Press Release
Organization Vows to Inform East County Citizens of Breach of Trust
(San Diego) – The San Diego County Taxpayers Association’s Board of Directors today voted to revoke its support for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District’s bond measure Prop V, citing the district’s breach of its pledge to of fair and open competition for the taxpayer-funded projects covered under the bond.
The GCCCD’s board of trustees voted on Tuesday to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement that would favor union contractors and severely limit competition for the bids, which SDCTA says will drive up costs to taxpayers. In doing so, the district reneged on the promise it made to gain SDCTA’s coveted endorsement when the measure was on the ballot in 2012.
“The GCCCD made this pledge to gain our endorsement, knowing that the Taxpayers Association’s stamp of approval carries enormous weight with voters,” said Theresa Andrews, SDCTA’s interim president and CEO. “We won’t allow them to trade on our reputation without calling this decision as a bait-and-switch. The GCCCD board has violated the trust of the citizens they represent.”
Andrews said the breach of the promise will be factored into any future request for SDCTA’s endorsement on bond measures at Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District — or any other district that breaks promises made in order to gain the group’s support.
In 2012, when seeking SDCTA’s endorsement, the district passed a resolution promising to “promote fair and open competition for all district construction projects so that all contractors and workers, whether union or non-union, are treated equally in the bidding and awarding of District construction contracts.” SDCTA’s endorsement was featured prominently in the campaign for the measure.
In addition to revoking support, SDCTA will assist open-competition stakeholders in a public awareness campaign in East County to ensure taxpayers in the community are aware of the breach of their trust.