San Diego Wins 20 Awards for Excellence in Engineering

13 different projects received a total of 20 awards for excellence in engineering, design, construction and project management.

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City Website Wins "Sunny Award" for Transparency

The Sunshine Review has recognized the city of San Diego's new website as one of the most transparent government websites in America, presenting it with a "Sunny Award."

Of the more than 6,000 websites reviewed by the open government nonprofit, San Diego's website ranked in the Top 100, scoring an "A+" in transparency on Sunshine Review's Transparency Checklist.

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Council Vote Officially Launches City’s Managed Competition Program

Aiding Mayor Jerry Sanders' aggressive agenda to streamline city operations, increase accountability and reduce pension costs, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved the Preliminary Statement of Work for Publishing Services – officially launching the first managed competition process since the voters approved the initiative in 2006.

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San Diego Ranked in Top 25 Cities for The Arts

AmericanStyle magazine has confirmed what most of us already know – San Diego is one of the nation's great cities when it comes to arts and culture. San Diego's arts scene is growing more diverse and successful every year, with an estimated 1.5 million people visiting the city annually to enjoy arts-related activities. Whether visiting Balboa Park and its museums or catching a play at the La Jolla Playhouse or Old Globe Theater, there are numerous ways for San Diegans to be proud of and enjoy their status as a center for the Arts.

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City COO, Jay Goldstone, Named To Wall Street Oversight Board

San Diego Chief Operating Officer Jay Goldstone has been named to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), a prestigious 21-member board that regulates brokers/dealers, banks and financial advisors that trade or advise in municipal securities.

Hired by Mayor Jerry Sanders at the beginning of 2006, Goldstone is one of the board's 11 new members. He was chosen from a national pool of more than 150 candidates.

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Fleet Maintenance and Publishing Services Will Undergo Managed Competition

Mayor Jerry Sanders announced that publishing services and fleet maintenance will be the first two city services put out to bid under managed competition, the process that allows the private sector to compete with city departments to provide city services.

The announcement came on the heels of the City Council's approval of the first reading of an ordinance that will allow the city to move forward with managed competition. Under the process, city employees can compete against the private sector by submitting their own bids for the work.

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San Diegans Exceed Water-Saving Targets

Mayor Jerry Sanders congratulated San Diegans for cutting back their water use by 11 percent for fiscal year 2010, surpassing the target goal of 8 percent. The announcement comes a year after the city declared a drought emergency and instituted mandatory water-conservation rules.

While applauding San Diegans, the mayor reminded everyone to remain vigilant against water waste. The city recently learned that it will receive the same water allocation this fiscal year as last – meaning the mandatory water-use restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

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City's Fleet Leader, John Alley, Named "Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year"

John Alley, the deputy director of the city's Fleet Services Division, was named 2010 Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year by Government Fleet magazine.

Alley, who has managed the city's fleet since 2007, oversees a 240-member staff that manages the city's 4,000-vehicle fleet used for fire, police, lifeguards, construction, trash, aerial and other vehicles. The four-page magazine profile of Alley cited his high expectations and team mentality for the successful implementation of the department re-engineering plan and the efficient operation of the department.

Read the full story in Government Fleet.

San Diego Garners Highest Ratings for Notes to Be Offered This Month

All three Wall Street bond-rating firms have given the city of San Diego the highest possible rating for the short-term notes the city will offer to investors this month.

The top ratings by Standard & Poor's, Moody Investor Services and Fitch Ratings signify confidence in the city's ability to honor its repayment obligations on its Tax Revenue Anticipation Notes (TRANs). The practical effect of the highest rating is reduced interest rate on TRANs – meaning reduced cost to taxpayers.

This is the first time since 2003 that the city has received top ratings on TRANs from all three agencies. From 2004-2008, the city was unable to borrow in the public bond markets due to investigations into disclosure violations and delay in the release of city audits. The shutout forced the city to finance its capital and cash flow needs through more costly private offerings.

In 2008, the city's financial staff completed five years' worth of backlogged audits, and San Diego returned to the public bond markets in early 2009.

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SD Redevelopment Agency Named Outstanding Government Agency by Housing Federation

The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency was presented with the Outstanding Government Agency award during the San Diego Housing Federation's 15th Annual San Diego County Affordable Housing and Community Development Recognition Awards ceremony.

The RDA was nominated for being proactive in helping to ensure the development of La Entrada and Los Vientos Apartments in Barrio Logan.

SDHF defines an Outstanding Government Agency as one that takes unusual risk or initiative to support affordable housing and/or community development initiatives. Agencies outside of San Diego and California are eligible.

Robert Chavez, the agency's community development coordinator, and Sam Johnson, agency project area manager, were recognized for their work in helping to navigate the city's approval process at multiple levels, including Agency funding, entitlement issues, local PAC and community meetings, and the City Council office.

In addition to being named the Outstanding Government Agency, the agency-funded Los Vientos affordable housing complex won Housing Project of the Year - More than 50 Units award.

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Water Department's Conservation Campaign is a Real Winner

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has named the city of San Diego's "No Time to Waste, No Water to Waste" water conservation public outreach campaign winner of the 2009 Public Communications Achievement Award. The City's Public Utilities Department will accept the award at the AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition later this month in Chicago.

The campaign was created last year to address San Diego's ongoing Level 2 drought alert, which requires mandatory water-use restrictions. The award is presented to organizations or individuals who foster and support the development of public outreach programs and integrate public affairs as a core element of utility planning and management.

Also recognizing the "No Time to Waste, No Water to Waste" campaign is the California Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP). The AEP presented the City with the 2010 Public Involvement/Education Program Merit Award for phases one and two of the outreach campaign at their statewide conference this spring.

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