The ever-resourceful San Diego City Council quietly raised its redevelopment slush fund from $4.1 billion to $4.4 billion. Thanks to a Voice of San Diego article by Keegan Kyle, we know how the underhanded trick was accomplished.
While the City Council fast-tracked its approval of the plan, the $300 million cushion was not part of the public discussion. It wasn’t included in the 72-page list of projects and related expenses provided to the City Council before it voted last Monday
In other documents provided to the City Council and at the meeting, city officials never explained what accounted for a $300 million difference between the $4.1 billion project list and the plan’s total estimated cost, $4.4 billion. Both figures existed in documents and a presentation by Chief Operating Officer Jay Goldstone, but the distinction between them was unclear.
Read the Voice of San Diego article for the whole story. It has a great graphic that shows where the money — your money — is coming from.
As Richard Rider said in a comment to my last post, VOSD, SD CityBeat, the Union Tribune and the North County Times are competing vigorously in watchdog journalism, and the public is the winner.
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(DISCLAIMER: This is my opinion, and not necessarily that of my employer, the North County Times).