Every Supervisor in the County of San Diego gets a large “slush fund” that has ranged over the years, I believe, from half a million to a million taxpayer dollars. Basically, the Supervisors get to dole this money out to whatever nonprofits or projects they see fit. Over the years Supervisor Pam Slater has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars subsidizing an arts community that should be self sufficient. It’s not that I don’t support art: I just don’t want to pay for what I don’t like. Further, I’d much rather the county spend its precious resources on more sheriffs, for instance.
The wasting of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars wasn’t enough though. Slater, who is personally wealthy and makes more than $150,000 a year for her county job, then started taking gifts, in the form of trips and tickets, from the same arts groups she was giving taxpayer money. That’s quite a racket! Give taxpayer money, get good seats, don’t pay!
Well it turns out old Slater didn’t report of bunch of those gifts (actually reporting them would mean it would be pretty easy for county observers to link the taxpayer funded gifts with Slater’s free tickets to the Opera and the Globe Theater). She was investigated, and fined $2,000. Now this morning the Union Tribune (see how easy it is to credit a source, UT?) informs us that instead of paying the fine for taking gifts out of her own purse, like any reasonable person would do, Slater paid the fine out of her campaign funds.
She went to the shows. She enjoyed them personally. This had NOTHING to do with her campaign. Her Chief of Staff John Weil responded, in short, “the state allows it.” What is within the letter of the law, Pam and John, is not always the right thing.
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Term limits.
Enough said.
OK, but take a look at the photograph of her in the Union story. How many women look like that as they approach their 70th birthday? Not many.
Point of clarification: As I recall, for years, each San Diego County Supervisor gave away TWO million dollars annually to their pet charities, or to those who would in turn be supportive come election day. It peaked at $2.2 million each.
Pam scored a free “Mozart” tour in Europe from such contributions. But Ron Roberts REALLY knows how to play the game. Supervisor Roberts got at least SIX free trips to the Orient for his million dollars of taxpayer funds given to the San Diego World Trade Center.
Here’s a VOICE of SD write-up on this from 2008:
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/this_just_in/article_1e24ad57-5d5b-56e2-b1d5-dfaa297bf76e.html
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:00 am | Updated: 7:19 am, Thu Dec 3, 2009.
County Supervisor Ron Roberts last week gave another $125,000 in grant funding to the San Diego World Trade Center, the nonprofit business group that has repeatedly sent him on Asian trade missions.
Roberts has now given the group a total of $979,000 in taxpayer funds since 2001. The latest was given to the trade center’s Asia desk for “planning, implementation and marketing of the programs of the Asia desk.”
The group has paid sent him on six Asian trade missions. The latest, in March, sent him to China and Vietnam. Though the group was prohibited by state law from specifically giving the trips to Roberts, it instead quietly earmarked the trips for Roberts.
The state’s Fair Political Practices Commission has since made it illegal for public officials to receive gifts of travel. That rule takes effect July 1.
— ROB DAVIS
With all that has been said it will still be difficult to unseat her. I have always looked her Pam Slater as a RINO and yet she is elected over and over. There use to be a time when you had a R behind your name it meant that you were a conservative. Not anymore in this State, County of City.
On the state level, the Republican legislators have pretty much stuck with party thinking on fiscal matters (though not perfect). Not many RINO’s in that herd.
But on the LOCAL level, all too often it is impossible to tell the difference between Democrats and Republicans. On the San Diego city council, consider just our recent RINO Republicans: Brian Maienschein, Harry Mathis, Jim Madaffer, Judy McCarty, Susan Golding, Dick Murphy and now Jerry Sanders.
My apologies to any deserving soul I left off that list.
Welcome to ‘Republican’ SD Rostra where Dave Maass and Richard Rider compete to see who can spit the most times on all things, and all people, Republican. Bob Filner is good, Tony Krvaric and Judy McCarty are bad.
Indeed, Rostra is dedicated to Republican, Libertarian and Conservative perspective, while also open to anyone providing their opinions. What we are not is “Republican simply for the case of backing anything Republican,” although the overall posts clearly weigh in favor of GOP policies, candidates and elected officials. The different bloggers may have varying perspectives as to the Republican elected officials in town. In some cases, they may choose to hold their feet to the fire, if they believe an elected official is not living up to GOP and/or conservative values. So be it. Elected officials are invited to comment and send in guest columns as well, as they see fit. If the readers feel that some bloggers or commenters are doing too much commenting and/or blogging on items with which they don’t agree, they can respond as they see fit.
Not sure where I said even the tiniest complimentary things about Filner. That WOULD be odd, to put it mildly. But, for the record, if I did, I hereby profoundly apologize.
And I don’t think I’ve said anything derogatory about Tony Krvaric. Indeed, I probably could find a kind word or two about Tony on this website. I’ve been VERY pleased with his aggressive pro-taxpayer guidance for the local GOP.
Judy McCarty? Well, two out of three ain’t bad.
Judy voted for the retroactive pension increases in the 1990’s, the Charger ticket guarantee and — most important — the lame duck 2000 vote to bloat specifically the city council pensions three months before she retired. At the same time, she voted for a city council pension formula that allows for retirees to start drawing pension in their 30’s.
I would THINK that most fiscal conservatives would have a problem with such votes. Perhaps not.
Oh — Judy McCarty was a big backer of the city library sales tax increase (which failed). Full disclosure, and all that.
Why am I being roped into this? I didn’t say nothing.
Maassive,
And you’ve also had some less-than-complimentary things to say about Filner. “Take a Closer Look” isn’t.