SDMGA Editorials
LET THE SUN SHINE IN:
Ending the backroom deals at Torrey Pines
Regardless of your views of the changes proposed to privatize the Torrey Pines Golf Courses, we think everyone should agree that major changes in policy need to be identified and dealt with directly. Like so much that has been done in San Diego lately, almost everything that has happened regarding the Torrey Pines Golf Complex has been done outside the view of the public, in back rooms, in violation of prescribed procedures, and with deceiving explanations. The San Diego Municipal Golf Alliance (SDMGA) believes that if the backers of the changes at Torrey Pines could defend their proposals on the merits, they would not resort to the kind of backroom manipulation, deception and underhanded tactics the City staff and the special interests to whom they are catering have used for the last 5 years. Here is the summary of some of the lowlights of this sorry record:
(1) In 2001, South Course renovations were bought and paid for by private interests, without public notice, in secret negotiations with the Century Club and without public opportunity to comment. The disastrous decision to install the same bent grass greens as had just failed at the Riviera Club was one prominent example of the dangers of closed-door decision making. Even more important, this was the opening salvo in the unannounced scheme to hijack the Torrey Pines Courses without ever admitting it.
(2) In 2002, tee times for the Lodge and Hilton were snuck in at City Council level, bypassing the Golf Advisory Committee (GAC), Natural Resources Committee of the City Council (NRC) and the general public.
(3) In 2002, Golf Operations Manager Jim Allen represented to concerned members of the public and Scott Peters staff that, among other things, greens fees on the North course were frozen until after the U.S. Open under the contract with the USGA. (This was apparently a false representation, but Peters’ staff did nothing to correct it.)
(4) The negotiations to bring the US Open were conducted in secret. Bill Evans owner of the Torrey Pines Lodge threatened to scuttle the negotiations if his hotel didn’t get extra tee times. City staff caved and gave the Lodge extra tee times bypassing the GAC, NRC and the public. The public never learned of Evans’ greedy threat.
(5) November 2004, Bill Evans’ Torrey Pines Lodge announced the schedule for North Course renovations in glossy brochures long before they were presented to the GAC or the City. Only the forceful efforts of Mike Zucchet allowed for meaningful public impact on this one.
(6) January 2005, new golf operations manager Mark Woodward was hired without known public input.
(7) January 2006, five year “Business Plan” promulgated in January of 2006 with request for approval in just two days. This new plan contains the most sweeping policy changes ever proposed buried in a 78-page document. Proposals to virtually privatize the Torrey Pines Golf Complex and to bench mark resident rates to high end private club rates were proposed.
(8) January 2006, plans for work on the North Course 18th hole in preparation for construction of the Century Club’s offices on public park land was snuck onto South Open Renovation Agenda to intentionally avoid public input.
The pattern is clear: the proponents of the plan to hijack Torrey Pines will do anything to keep the light of day from shining on their backroom scheme. Have they learned that secrecy, manipulation and deception lead to bad decisions? Look at the record: the heaviest year for lowlights is 2006 and we are barely a month into it. These shenanigans must come to an end. If the proponents of privatization can defend this plan to take the use of Torrey Pines from San Diego residents; let them defend it. If they can show that it is not a giveaway to hotel owners and other greedy, power hungry fat cats, let them show it. If they can show that their plan is not to ration tee times at Torrey by ability to pay the highest price, let them show it. If they are not abandoning Municipal Golf at Torrey, let them show it. If with all of this they can show that the City is getting top dollar for its parkland, let them show it. In short, let them make the case honestly and openly. If they can demonstrate why local golfers should pay for fancy facilities we don’t want and will never be allowed to use, let them do it.
We believe that when the cloaks of secrecy are lifted from the power brokers who are driving policy, San Diegans will see that this is another welfare scheme for millionaires at the expense of ordinary San Diegans. Only when the golf operations books are opened for audit, when the campaign contributions and other payoffs to city officials are revealed, when the tee time sheets are examined will we begin to know even a small part of the truth.
This website was launched today with the goal of shedding light in those dark places where the plots are still being hatched. When the sun shines in, we hope that the truth will be revealed and Torrey Pines and municipal golf in San Diego will be protected from the modern-day robber barons who are trying to take our beloved parkland away from us, the citizens of San Diego, in whose name the City operates.
LET THE SUN SHINE IN.