If the city of San Diego were a private company, how would shareholders judge its fiscal health? John Moorlach (“San Diego ranks last in local fiscal health,” Jan. 19) answers: It consistently ranks last among local competitors. Were it private, shareholders would sell at distressed prices to new ownership. All the management and half the staff would likely be fired. Self-supporting regional branches (e.g., La Jolla) would be divested. Eligible functions (e.g., trash collection, ambulance services) would be turned over to private firms. Municipal service companies (e.g., water and sewer, transportation) would be corporatized with external accountability. Libraries would be transferred to local jurisdictions.
Current leadership is paying hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to find new ways to fleece its citizens. San Diego fell from “America’s Finest City” to “Enron by the Sea” in three decades, to the “City drowning in a sea of red ink” during the past two. Don’t count on the captain going down with the ship.
— Kevin Villani, La Jolla