Posted on 02/01/2005 12:59:25 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Hundreds of dead San Diego city retirees continue to receive pension checks and the city scans the obituaries to determine whether its beneficiaries are still alive, according to a whistle-blower on the city's pension board.
San Diego's pension system has a nearly $1.4 billion deficit and is at the heart of investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. attorney and FBI into city finances, possible public corruption and securities fraud.
Those investigations were sparked by revelations from Diann Shipione, who testified Monday at the first hearing before the City Council's new Government Efficiency and Openness Committee. The committee is headed by Councilwoman Donna Frye, who lead a nearly successful for mayor on a campaign of openness.
Larry Grissom, administrator of the San Diego City Employees, said that a daily obituary check by a receptionist is "one extremely small part of the process."
Mostly, the system learns about deaths through family members or financial institutions, Grissom said.
The Government Efficiency and Openness Committee demanded a full accounting from the pension fund's staff in two weeks.
Later Monday, City Manager Lamont Ewell told the full City Council about files that were discarded from the office responsible for overseeing the sale of city bonds and ensuring compliance with federal securities laws.
About four to six employees of the 19 in the Financing Services Division discarded files Dec. 10 in what Ewell called "routine recycling."
City Attorney Michael Aguirre read a Dec. 7 memo from an unnamed city employee to then-treasurer Mary Vattimo that stated, "If you can spare a few minutes on Friday and show any of your drawers we need to 'clean,' we will take care of them, too."
"Why she didn't come forward and ask the city attorney why this wasn't OK is a real puzzle to me?" Aguirre said.
I applaud the editor for his nearly successful for proofreading.....
Democrats.
Hell, as long as the dead are voting, they oughta be able to collect their pension checks.
Makes one wonder how many Social Security checks are mailed to dead people, who lived outside the country.
I am sure they scan the mexican obituaries as well.</sarcasm>
It would be interesting to the IRS to know who has been signing the tax returns each year for the dead people?
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