A recent report by CFFR revealed that the top ten pension pays will cost taxpayers $61 million.[29] The report also showed that public officials in San Diego contribute only 8 percent to their pension plans, as opposed to the traditional 23 percent.[30]

Another aspect of the pensions are sick day buyouts, with the highest one being $118,605. The benefit has cost the city $2.5 million over the past four years.[31] The city has also awarded $73.5 million in pension bonuses over the past 27 years, with the highest payout being $$299,000.[32]

The following are the highest pensions in the city:[28]

Pension Official Special account portion Estimated lifetime payout
$299,103 Eugene Gordon, assistant city attorney $113,900 $8,009,017
$247,312 Douglas McCalla, retirement system investment officer $74,578 $6,622,221
$237,602 Thomas Clark, fire battalion chief $92,709 $6,362,191
$235,936 Louis Scanlon, assistant police chief $85,445 $6,317,608
$227,250 Anna Martinez, librarian $85,080 $6,084,998

Mayor Jerry Sanders has proposed mandating that new employees be signed on to a 401k like pension instead of what the city currently gives public employees. The city is proposing this to save costs as it faces a $72 million budget gap and $2.1 billion in unfunded pension liability. In 2010, the city was forced to layoff 1,400 of its 11,000 employees.[33]

[edit] Whistle blower

A Firefighter was recently awarded $424,000 after winning a lawsuit that proved he was fired in retaliation for whistle blowing corrupt behavior within the department.[34] The fire fighter, Paul Vandeveld, was suspended after trying to stop harassment of a colleague who helped reveal the city's pension scandal.

[edit] Lobbying

Main article: California taxpayer-funded lobbying

For 2007 and 2008, San Diego spent $517,043 on lobbying. [35]

[edit] Transparency & public records

In 2006, San Diego was sanctioned by the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to alert investors about its pension and health plan obligations. Since then, the city has earned praise for its turnaround on transparency as it relates to the issuance of municipal bonds.[36]

[edit] Taxes

The city collects a business tax and a transient occupancy tax.[37]

[edit] Public employee salaries

Main article: San Diego employee salaries

City salaries are posted online by the State Controller's Office here. Names are not provided, and positional salaries are only listed according to the minimum and maximum possible annually.

[edit] External Links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ [1]
  2. ↑ San Diego 5th best
  3. ↑ Richest Cities in the US
  4. ↑ US Safest Cities
  5. ↑ San Diego Econ. Development
  6. ↑ Financial Management
  7. ↑ City Council Meetings
  8. ↑ City Council Committee Meetings
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mayor
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 City Council
  11. ↑ Departments
  12. ↑ Services Department
  13. ↑ City Auditor
  14. ↑ Purchasing
  15. ↑ 'City of San Diego',Lobbying - Office of the City Clerk, October 6, 2010
  16. ↑ 'City of San Diego', Public Records Request, October 6, 2010
  17. ↑ 'City of San Diego', Office of the Treasurer, October 6, 2010
  18. ↑ 'City of San Diego', Services - Other Local Jurisdictions Providing Services to City Residents, October 6, 2010
  19. ↑ FY11 summary
  20. ↑ UT San Diego, Top city pensioner pulls down $307,000, Feb. 15, 2012
  21. ↑ NBC, 401K pension reform all about the numbers, June 30, 2011
  22. ↑ Voice of San Diego, A Ballot Plan That's More Than a 401(k), June 30, 2011
  23. ↑ Bond Buyer, San Diego Ahead In Pension Reform, January 7, 2011
  24. ↑ UT San Diego, Mayor Sanders talks up SD in DC, Feb. 13, 2012
  25. ↑ Fox & Hounds, San Diego Pension Ballot Test is On, Feb. 27, 2012
  26. ↑ how to run for office
  27. ↑ strong mayor model
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Signon San Diego, City pensions are higher with DROP, Sept. 29, 2010
  29. ↑ CFFR, 10 former San Diego city employees will split $61 million in pensions, Oct. 4, 2010
  30. ↑ CFFR, Excessive Pensions in the City of San Diego, October 2010
  31. ↑ Signons San Diego, County payouts for sick leave: $2.5 million, Feb. 15, 2011
  32. ↑ Sigon San Diego, ‘13th check’ pension payouts: $73 million, Feb. 17, 2011
  33. ↑ Business Week, San Diego's Tough-Love Pension Proposal, Dec. 9, 2010
  34. ↑ Sigon San Diego, San Diego firefighter wins $424,000 from city in court, Dec. 20, 2010
  35. ↑ State-Level Lobbying and Taxpayers: How Much Do We Really Know?, Pacific Research Institute
  36. ↑ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/29/san-diego-praised-transparency-muni-bonds/ San Diego praised for transparency on muni bonds, "San Diego Union-Tribune," March 29, 2011].
  37. ↑ All taxes can be paid online. Office of the City Treasurer
Retrieved from "http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/San_Diego,_California"
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