Golden Watchdog & Fleece Awards Dinner

13th Annual Golden Watchdog & Golden Fleece
Awards Dinner

For those that missed the event, here's one of five video skits featured at the Dinner: 

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' SDCTA Dinner Welcome Video
You may need click on the play button twice to start the video.

Don't delay in securing your sponsorship or table for 2009!  Reservations will be accepted beginning July 1, 2008.  Please check back for additional details.

Golden Watchdog Awards honor programs that exemplify efficient use of tax-dollars, while Golden Fleece "Awards" are given to examples of wasteful or inefficient government spending.  Thought provoking and at times irreverent, these awards give the public the opportunity to voice both admiration and criticism of government spending.   

WINNER OF THE GRAND GOLDEN WATCHDOG AWARD:

• San Diego County Office of Emergency Services - AlertSanDiego
  Capable of reaching 1.1 million households in San Diego within three hours, the internet-based AlertSanDiego program utilizes email, text and phone messages to circulate emergency information countywide. After a one-time cost of $230,000 and an estimated annual cost of $4,000, the County no longer carries the overhead expenses of servers, phones, and maintenance. During the 2007 firestorms, San Diego County used its newly implemented AlertSanDiego program to circulate emergency information to 500,000 county residents.  

REGIONAL WATCHDOG AWARD WINNER:

• Regional Construction Procurement Committee - Collaborative Establishment of Best Practices
  Working with public agencies and contractors from across the county, the Regional Construction Procurement Committee has developed a list of best practices that has made the bidding and construction of public works projects more efficient. As costs have escalated over the past few years, the committee's work in coordinating bid schedules, developing standardized bid contracts and developing best practices for cost estimating have led to lower project costs and an expedient process.  The cooperative effort put forth by each of the committee members serves as a model for other industries looking to streamline costs and services.

METRO WATCHDOG AWARD WINNER:

• City of San Diego - Fleet Services Consolidation
  Three separate organizations that oversee the purchase, maintenance and management of the City's vehicles have been streamlined into one department, resulting in a first year savings of $3.5 million.  The consolidation, which is an outcome of Business Process Reengineering, is also expected to decrease operating costs by 10-15% and budget costs by 10% annually. Other benefits to the consolidation include a reduction of unscheduled maintenance, more timely purchase of fleet vehicles and increased preventative maintenance.

IT'S ABOUT TIME AWARD WINNER:

• County of San Diego Department of Parks & Recreation - Online Camping Reservation System
  San Diego County residents can now reserve campsites from the comfort of their home or office.  The County of San Diego's new online camping reservation system allow campers to reserve campsites up to a year in advance with several added features.  The website includes photos and detailed descriptions of available campsites, online directional mapping and secure payment options.  While the program required an initial $50,000 investment, it saves $3,000 per year in operating costs and utilizes an outside service provider, saving $110,000 in server maintenance.

MEDIA WATCHDOG AWARD WINNERS:

Emily Alpert, www.voiceofsandiego.org
"Audit Finds $3 Million in Federal Funds Misspent by San Diego Schools"

I-Team, 10News
"Did Red Cross Overbook Rooms During Wildfires?"

 GRAND GOLDEN FLEECE:

• North County Transit District - Sprinter
  Planning for the Sprinter rail by the North County Transit District began in 1990, with an original estimated cost of $60 million. Hampered by a seemingly endless series of delays, fiscal problems and technical issues, the total cost of the Sprinter amounted to nearly half a billion dollars. Amazingly, after receiving a $160,000 fine for sediment pollution to surrounding water bodies, the Transit District was fined an additional $685,000 for repeatedly ignoring the same issue. Three different projected start dates for operations came and went because of faulty signal systems for traffic gates and the failure of an inspection by the California Public Utilities Commission. Faulty design problems delayed work even further, and the Transit District paid $12.2 million in a settlement with West Coast Rail Constructors for the resulting waiting period in addition to $18.1 million in change orders. And that's not all…the rail has failed to significantly reduce traffic on Highway 78; a trip on the Sprinter from Oceanside to Escondido takes longer than driving. Other Sprinter benefits include new traffic delays at train crossings and a lack of sufficient parking for riders at several stops. Even better, while intended to increase the overall use of public transit, many Sprinter passengers were previously Breeze bus riders whose routes were cancelled upon completion of the rail.  

REGIONAL FLEECE:

• Vista Unified School District - Mission Vista High Schools
  The construction of Mission Vista Dual Magnet High Schools, originally scheduled to open for the 2006 school year at a cost of about $50 million, has yet to be completed. After electing to locate the campus at a controversial busy intersection, the District was shockingly sued in 2006 and forced to mitigate for traffic impacts, delaying construction and increasing costs. In 2007, cost estimates for the project almost doubled when the District discovered that original plans for the schools had to be completely redone due to lack of state approval. At this time, the District was under the impression that it had a maximum-price agreement with its contractor, when in reality it did not. Other "highlights" of the project include the delay of $1.6 million in state matching funds for failure to include joint-use language in the bond resolution, two other revisions to plans at a cost of $12,000 each, and a litany of further cost overruns and delays due to contract issues. Currently, the schools are scheduled to open for the 2009 school year, a mere three years late and double the originally estimated cost.

METRO FLEECE:

• City of Carlsbad - Carlsbad Municipal Golf Course
  Two decades and $63.3 million later, the City of Carlsbad finally unveiled its long-awaited golf course to the public.  Even though most golf courses cost anywhere between $10 - $25 million, the Crossings at Carlsbad has the distinct honor of being known as one of the most expensive municipal golf course projects in the history of the United States.  The 400-acre Crossings experienced a number of delays and cost overruns along the way, including ten course redesigns and a $24,000 fine from the state Regional Water Quality Control Board for insufficient permits. Fore!