Two of San Diego’s troubled redevelopment organizations would keep their independence under a new plan being recommended by Mayor Jerry Sanders. KPBS reporter Katie Orr has details.
Sanders says he will not dismantle the Centre City and the Southeastern Economic Development Corporations. Both agencies have been caught up in scandals involving conflicts of interest and finances. Sanders says, despite their troubles, he believes it’s best to keep the agencies and keep them separate from the city.
“My recommendation to leave SEDC and CCDC as independent corporations is based upon the prior success of both organizations, especially CCDC, in redevelopment of blighted areas and the need to attract specifically skilled employees which can best be done with entities independent of the city,” he says.
But Sanders wants the power to hire and fire the CEO’s of both with the City Council’s consent. He’s also proposing both he and the council be allowed to appoint representatives to their boards. CCDC Interim CEO Fred Maas welcomes the additional oversight.
“If you want to restore and maintain the public’s trust, the more accountability you have the better. And I think, to the extent that ultimately our elected officials have to respond to the electorate that votes them in, the more says they have in the process I think the healthier it is,” he says.
The proposals will be taken up by the City Council's Audit Committee next week and go before the full council sometime next month.
Katie Orr, KPBS News.
