Nominations are now open for the San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA) 15th Annual Golden Watchdog and Golden Fleece Awards, recognizing the very best and worst of local government efficiency, spending and decision-making in 2009.
Award categories include:
- The coveted Golden Watchdog Award honoring good government practices and efficient use of public money.
- The dreaded Golden Fleece Award calling out wasteful, inefficient or downright absurd uses of taxpayer dollars.
- The Media Watchdog Award recognizing excellence in reporting on behalf of taxpayers.
- The Public-Private Partnership Award for cooperation between the public and private sectors, stretching taxpayer dollars.
The nomination deadline for the Golden Watchdog, Golden Fleece, Public-Private Partnership and Media Watchdog awards is Friday, March 12, 2010. Self-nominations for all categories are accepted and encouraged. Nomination forms are available at http://www.sdcta.org or by calling (619) 234-6423.
The winners will be announced on May 20, 2010, at SDCTA’s annual awards dinner at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in Mission Valley.
Golden Fleece Award recipients for 2009 were the San Diego County Employees Retirement Association (SDCERA) for their costly hedge fund investments, the City and County of San Diego for an epic bait-and-switch of Grantville Redevelopment dollars and the City of La Mesa for their taxpayer-funded Campaign for a sales tax increase.
The 2009 Grand Golden Watchdog Award was presented to the City of San Diego for “Pension Reform and Tough Cuts to Compensation.” Recognizing that unsustainable compensation costs are largely responsible for the City’s dire financial situation, Mayor Jerry Sanders and councilmembers made tough decisions resulting in significant savings to San Diego taxpayers.
Media Watchdog Awards were given to Will Carless, Voice of San Diego, for his story “Without Oversight, SEDC Officials Award Themselves Bonuses” and the 10 News I-Team for its report, “City COO Puts Agency on Notice for Financial Decisions.”
The San Diego County Taxpayers Association is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, dedicated to promoting accountable, cost-effective and efficient government and opposing unnecessary new taxes and fees. Founded in 1945, SDCTA has spent the past 65 years saving the region’s taxpayers millions of dollars, as well as generating information to help educate the public.