Issa Watch - Part 1

Representative Darryl Issa (R-CA-49), now Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has never been fond of the American Recovery and Investment Act (ARA). The ARA, by the way, included $243.4 billion in tax benefits - I thought Republicans loved those! On Issa's website you can find (under Hot Topics on the lower right) "Stimulus WASTE WATCH" (SWW).

SWW, entitled "Signs of a Failed Stimulus," provides a map festooned with virtual pushpins - each one represents a sign. A sign indicating that a particular project was funded by the ARA. The page objects not to the particular projects funded by the ARA, but the signs themselves:

Signs don't put America back to work, but they are being bought and paid for with your tax dollars in an effort to help President Obama and his pro-stimulus spending allies in Washington keep their jobs.

Ahem. Well, given that Issa is vociferously objecting to the stimulus (or is at least linking to a page that objects to signs letting taxpayers know their funds are actually being used), it would be instructive to find out how ARA funds are being used in Mr. Issa's district.

The federal government helpfully provides a map of awards, nationwide, under the ARA. So what awards have fallen within Darrel Issa's District, and how many jobs have they created (self-reported)?

• $34,344 Sialix, Inc. (Biotech) - 0.5 jobs created
• $414,453 American Design and Build, Inc. - 8 jobs created
• $92,500 McClain Mechanical Systems - 0 jobs created
• $135,582 The Oceanscence Group Ltd. - 0 jobs created
• $18,009 Saturn Landscape Plus, Inc. (Oceanside) - 4.6 jobs created
• $861,850 North County Transit District (Oceanside) - 0.92 jobs created
• $12,739,815 North County Transit District (Oceanside) - 14.95 jobs created (different projects)
• $14,793,465 Aerotek, Inc. (Aerotek is a staffing agency. This is an odd amount to spend on a staffing agency. The award looks to be for a construction project.) - 37.25 jobs created
• $402,951 JDS Plumbing & Mechanical - 0 jobs created (odd; job description is for rehabilitating naval base buildings, but the map indicates the project is in a residential neighborhood.)
• $205,720 Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians - 0 jobs created
• $399,980 Indian Health Council - 0 jobs created
• $41,603 All Mission Indian Housing Authority - 0 jobs created
• $91,827 All Mission Indian Housing Authority - 0 jobs created
• $33,600 Pala Band of Indians - 0 jobs created
• $973,426 Guidry Liason Group, Inc. (Temecula) - 0 jobs created. Award was for "roasted nuts and peanut butter manufacturing" and delivery of same to USDA clients (whatever that means in this context). Map shows this location to be a residential area, however. Odd. Bears further looking into.
• $284,892 Cheycocam Mechanical - 0 jobs created - For repair of underwater survival facility, Marine recruit depot, San Diego.

So far, it looks as if quite a lot of stimulus money was directed to Issa's district, and this list only reflects awards to the southern 1/3 of his district. No wonder he was only complaining about the signs! I'll dig into the rest of his district tomorrow.