An Opportunity to Be a Part of a Cause that Serves Taxpayers
Throughout my life of being a board member of over 25 nonprofit organizations in San Diego, including the Union of Pan Asian Communities and Nonprofit Solutions, I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to be gifted with knowledge, experience and the desire to help others. Currently, I “serve” on three boards. I emphasize serve because I am there to represent the mission of the organizations and the people and organizations they serve. It is a service role.
The three boards include the Old Town San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Uptown Community Planning Group and the San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA). In terms of the three organizations, the later of the three, (SDCTA), which has been operating since 1945, is a new appointment. I was elected by the board within the past several weeks. I have joined that board during a time of transition.
The executive director, Haney Hong, resigned recently to pursue other endeavors. I had the honor to meet with him on numerous occasions and to learn firsthand the role of the SDCTA. The mission is to protect and promote cost effective and efficient government, which encompasses a lot of territory: city, county, school districts, municipalities, etc.
During one of the meetings with Hong the focus was on the homeless programs in the city of San Diego and their effectiveness. I was doing this while addressing the Kettner and Vine Street, 1,000-person shelter that Mayor Gloria was proposing at the time. Many of us wanted to get information on proper funding and cost effective organizations. The SDCTA, I learned, had a research team and policy group that was involved in this effort and that the process is data driven to ensure it is unbiased and purely objective.
Knowing that this is how the SDCTA operates and the mechanisms that they utilized to do their research and analysis, truly impressed me. I also know that the SDCTA has been a resource for many of us prior to election time when various measures are brought before the public at large. These measures can increase fees and taxes that can ultimately help or hinder the services provided by our government (local and county-wide) and their effectiveness.
Now that I am on the board and have met with staff and learned more about the due diligence and the data-driven approach to its observations and recommendations, I feel even more excited about my role on the board. We need organizations to act on the behalf of the public at large, especially in this capacity.
I was recently interviewed by Jeff McDonald of the San Diego Union Tribune about my new role and why I chose to join the board of the SDCTA after the recent announcement of Hong’s departure and the financial state of the organization. Having served on numerous boards, I said that I know that financial challenges exist every day for these organizations. Very few, if any, aren’t addressing the needs for funding from a variety of sources.
What I am glad to announce is that during Hong’s role as executive director, he spent considerable time and effort taking the organization through a purification process. The purpose was to assess and eliminate any potential bias due to funding sources and relationships. That was a monumental task and had financial ramifications. However, the SDCTA has a mission to be purely objective and unbiased.
Looking at the past, in 2024, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association analyzed 40 ballot measures that were brought before county residents during the November elections. Taxpayers saved billions of dollars because of research and analysis.
In 2025 the San Diego County Taxpayers Association is focused on an important issue, the “Trash Fee” being proposed by the City of San Diego.
Today as we look forward, the SDTA board will be leading in the capacity of the role of the executive director and will continue to serve the public at large with a strong and objective research and policy team. We know that the cause and purpose of the SDCTA is truly important and has worth for all San Diegans.
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