City of San Marcos Announced as Finalist for County Taxpayer’s Watchdog Award

The City of San Marcos has been selected as a finalist for the Golden Watchdog Award in Cities from the San Diego County Taxpayer's Association for being a responsible steward of public funding through their efforts on the Stay Safe San Marcos initiative.

Launched in August 2024, the Stay Safe San Marcos initiative is a partnership between the City of San Marcos, the San Marcos Unified School District and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's San Marcos Station. The initiative is focused on education and safety measures for bike and e-bike riders and includes a required safety course for students riding bikes to school.

Started in response to an increase of e-bike accidents in North County, the initiative is part of a broader effort to create a safer San Marcos community by promoting responsible road-sharing practices among bike riders, motorists and pedestrians. The initiative has successfully educated 430 students and 390 parents in e-bike safety through in-person classes and resulted in a more than 80% estimated permit rate. Additionally, the San Marcos City Council adopted new bicycle and e-bike regulations to enhance rider safety regulations in summer 2024.

"As a City, we understand our responsibility to the people of San Marcos and don't take it lightly," said Mayor Rebecca Jones. "Being a finalist for this award is a testament to our City's hard work and excellence in responsibly managing taxpayer dollars and prioritizing transparency in all we do. I'd also like to congratulate the winner of the award, the City of El Cajon, for their commitment to the gold standard for fiscal management."

The Annual Golden Watchdog & Fleece Awards recognize the best in public spending, decision-making, and efficiency throughout 2023-2024 in San Diego County. Nominations for the awards were submitted through a public process and the committees responsible for selecting the finalists and winners of the awards carefully deliberated each nominee.

The San Diego County Taxpayer's Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting accountable, cost-effective and efficient government. Since 1945, the organization has served as a watchdog by educating the public and helping the region's taxpayers save money.