SAN DIEGO -- San Diego's $130 million municipal deficit may be no laughing matter, but a local taxpayers group has enlisted a number of local politicians for a short film parody that pokes fun at the fiscal crisis and its causes.
The video, shown at 16th Annual Golden Watchdog and Golden Fleece Awards dinner, starred San Diego City Councilmen Carl DeMaio and Kevin Faulconer, Oceanside City Councilman Jerry Kern and Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox, among others.
"It's a chance for local politicians to not be so serious," said Amy Harris, development director for the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. "They have to be so serious throughout the year, so once a year, they get to poke fun at issues that they take pride in."
Called "San Diego's Hangover," the short shows DeMaio, Faulconer, Kern and Cox waking up in a hotel room wondering how they spent $130 million in room service, with DeMaio finding a mysterious wedding band on his finger as well.
"You have to be able to poke fun at yourself," DeMaio said. "It put things in perspective, and I think this video puts things in perspective."
Some of the highlights of the video include DeMaio being tasered below the belt by San Diego police chief William Lansdowne, Cox poking fun at the recent gambling scandal at the University of San Diego and DeMaio discovering he had accidentally married Lorena Gonzalez, the secretary-treasurer and CEO for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.
A profile picture of Gonzalez was clearly edited into the video as the short film came to an end.
"I need a good divorce lawyer now," DeMaio joked. "I liked that it allowed us to poke fun at ourselves."
"I had a lot of fun, but when you do these things you're always worried about it," Faulconer said. "You're like, 'Oh man, did I just do that?'"
Also featured in the parody are San Diego State basketball coach Steve Fisher, San Diego Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, County Supervisor Bill Horn and a few other local political figures.
Cox, DeMaio and Faulconer said they haven't heard any negative feedback regarding the video.
"Sometimes, you get along with your colleagues. Sometimes you don't. But the Taxpayers video is kind of like the White House Correspondents Dinner for San Diego," Faulconer said. "And if you can't relax and make fun of yourself a little bit, you shouldn't be in this business."
Calls to Gonzalez's office were made Monday morning but as of Monday night, our requests for comment had not been returned.
The video, shown at 16th Annual Golden Watchdog and Golden Fleece Awards dinner, starred San Diego City Councilmen Carl DeMaio and Kevin Faulconer, Oceanside City Councilman Jerry Kern and Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox, among others.
"It's a chance for local politicians to not be so serious," said Amy Harris, development director for the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. "They have to be so serious throughout the year, so once a year, they get to poke fun at issues that they take pride in."
Called "San Diego's Hangover," the short shows DeMaio, Faulconer, Kern and Cox waking up in a hotel room wondering how they spent $130 million in room service, with DeMaio finding a mysterious wedding band on his finger as well.
"You have to be able to poke fun at yourself," DeMaio said. "It put things in perspective, and I think this video puts things in perspective."
Some of the highlights of the video include DeMaio being tasered below the belt by San Diego police chief William Lansdowne, Cox poking fun at the recent gambling scandal at the University of San Diego and DeMaio discovering he had accidentally married Lorena Gonzalez, the secretary-treasurer and CEO for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.
A profile picture of Gonzalez was clearly edited into the video as the short film came to an end.
"I need a good divorce lawyer now," DeMaio joked. "I liked that it allowed us to poke fun at ourselves."
"I had a lot of fun, but when you do these things you're always worried about it," Faulconer said. "You're like, 'Oh man, did I just do that?'"
Also featured in the parody are San Diego State basketball coach Steve Fisher, San Diego Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, County Supervisor Bill Horn and a few other local political figures.
Cox, DeMaio and Faulconer said they haven't heard any negative feedback regarding the video.
"Sometimes, you get along with your colleagues. Sometimes you don't. But the Taxpayers video is kind of like the White House Correspondents Dinner for San Diego," Faulconer said. "And if you can't relax and make fun of yourself a little bit, you shouldn't be in this business."
Calls to Gonzalez's office were made Monday morning but as of Monday night, our requests for comment had not been returned.
