(UPDATE at end of article)
How would you end homelessness in downtown San Diego, in five years? According to the Centre City Development Corporation, you pay the agency of former CCDC board member Jennifer LeSar $464,750 for 15 month’s work on a plan. San Diego CityBeat has the story, and a followup.
According to CityBeat, LeSar’s hourly rate is $225, so she must really be good. Matthew Doherty, whose resume includes the San Diego Housing Commission and Corporation for Supportive Housing, is slightly less pricey, charging just $175 an hour for his expertise. But for the real bargain, go to Rachel Ralston, billing a measly $90 an hour. Such a deal!
Cynics might scoff at the value of the report, considering it just another payoff from the CCDC clique. They would say professionals who work with the homeless could prepare such a report (if its really needed) for far less — leaving more money to be actually spent on helping the homeless.
As CityBeat wrote:
“Talk to any homeless-services provider and they’ll tell you that their work is all about making the most of not much. We don’t see that happening here. LeSar says her job is to create the ‘infrastructure’ to continue a plan to end homelessness Downtown, but, arguably, that infrastructure already exists.”
Nonsense! Bureaucrats and friends of bureaucrats need work too, or they may also end up homeless. While the rest of us have been hit by the recession and are struggling with the alleged recovery, it warms the heart to know that some people have income security — thanks to a generous public.
UPDATE: It’s even better than I first thought. LeSar is married to Assemblywoman (D-76 district) Toni Atkins, a former San Diego city councilwoman and mayor, who started her career learning how to be a community organizer. Yet another deprived person saved by our beneficent government and its infinite supply of wealth!
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(Disclaimer: This is my opinion, and not necessarily that of my employer, the North County Times.)
Comments 5
This sort of crony incestuous ripoff by the smaller governmental agencies used to fly below the radar. These days, not so much.
Voice of San Diego led the way, digging into governmental poop. The U-T got tired of getting scooped, and joined the hunt in a big way. The NC Times is all about it. Even CityBeat has discovered that good investigative journalism is appreciated across the political spectrum. And several TV stations love running such stories.
It’s hardly the Golden Age of journalism (was it ever?), but this scribe scramble is in stark contrast to the routine regurgitation of press releases that passed for reporting just a few years ago.
Kudos to our media!
Self-censorship is the worst kind, and City Beat proves that again by knowingly omitting the well-known connection to a powerful political “Godmother”, someone they editorially endorsed in her last election campaign . Mr. Fikes corrects that by blowing the whistle on Toni Atkins. Good show.
(Yes, it’s true that CityBeat pulled its punches on that angle. However, I give it credit for publishing the piece, which is more than the rest of the local media did. Correct me if I’m wrong on that — Bradley).
State Controller John Chiang’s website now allows you to do searches of local district salaries. Take a gander.
Here is the link, with all cities, counties and special districts sortable…
http://lgcr.sco.ca.gov/
Here are those agencies not in compliance…
http://www.controller.ca.gov/noncompliant_reports.html
Here’s a long list of similar resources.
http://www.delicious.com/opensandiegodata/governmentemployees
Please check out the huge, new bookmark collection CityBeat and Open San Diego launched today:
http://flashlight.opensandiego.org/