Supervisor budgets $240,000 for office furniture, remodeling

The recently remodeled office of County Supervisor Jim Desmond at the County administration office in San Diego on June 12, 2019. Desmond also has a satellite office in Vista that also is being remodeled. (K.C. Alfred & Cristina Byvik / The San Diego Union-Tribune)County Supervisor Jim Desmond’s new front office downtown is modest looking by any measure.home furniture living room

There’s a medium-sized sofa, a coffee table, a standard wooden desk, a few chairs, some fresh paint, a TV and generic, gray carpeting. His district office in Vista, while still being remodeled, is expected to be similarly utilitarian, his staff says.Though his new offices are nothing to gawk at, their potential price tag is more interesting.

Desmond budgeted $240,000 to remodel and renovate his downtown and district office space, according to spending records during his first five months in office. The final cost may come under budget, he said.So far, it far exceeds how much other county supervisors have spent on office improvements this year and in recent years, according to county records.

Desmond said in an interview that he has tried to save money and he is frustrated with the cost, but the upgrades are long overdue.“I inherited two offices, one in downtown San Diego and the other in the Vista County Courthouse,” Desmond said.

“Both offices had the same carpet and paint for over two decades. The downtown office update, which ran into asbestos, included updating mine and three staff offices. The North County Vista office is larger with a conference room, waiting room, bathroom and three staff offices. I had to use county-only union laborers and a single source furniture vendor.”He said he selected furniture from a county-approved catalog and didn’t pick the most expensive options, but other furniture purchases are the result of competitive bidding.

The projects also rely on contractors who are required to be paid a prevailing wage, he said.

Desmond’s offices also cost more than most supervisors’ because he is one of only two who use a field office and a downtown office. The other supervisors, except for Chairwoman Dianne Jacob, represent districts that are close enough for them to serve from one office downtown.