ESCONDIDO — The City Council has appointed three residents to serve on a new oversight committee tasked with monitoring how the city spends revenue from its recently approved one-cent sales tax increase measure.
Last November, voters approved Measure I, with more than 61% favoring the tax hike. The tax will be collected for the next 20 years and is intended to support essential city services such as police and fire, address homelessness, improve sidewalks and infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion and maintain parks, trails and open space.
Under the measure, the city must establish a citizens’ oversight committee to ensure transparency in the use of the funds.
According to staff, the committee will maintain “transparency, accountability, open dialogue, and public participation regarding the expenditure of Measure I funds, guaranteeing that new revenues are used in accordance with the will of the voters.”
The committee will comprise five members and one alternate, who may serve in case a quorum cannot be met due to a member’s absence.
The council is responsible for appointing three members: one representing the business community, one at-large member, and one alternate.
All appointees must be Escondido residents without conflicts of interest. Each term lasts two years, and members may serve up to three consecutive terms.
City Clerk Zachary Beck said the Measure I Citizens’ Oversight Committee is the only city commission or committee with term limits.
On March 19, the council unanimously approved the appointments of Carol Rogers to the business seat, Sabrina Covington to the at-large seat, and Karl Edward Trujillo as the alternate.
Rogers is the former owner of Stone & Glass studio and currently serves as vice president of the Escondido Downtown Business Association and as a member of the city’s Public Art Commission.
“A current commissioner can serve on this committee,” Beck said, noting that the city generally does not allow individuals to serve on more than one commission, but makes an exception for this oversight committee.
Covington is a real estate broker with Covington & Associates. Trujillo is the founder of Dr. Boochart Hard Kombucha.
Representatives from the Escondido Police Association, the Escondido Firefighters Association and the San Diego County Taxpayers Association will fill the remaining three committee seats.
Committee meetings will be held at least every other month and are subject to the Brown Act. A majority of members present will constitute a quorum.
The committee is responsible for conducting an annual audit of Measure I’s revenue collection and expenditures, and submitting a report to the City Council within 90 days of the end of each fiscal year.
City staff will provide administrative support to the committee as needed. Council members have the authority to remove any member with or without cause. Members who miss two consecutive meetings without an excuse will be dismissed.
Overall, council members expressed confidence in their appointments.
“I feel like this meets the needs of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee,” said Mayor Dane White.
Council members Christian Garcia and Joe Garcia (no relation) said selecting finalists from the applicant pool was not easy.
“This was an amazing pool of candidates,” Christian Garcia said.
With the appointments now finalized, the next step is for the council to adopt the official guidelines outlining the committee’s structure and operations.
The Boards and Commissions Subcommittee, which includes White and Christian Garcia, is expected to present the proposed guidelines to the full City Council on April 9.
