Another $7,000 in Taxpayer Funded Travel in the Last 90 Days!

In 1967, the legendary pop duo Sonny & Cher had a hit recording titled The beat goes on. Well, so it seems in La Mesa for taxpayer funded travel by elected officials as well. Since reported at the La Mesa City Council meeting a few months ago, another $7,000 has been racked up by elected officials. Overall, their junkets include trips to San Francisco, Phoenix, New Orleans, Yosemite Valley, Chicago and Baltimore.

Inasmuch as these are public funds being spent, does not the public deserve a full proposed cost/benefit accounting ahead of the expense including exactly how attending the events in person is actually necessary over simply receiving information, materials, grant applications, or view lectures later via electronic media?

Cursory post approval for each trip seems a little like locking a fence gate after the horse has left the corral. Now it may be that what was gained from personal attendance was impossible to obtain by other less costly means in a timely manner.

But did the attenders explore and present alternatives to the entire elected council and public at large so collective wisdom and experience could help point towards the most cost-effective decision on spending limited taxpayer funds? It sure does not look like pre-trip council review and brainstorming is part of the process!

It might be tempting to think that our elected officals travel habits are not out of the norm when compared to other local cities. Well fair enough.

So I asked other local cities for the same information as I asked our city. Attached is a summary of that information readily available to anyone who asks. All enquiries were handled professionally and politey by staff with Lemon Grove the quickest to respond (the same day) and La Mesa the slowest to respond.

One city, Encinitas, has its City Council travel expenses available to view on their website! Overall it is safe to say that elected officials in La Mesa spend money for city sponsored travel at or near the the top, even more than the officials in the city of San Diego which has over 20 times the population of La Mesa. 

Could it be that these trips are mostly part of a longstanding wink and nod circular council approval process to fund "working" vacations? All of course having a minimal form and veneer of legitimate city business to pass legal scrutiny and certainly a casual citizen inquiry wherein the junketeer can boast to be following ethical protocol or to be "doing only what others have done before."

I would hope those who work for us can do just a little better!