San Diego Grand jury urges openness about city golf operations

By Tod Leonard, Union-Tribune Staff Writer

2:00 a.m. June 9, 2009

A San Diego County grand jury has completed an investigation into the operation of San Diego's municipal golf facilities, including Torrey Pines. It found no violation of laws, but did express concern about the lack of openness and communication with the public.

The grand jury report filed on May 28 made a trio of recommendations to Mayor Jerry Sanders' office. It asked that the Golf Advisory Council be re-established after being disbanded in 2006; that the city make all budget statements and contracts available online; and that the five-year golf operations plan be made available at the golf courses and on the Internet.

City Golf Manager Jon Maddern said Friday that a copy of the business plan is available on the city's Web site on the Park and Recreation page and at the courses. He said information on budgets and capital improvement projects are also on the city's site, though there appears to be no contract information.

As for bringing back the Golf Advisory Council, Maddern said he would discuss that with Park and Recreation Director Stacy LoMedico when she returns from vacation. Maddern declined to provide his own thoughts about the GAC, which was defunct when he arrived in late 2007.

Previous members of the GAC have contended it was disbanded because the GAC voted 8-3 against the mayor's five-year golf plan in February 2006.

By law, the mayor's office must respond to the grand jury's recommendations within 90 days.

According to the report, the grand jury began investigating golf operations after a senior citizen golfer, who is not identified in the report, filed a complaint alleging he was being discriminated against through prohibitive green fees and identification card fees.

The grand jury said it investigated by interviewing city officials, members of the San Diego Municipal Golfers Alliance, and other golfers with no formal affiliations. It also reviewed public documents associated with city golf.

In its report, the grand jury concluded it could find no law, rule or policy that has been violated by the city. “Evidence of mismanagement beyond allegation and innuendo was not forthcoming,” the report said.

However, the grand jury said it encountered “extensive resentment” toward city officials by golf course users. “While the exact words were not always the same, golfers generally expressed a feeling that their concerns were not taken seriously,” the report said.

The report said it took the city four months to deliver a current copy of the five-year golf operations plan and six months to provide a current golf budget.

Concluded the report: “If the Grand Jury encountered a less than forthcoming posture on the part of the City, what chance does the average citizen have?”

SDMGA co-founder Paul Spiegelman, a law professor, said he believed the grand jury's investigation into discrimination against seniors was “far too narrow.

“The fundamental problem with the five-year plan is that it discriminates against San Diego residents by failing to make affordable and accessible golf for residents the primary goal of golf operations and the Golf Enterprise Fund,” Spiegelman wrote in an e-mail. “The city has sought to maximize revenues from golf. In doing so, it is violating the fundamental purpose of public parkland — to provide recreational opportunities for all San Diegans, not just rich ones.”

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