The Hindustan Times reported in June 2023 that General Atomics was working on a deal to sell the Indian government 31 of its MQ9B HALE drones.

DeSantis blues

Now that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the Republican race for president, some wealthy San Diegans will have to write off their losses. They include General Atomics chairman and CEO Linden Blue, who kicked in $6600 to the Ron DeSantis for President campaign on June 23 of last year, according to federal disclosure records. Linden Prause Blue, CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and son of James Neal Blue, brother of Linden Blue, showed up last June with wife Chollada C. Blue at a Biden White House state dinner thrown by the president for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Local cash wasn’t enough to help Ron DeSantis

The Hindustan Times reported in June 2023 that General Atomics was working on a deal to sell the Indian government 31 of its MQ9B HALE drones. According to a November 13, 2023 dispatch by the Press Trust of India, “India is looking at sealing a landmark deal to procure 31 MQ-9B Predator long-endurance armed drones from the US under a government-to-government framework by March with the US Congress expected to clear the supplies in the next few weeks, people familiar with the matter said.

“American and Indian government officials will hold the final series of negotiations on the procurement after Washington responds to India’s Letter of Request for the acquisition of drones from US defense major General Atomics, they said. India is procuring the long-endurance ‘hunter-killer’ drones to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the Line of Actual Control with China.”

Besides cash from the elder Blue, DeSantis took in $3300 on September 13 from San Diego political consultant Stephen Puetz, one-time chief of staff to Republican ex-mayor Kevin Faulconer. Retired real estate mogul Malin Burnham came up with $2000 on September 30, and painting contractor Onofrio Pecoraro of Little Italy, a Faulconer backer, gave $1000 on December 28.

Political grease

The first donor to kick in for the newly announced gubernatorial campaign committee for San Diego state Senate Democrat Toni Atkins is La Jollan Alan Viterbi, with $30,635 on January 18, state disclosure filings show. Viterbi, a one-time West Hollywood mayor, is the son of Qualcomm billionaire co-founder Andrew Viterbi. Alan Viterbi once ran toxic waste handler Liquid Environmental Solutions with the current chair of the University of California Board of Regents Richard Leib.

Andrew Viterbi. His son has gone from grease to greasing wheels.

Alan Viterbi also used to call the shots at red light camera provider U.S. Public Technologies Inc. After one of its workers died In April 2019, Liquid Environmental was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for gross negligence. “This tragedy could have been prevented if the company had followed proper safety procedures, such as air testing, communication systems and non-entry retrieval devices for employee rescue situations,” wrote Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, in an OSHA statement cited by the website EHS Advisor in October 2019 following the grease-trap tragedy at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

“Liquid Environmental Solutions of Texas, LLC, did not provide appropriate equipment, procedures, and should have prevented an employee from entering a permit-required confined space, according to the agency. While the airport’s owner, the city of Austin, is not subject to OSHA regulations as a public sector employer, its contractor, Liquid Environmental Solutions, is.”

Earlier, In February, 2016, Liquid Environmental and executives had come under scrutiny by the San Antonio Express News. “Since 2002, Liquid Environmental executives Alan Viterbi, Rich Leib, Peter Crane, Patrick Reilly, Dana King, Brian Bidelspach and the company itself donated a total of $38,500 to Texas legislators’ campaigns,” according to the story, which quoted Liquid Environmental competitors as saying the company “has worked relentlessly behind the scenes in Austin to manipulate state law.”

Added the story: “Liquid Environmental spent between $925,000 and $1.7 million on lobbyists from 2004 to 2015, Texas Ethics Commission records show. Two of its hires were former [Texas Commission on Environmental Quality] executive directors, Glenn Shankle and Jeffrey Saitas.” Liquid Environmental’s environmental policy director Jeff Thompson told the paper the critics were trying to deflect criticism of their own operations “Every time this comes up, they try to make us the issue.”

Throwing more bull

The wealthy head of Alden Global Capital, a controversial vulture investing fund that took over the San Diego Union-Tribune in July of last year and immediately started slashing the payroll, sending many longtime writers into the unemployment line, has relocated his professional bull riding team from Oklahoma to Florida. “I couldn’t be more excited to bring to Florida a professional sports team,” Heath Freeman, owner of the renamed Florida Freedom, told SI.com in November. “The Freedom, which had been competing as the Oklahoma Freedom in Paycom Center in Oklahoma City for the league’s first two seasons, are set to host their first home stand in Amerant Bank Arena, home of the Florida Panthers NHL hockey club in Sunrise on August 2-4, 2024,” the website reported.

“We are an international sport, and South Florida is an area of great diversity,” Pro Bull Riding chief Sean Gleason was quoted as saying. “Under Heath Freeman’s leadership, the Florida Freedom is primed to build a passionate and diverse fan base rooting for their team competing in an exciting, growing sports league.”

— Matt Potter

(@sdmattpotter)

The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.