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June 2001

In recent years, San Diego County government, like many local governments across the U.S., has launched new efforts to reengineer public services and apply business methods to manage public services. Unfortunately, the rush to apply “best business practices” to local government brought some negative consequences.

The County’s use of temporary workers has risen dramatically, cutting off access to decent wages and health care benefits for many public servants. The high use of contingent workers also damages the quality of County services, because of poor job training.

Temporary Government provides 10 policy recommendations, designed to ensure that San Diego County government provides high-quality public services as a responsible employer offering family-supporting jobs with benefits.