The USDA’s Phyllis Fong presented this year’s “CIGIE” to the team that brought down a San Diego–based Navy scandal.

Enforcers who brought down a famous San Diego–based Navy scandal recently received a “CIGIE” award, handed out in Washington by the federal Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. “You have taken risks, persevered, partnered with others, and faced unforeseen challenges,” said Phyllis Fong, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who chaired the gala. An 18-member contingent of federal agents, forensic accountants, and U.S. attorneys bagged the prize as the “Naval Air Station North Island Bribery Case Investigative Team.” …

Unnoticed in the year-end rush, members of the San Diego City Council took time before their holiday break to divvy up extra taxpayer cash from assignments to so-called outside boards of directors. Lorie Zapf was given a spot on the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission, overseer of annexations and other obscure planning actions. A financial disclosure document filed by San Diego’s city clerk shows that the position pays $100 per meeting. Republican Zapf also got a $150-per-meeting seat on the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Board, which the disclosure estimates could gross $3500 over a year’s time. Democrat Todd Gloria, freshly ousted from his job as council president, is taking a $100-per-meeting spot on the board of the San Diego Association of Governments, as is mayor Kevin Faulconer, who has vowed never to accept the reimbursements.

Gloria’s office released a statement saying, “While Councilmember Gloria has always turned down the car allowance offered to him by the city, he does accept pay for the work he performs on behalf of the city at SANDAG.” Zapf did not respond to a telephone message.