San Diego teen's shooting is a lesson in government accountability — and lack thereof — San Diego Union-Tribune

Some of the most fundamental principles of American democracy are the idea that we are all created equal, no one is above the law, and we must all adhere to the social contracts that govern our practices and principles.

As an investigative and accountability reporter at the San Diego Union-Tribune, I take these doctrines incredibly seriously.

But what happens when those charged with enforcing the rules don't follow them?

Consider the case of Dessa Kuritz, a San Diego high school student whose car was rear-ended while driving in a parking lot in Linda Vista late last year.

The driver was an employee of the Federal Aviation Administration and was driving a Jeep Cherokee owned by the U.S. government. No one was injured, so Dessa returned to class while the FAA employee waited for a response from San Diego police.

The investigator concluded that the federal employee, named as Party 1 in police reports, was at fault. The driver of the Jeep would have been cited for violating the state vehicle code if the crash had occurred on public property rather than a private parking lot, the officer said.

“P1’s actions were the primary cause of this collision,” the SDPD officer wrote. “If the vehicle code were applicable, the violation for P1 would be 22106 HVAC – unsafe support. P1 collided with P2 while backing from his stand.

But instead of paying Dessa for the estimated $4,100 in damages to her 2006 Honda, government officials went on the offensive. They sent her a bill for more than $4,500 – the cost of repairing the Jeep that collided with her.

They also spent months ignoring emails and phone calls from Dessa and her family. To this day, she drives a gaping dented car.

“The accident is one thing,” said Dessa, who participated in the Union-Tribune’s community journalism fellowship program last summer. “But the GSA and FAA response is no accident. This seems deliberately evasive, even malicious. Worse still, this appears to be a routine policy.”

One of the great privileges of practicing responsible journalism is nudging government in the right direction when it strays. Sometimes, but not always, a simple phone call or email convinces managers to re-evaluate a particular course of action and correct it.

The U.S. General Services Administration, the independent agency responsible for managing federal assets and resources, initially demanded more than $4,500 from Dessa to pay for repairs to the Jeep.

Last month, a GSA spokesperson told the Union-Tribune that it was no longer seeking thousands of dollars in damages from Dessa or her father, the registered owner of the damaged Honda.

An FAA spokesperson said Dessa's application to the government to pay for repairs to his car was still being evaluated.

The agency did not respond to questions about why six months had passed without the case being resolved.

“All I can say is that the FAA is reviewing the family’s claim,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

The government's response to routine hiccups has left Dessa a little disillusioned.

“In November I will vote for the first time,” she said. “What am I supposed to think of all this as a young citizen just learning how my government works? »

Dessa said she appreciates the work federal agencies do and knows they regularly face problems more pressing than a car crash without injuries. She also recognizes that millions of Americans have problems far more serious than a beat-up car.

“Even though it’s a 2006 Honda Civic with tired paint, it’s my car,” Dessa said. “I drive it carefully. And for five and a half months, it has had a huge dent on the rear panel and a damaged bumper. All because the government will not do what it demands of all of us: take responsibility when we hit someone with a car,” she said.

A document she found suggests it could be a matter of politics.

While trying to get the government to take responsibility for the FAA worker's mistake, Dessa discovered a “Fleet Vehicle Accident Kit” issued by the General Services Administration. This appears to direct federal employees to deny any role in any accident.

“DO NOT sign any papers or make any statements indicating who was at fault (unless to your supervisor or a federal government investigator),” the crash kit states.

GSA did not respond to questions about its guidance toward federal workers.