The board of directors of the San Diego Association of Governments has hired Hueston Hennigan to conduct an independent examination of an inaccurate revenue forecast for last fall's Measure A.
The board of directors of the San Diego Association of Governments has hired Hueston Hennigan to conduct an independent examination of a faulty revenue forecast for last fall’s Measure A.
The board earlier this year called for an outside investigation of who knew what, and when, regarding the projection of how much money a half-cent sales tax hike would raise.
The measure was backed by a majority of residents in November, but failed to capture the two-thirds necessary for passage.
Documents obtained by the online publication Voice of San Diego indicated that staff members discovered a modeling error that overstated the likely proceeds but didn’t change the projection or alert board members.
A trio of SANDAG directors – Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole and Del Mar Mayor Terry Sinnott – recommended the hiring of the law firm Hueston Hennigan LLP to conduct the investigation at a cost of $125,000. Their proposal was approved by the board, which is made up of elected officials from around the region.
“We wanted a pit bull to make sure that every stone is looked under, that we leave nothing to question so that the public can know we investigated things thoroughly and completely,” Vaus said. “My view – everything is on the table.”
From the Times of San Diego