Jamie Hamrick took a journey worth $1780 to New York City for “attendance at the StepStone Investor Conference,”

Non-transparent travel

Jamie Hamrick, the fast-traveling senior investment officer of the San Diego City Employees Retirement System, hasn’t been as swift in filing so-called behesting reports revealing to the public who paid for all those trips, as required by state law. Back on October 10 and 11 of 2018, Hamrick took a journey worth $1780 to New York City for “attendance at the StepStone Investor Conference,” according to a disclosure report filed with the city clerk’s office almost a year later, on October 4, 2019. The pension fund “is an investor with StepStone” and Hamrick needed to conduct “due diligence” by going to a meeting of the “Advisory Committee for the StepStone Tactical Growth Funds,” the statement explains.

On October 15 through October 17, 2018, Hamrick did a quick turnaround and was off again to New York for a trip worth $3480, all expenses paid by Torchlight Investors. Two nights lodging at the posh Royalton Hotel in mid-Manhattan cost the firm $925, per an October 4, 2019 filing. “With interiors designed by Roman & Williams, the Royalton oozes cool with a touch of the mysterious and debonair, offering guests exclusive apartment-style rooms, luxurious suites, and penthouse accommodations, each furnished with the finest amenities,” says the boutique hotel’s website. “Think of it as your New York City penthouse away from home.” Meal expenses ran $792.

At TorchLight’s Investment Summit, Hamrick did more due diligence, the statement says. On May 15 and 16 of 2018, the city investment honcho stuck closer to home, traveling by Southwest Airlines and Amtrak to the Pasea Hotel in Huntington Beach for a total tab of $723, picked up by Long Wharf Capital, an October 4, 2019 filing discloses. “Gorgeous 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean are yours from the private balcony of the Oceanfront One Bedroom Suite,” notes Pasea’s website. “Soothing beiges and blues create a serene vibe, while the luxurious king bed with custom Frette® linens, intoxicating FRESH® bath products, and exclusive hooded sweatshirt robes and flip-flops ensure total relaxation.”

No reason for the San Diego pension fund’s tardy disclosure of the Hamrick junkets is provided on its disclosure reports. This past August, San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer agreed to pay a $4000 fine levied by the city’s ethics commission for revealing 16 months late a $10,000 donation by city tenant Campland, LLC to his non-profit charity, One San Diego. The penalty was ultimately paid by his 2016 reelection committee. Last year Hamrick received a total of $194,168 in pay and benefits, according to the website TransparentCalifornia.com.

Under the weather

George Soros’ money elicits a gappy grin from DA candidate Chesa Boudin.

San Diego cops are wading into a nasty fight over who should be the next District Attorney of San Francisco. The target: Chesa Boudin, a liberal in the race triggered when incumbent George Gascon suddenly quit and headed off to Los Angeles to explore a bid for D.A. there against pro-police D.A. Jackie Lacey.

A child of Weather Underground bomb builders who went to prison in conjunction with the 1981 Brink’s robbery in New York, Boudin has been San Francisco’s deputy public defender. He joins the ranks of those around the country in similar lines of work trying to get elected top prosecutors, including Geneviéve Jones-Wright who failed in her election bid last year against Summer Stephan. Like Jones-Wright, Boudin is being linked by his foes to liberal billionaire George Soros.

Two weeks ago, San Francisco cops set up an anti-Boudin political fund called the Committee for a Safer and Cleaner San Francisco Opposing Boudin for District Attorney 2019 sponsored by San Francisco Police Officers Association. “Boudin has never prosecuted a case in his life and is a danger to public safety, period,” Officers Association president Tony Montoya told the San Francisco Examiner. “He will work harder at finding ways for criminals to get back on our streets than protecting crime victims and increasing neighborhood safety.”

The Bay Area cops union has so far kicked in a total of $50,000 to its new anti-Boudin Committee, per the paper, with more promised. The effort is their biggest since last year when San Francisco police tried but failed to get voters there to equip cops with stun guns via the ballot box. On October 18, the San Diego Police Officers Association, also ardent foes of Jones-Wright, came through with an initial $5000 contribution to their San Francisco brethren’s anti-progressive push, according to a disclosure filing with San Diego’s city clerk’s office.

Kelvin Barrios

Kelvin scales up

Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 89 is ramping up to spend big for the candidacy of its government affairs director Kelvin Barrios for the Ninth District city council seat of House Democratic candidate Georgette Gomez, for whom Barrios has also worked. The labor union established San Diegans for Transparency & Accountability in support of Kelvin Barrios for City Council 2020 on September 30.