Holds Contractors Accountable and Recovers Taxpayer Funds Due To Alleged Over-Billing by City Contractors
Today I announced a major settlement agreement that recovers $900,000 for taxpayers stemming from alleged over-billing by city contractors for debris removal after the 2007 Wildfires.
Today’s settlement not only recovers taxpayer funds, but it sends a message that we will hold city contractors accountable for cost and quality on all work they perform in the City of San Diego.
Since taking office, I have aggressively pushed legal action against the contractors, and when the City Council was poised to drop the case due to litigation costs, I crafted a cost-free way to pursue the City’s case by using outside counsel on a contingency fee basis. I also played a role in the mediation process that led to today’s settlement agreement.
The controversy arose when Rancho Bernardo residents noticed that the bills from City-contracted haulers were much larger than privately-contracted haulers doing the same jobs.
With additional investigative work by the Union-Tribune, 10 News and the Watchdog Institute, evidence emerged that suggested firms were clearing more material than necessary on fire-damaged lots and charging taxpayers for the increased tonnage. The UT, 10 News and the Watchdog Institute – particularly reporters Brooke Williams and Wendy Fry – deserve high praise for bringing this story to light.
I also want to commend City Attorney Jan Goldsmith for his leadership in pursuing this case and working with me to find a creative way to resolve our dispute with the contractors. We pursued a quiet, but focused path to advancing this litigation and achieving results on behalf of taxpayers.
View the fact sheet here: http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd5/pdf/news/2011/110527factsheet.pdf