The never-ending stories coming out of City Hall that make San Diegans incredulous, angry or both continued this week when details of a 50-page report by City Auditor Andy Hanau went public. It documented how often Mayor Todd Gloria and his staff violated contracting rules by increasing spending limits without City Council approval. The audit found that contract changes totaling $155 million were sent to the council for review later than required, after the funds were spent or not at all.
This may be shrugged off by the mayor’s allies as ing minutiae. But transparently following the rules on the spending of public funds is crucial to limiting corruption and guarantees a much higher level of ability than when corners are routinely cut, as is the San Diego way. Yet despite four similar internal reports since 2015, the same basic mistakes seen under Mayor Kevin Faulconer continue under Gloria. The latest report suggested confusion over the rules may be why so many city staff didn’t realize the egregiousness of their actions. But while that explanation may have flown in 2015, it now seems to rationalize the fact that Gloria’s and Faulconer’s aides kept making the same mistake — not seeking necessary council approval for spending changes — that made their jobs easier. Were they making mistakes that erred on the side of seeking unnecessary approvals? Yeah, right.
The City Council’s skepticism about the mayor was on display late last month when it put the brakes on his befuddling push to quickly approve a complex proposal to lease a 65,000-square-foot warehouse in Middletown and turn it into a 1,000-bed homeless shelter at a potential long-term cost of $1 billion or more. The latest report suggests even more council skepticism is in order. A case can be made that Gloria has done far more to strengthen the argument for returning to a city manager form of government than any advocate of the change.
