National City leaders came under fire two years ago for giving themselves $100,000 each to spend annually in their districts. Initially, there were no rules for how the money could be spent. And some of the first expenses raised questions about whether they were a legitimate use of taxpayer money. B ut officials said a great portion of what they have spent so far has gone toward one of the main reasons they approved district budgets: hiring assistants. The part-time council members, including one who voted against the funds, said adding assistants to their offices has improved their organization and constituent engagement and has helped them roll out community programs. Some members of the public still question whether it’s appropriate for leaders to have several thousand dollars in discretionary spending as the city confronts a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. Their latest call for greater transparency came last month when officials received a city staff report on how much each council member had spent between last July and January, the first half of the fiscal year. The report did not provide details on when, where and how funds were spent, only sum totals for each district. “List what you do and let’s see it,” resident Edward Nieto told the City Council during a March meeting. “That way, people can judge what we got out of district budgeting.” Officials agreed and asked that city staff return with a detailed report. That report is now scheduled for Tuesday’s City Council meeting, according to an agenda released Thursday. Here’s a breakdown of some of their expenses based on the report and receipts obtained from a public records request made by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Of their $100,000 accounts, council members have spent this much: Councilmember Marcus Bush — $49,023Councilmember Luz Molina — $34,013Councilmember Jose Rodriguez — $51,464Councilmember Ditas Yamane — $47,923 A majority of their expenditures have gone toward the salaries and benefits of their assistants. Officials also bought office supplies, snacks for district townhalls, jackets with city lettering for office staff and car rentals and flights for various events on issues like housing and economic development in Sacramento and Mexico. There were also expenditures like a $100 ticket Rodriguez paid to attend the Chicano Federation’s 55th anniversary event and $125 Yamane spent at retailer HM for blazers. The receipts were labeled as “Yamane city apparel.” Yamane also spent $8,200 to deploy a banner program in her district. The funds covered more than 60 banners, other material and labor. The council member said the banners are to promote District 3 and encourage residents to shop local. “There was no promotion that our city has gone to districting and some of my constituents still don’t know that we’re a district,” she said. “So, this is one way to promote a district that has long been overlooked. There’s a lot of businesses here.” All but Councilmember Jose Rodriguez hired one assistant. Rodriguez, who hired four people, faced criticism for bringing in two people who did ad work for his unsuccessful, 2022 mayoral bid and one who led a local Democratic club that endorsed him for District 2 days after signing a consulting contract with Rodriguez’s office. His council colleagues censured him late last year over allegations, in part, that he used city-funded personnel for campaign purposes. Rodriguez has repeatedly rejected those claims, arguing that his office has been more efficient in addressing local issues. For example, he said, constituents have raised concerns about lewd acts occurring at several short-term rentals, which National City has no policy governing. After a reported shooting took place at a rental, he and his staff went “knocking on doors, engaging the community and asking them what it was like living next to a short-term rental property. The overwhelming responses were negative, and led us to believe that we need to have a policy.” Officials are set to review a proposed policy in the coming months. His office also checks for defunct street lights weekly and reports them to the city and San Diego Gas Electric for replacement, and plans to plant dozens of trees around transit corridors in his district after securing grant funding. “Stuff like that would never be possible if I did not have staff,” said Rodriguez. “We literally are driving around at night and reporting lights that need replacing. If we see a pothole, we should fix it immediately. If we see there is no tree canopy in a public space, we should provide that. We’re trying to be proactive about addressing issues.” Molina agreed that having an assistant has improved efficiency and helped her reach more constituents. But she said she still questions whether district budgets were an appropriate move. She and Mayor Ron Morrison voted against allowing them. “One of the primary reasons that it took me a while to sort of use my district budget is because I was trying to figure out how best to do it without so much impact,” she said, adding that she believes she struck a balance. Molina brought Pedro Garcia as her lone, part-time assistant. He was already working full time in the city’s economic development department, but is now splitting his schedule between both offices. They worked with City Attorney Berry Schultz to develop a “strict contract” that clarified his duties for the District 1 office. Half of his pay would come from Molina’s $100,000 and the other half from the city department. “In essence, it’s budget neutral,” she said. “So, I am very happy with that outcome.” The controversial district budgets marked a historic change in that National City’s full-time mayor has typically had a larger budget than his part-time counterparts. The mayor’s six-figure budget covered a full-time assistant’s salary and benefits, events such as the State of the City, travel, supplies and training. Council members had $3,000 each for travel and training and would share one assistant, whose pay was budgeted under the city manager’s budget. Officials argued that because governing was a full-time job and all five members of the City Council had equal voting power, part-time officials deserved district funds that more closely matched the mayor’s budget. In June, they adopted a policy. It states that funds may be used to pay for staffing, professional services, travel, training and conferences. Officials cannot use funds to contribute to or support nonprofit organizations, for political activities or gifts of public funds. ...read more read less