Stanislaus taxpayers form watchdog group in light of troubling StanCOG report | Opinion

Good government starts with accountability, and that starts with us.

The recent Civil Grand Jury report on the Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG) was a wake-up call. It found that Stanislaus Council of Governments Executive Director Rosa De León Park spent over $100,000 of taxpayer money on rented luxury cars, including BMWs, Mercedes Benz and Jeep Grand Cherokees, to commute from her Stockton home to her Modesto office over three years.

Upgrades to first-class flights and stays at expensive hotels were also billed to taxpayers — all with seemingly little oversight. A few of the local officials traveling with StanCOG reportedly took part in some the luxurious perks themselves. Fortunately, the policy board that oversees StanCOG has now authorized an independent forensic audit to provide a full accounting of what happened and how such a breakdown in oversight was allowed to occur.

StanCOG is a regional transportation planning agency overseen by a policy board made up of 16 county and city elected officials across Stanislaus County. It oversees the allocation of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and public transit through funding such as Measure L, the half-cent sales tax passed by voters in 2016. 

The Civil Grand Jury launched an investigation after concerns were raised over the conduct and expenditures of StanCOG’s executive leadership.

According to the June 2024 Grand Jury report, Park stayed in five-star hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton, took business-class flights and dined at lavish restaurants, often without itemized receipts or meaningful oversight. The report compiled the receipts that were made available and tracked $33,000 in Ritz-Carlton stays.

This pattern isn’t just about Park or StanCOG. It’s about a deeper breakdown in trust between local government and the people it’s meant to serve. That’s why a group of local residents came together to form the Stanislaus County Taxpayer Association, a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) committed to restoring transparency, accountability and fiscal sanity to local government.

Our mission is simple: to ensure that taxpayers are taxed fairly, their dollars are spent wisely and that we, the people, have a voice in how our money is spent. We believe oversight shouldn’t be the job of a grand jury once a year. It should be built into how we govern every day, in every agency and with every decision.

We formed this association with four core priorities in mind:

▪ Fiscal Responsibility: We advocate for balanced budgets, smart spending and long-term planning. When governments rely on short-term fixes and unchecked growth in spending, it’s taxpayers who pay the price. We believe in efficiency and in demanding value for every public dollar spent.

▪ Transparency: The public deserves access to clear, accurate and timely information about how their money is being spent. That includes agency budgets, contracts, travel expenses and consultant fees. Transparency shouldn’t be treated like a nuisance, it should be the default, and we must expect it from our local governments.

▪ Accountability: Elected and appointed officials must be accountable for the decisions they make. That means tracking outcomes, enforcing ethics rules and holding individuals responsible when public trust is violated. Silence or “plausible deniability” is not leadership, nor is funding programs that are not working as promised or have failed to deliver expected benefits.

▪ Public Engagement: We aim to educate and empower residents to participate in local government year-round — not just during elections. Too often, the decisions that matter most to our budgets and our quality of life happen with little public awareness or involvement. We want to change that by mobilizing taxpayers to attend meetings, submit comments and ask tough questions.

We have decided to form this association now because it’s clear that some local agencies have grown too comfortable with public money and too distant from public scrutiny. This is unacceptable. Taxpayers deserve better, and we’re here to make sure they receive it. At the end of the day, the money our local governments spend every day should be done as effectively and prudently as possible.

The Stanislaus County Taxpayer Association is not aligned with any political party or interest group. We are your neighbors. Our board is currently made-up of individuals in Stanislaus County that seek to make the area more affordable for all. It is difficult to do this when we do not have accountable government spending.

We care deeply about this region and are tired of seeing its resources squandered. We’ll be monitoring budgets, exposing waste and pushing for reforms that ensure that every single dollar is spent prudently and efficiently. This is a difficult job, and we can’t do it alone. We need residents from every part of the county to stand up and demand a government that respects its taxpayers.

If you’re frustrated by what you’ve seen in recent headlines, get involved. Visit our website, sign up for updates or share your own story.

The people of Stanislaus County work hard and play by the rules. It’s time we had a watchdog that ensures our local governments do the same.

This story was originally published July 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.