The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil fraud charges Monday against five former San Diego city officials, alleging they gave false statements in city bond offerings for 2002 and 2003 that are at the root of the city's pension scandal. Here's a look at who they are:
Michael Uberuaga: Former city manager who resigned and was replaced by Lamont Ewell. In spring 2002 his labor negotiator struck an agreement for benefit increases while Uberuaga
pushed a new underfunding plan that would scrap the 1996 deal, including the balloon payment element.
Mary Vattimo: Former city treasurer. in a 2003 memo said the pension deficit "numbers are staggering," yet
discouraged disclosure. Reports in Dec. 2004 that employees in her office were
destroying documents put the FBI on alert.
Terri Webster: Former San Diego assistant city auditor whose infamous "
earnings EEEK!" e-mail was not disclosed in subsequent mayoral reports on the city's fiscal health. Webster voted in 2002 to
increase benefits for city workers, including herself. Was later
put on leave for not turning over documents.
Patricia Frazier: Deputy city manager from 1997 through 2005. Before that, she was the financial management director, beginning in 1986. Frazier participated in creating programs to underfund the pension system, first in 1996 and then in 2002, that were approved by the City Council. She also oversaw preparation of financial statements now known to have contained errors and omissions, which led to downgrades of the city's credit ratings and sparked the federal investigations.
