The New Elk Grove zoo: It's Not Only About The Animals Is It?! A look at the lucrative contract awards waiting to be had

Mayor Bobbie Singh Allen has often been quoted as saying that the new zoo in Elk Grove is all about the animals, but is it? An estimated $302 million will be poured into the construction of the zoo and this means that some lucky contractors will make a lot of money before a single monkey has even stepped foot on the property. 

But when it comes to the zoo contracts, how much will be due to luck; low bidder, or who you know?

Call me a skeptic when it comes to local government transparency (regardless of what the campaign flyers promise!), but the awarding of contracts has historically been a major source of corruption and shady practices nationwide for as long as we have been a country. I'm not saying that Elk Grove contract awards have been, or will ever be corrupt, but in the name of transparency, I call upon the City to clearly keep a laser focused spotlight on the zoo contracts (and subcontracts) for the taxpayers to view throughout the process.

The well known saying, "follow the money" is one of the golden rules of understanding politics - but it is easier said than done. Dark money that flows to politicians through mysterious PACs and campaign finance reporting that is essentially done on the honor system leaves many of us skeptical when it comes to government transparency. The decision makers for a $302 million construction project certainly wield a lot of power, and you know what they say about power and corruption.

The City will be the owner of the zoo and the Zoological Society will be the operator. Between both parties, there will be lots of contracts given, not only during construction, but during the operations of the zoo as well. 

For example, who will receive the food concessionaire contracts and who will decide the appropriate commission that gets paid back to the zoo? Who will receive naming rights and advertising contracts? Who gets the animal feed contracts? And so on.

With the taxpayers underwriting the majority of the cost of the zoo, I believe we are justified in demanding unprecedented access and transparency to all contract awards. As campaign season kicks off, I will be keeping a mental note of the reported contributions, because a quid pro quo may work among friends, but in the world of politics, there is no such thing as a friend!