San Diego Government Jobs Recognized for Transparency

Those with San Diego government jobs are being recognized for their willingness to share information with the public.

The Sunshine Review recently named the City of San Diego's website as one of the most transparent government sites in the nation. The city received a "Sunny Award" for getting an A+ score and ranking among the top 100 government websites on the Sunshine Review's Transparency Checklist.

"This award recognizes our effort to engage our citizens through electronic media," Mayor Jerry Sanders said in a statement. "Our web team redesigned the city's website last year to modernize the look and to enhance accessibility and usability for our citizens. We're proud that people have noticed."

The Sunshine Review, a non profit organization that supports open government, reviewed more than 6,000 local and state government websites to see how well they share information with the public. With 20 websites on the list, Florida received the most Sunny Awards, followed by Texas with 12, Utah with 10, Illinois with seven, Virginia with six, and California with five.

The sites were ranked using a 10-point transparency checklist that includes:

• Budgets
• Open meeting laws
• Elected officials
• Administrative officials
• Building permits and zoning
• Audits
• Contracts
• Lobbying
• Public records
• Taxes

"We hope the city of San Diego website will continue to serve as an example of transparency in the future," Sunshine Review President Mike Barnhart said.