Why does the SDCOE JPA operate in secrecy with "gentlemen's agreements"?

Another Southern California Joint Powers Authority, So Cal Relief, publishes on the internet its list of approved attorneys.

So why does the the San Diego County Office of Education Joint Powers Authority keep secret its list of approved attorneys? Why is this list kept secret while the list of attorneys approved by the Legal Services Council is published?

And why does it have "gentlemen's agreements" instead of written contracts?

Why did Marsha Sutton write a long article about SDCOE for Voice of San Diego on May 23, 2005, without ever mentioning the JPA? Why does Voice of San Diego refuse to write about SDCOE JPA lawyers?

I won't even bother asking the above questions about the San Diego Union Tribune. It has a well-earned reputation for bias and cover-ups.

How did Voice of San Diego, which started out with such lofty goals of openness and honesty, become merely a slight improvement over the UT?