They are not elected by the members. Although the group is supposed to be a watchdog over local government, two of its directors are part of the government. Board member Peter Davis is president of Centre City Development Corp., the redevelopment arm of the city. Board member Steve Cushman is on the board of the convention center and the port authority. Both were appointed by the City Council.
Watchdogs can get contracts from the people they're allegedly watching.
Douglas Perkins is first vice president of the association. His firm, Pacific Gateway, just received a contract from the city of San Diego to manage the low-flush toilet rebate program. Executive committee member Mary Ball is a registered lobbyist and represents Cox Cable, which has the cable franchise for a large portion of San Diego. Three board members were mentioned in an article about San Diego's waste disposal system. They all testified at a city council committee meeting about raising fees for recycling.