Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Lawyer for hotel owners planning to sue city can't say who will pay his fee

Litigation targeting San Diego mayor yet to gain final approval and will be debated at February 22 meeting at the Bahia Hotel, attorney says

Who will pay the tab for that prospective lawsuit against the city of San Diego regarding Democratic mayor Bob Filner's refusal to release hotel tax money demanded by the hotelier-controlled San Diego Tourism Marketing District?

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/feb/19/40413/

The district is largely, if not entirely, funded by city money collected as taxes on room stays here. So is it legal to use the city's own cash to sue the city?

Contacted this morning by phone, the marketing district’s lawyer, Michael Colantuono of Grass Valley, says he doesn't know who is picking up the tab for his work on the controversial proposed litigation against Filner, and doesn't want to go public with any legal advice he might have for his client on whether the district could legally use public money to go after the mayor.

Colantuono, a noted public government specialist who has served as a contract city attorney in cities and towns across California, says he also can't discuss any details of the marketing district's financing or whether private funders, including the hotel owners themselves, might step up to foot the sizable legal bill that would likely be run up should the district file suit against the mayor.

He said he did not know if anyone except the city of San Diego had provided funding to the district in the past.

The attorney referred further questions to Tom Blair, an ex-Union-Tribune columnist now reportedly working for California Strategies, the lobbying and influence peddling shop run by Bob White, GOP ex-governor and ex-San Diego mayor Pete Wilson's one-time top aide in both San Diego and Sacramento.

Blair, the one-time editor of San Diego magazine, did not immediately return phone calls.

Colantuono was quoted in a UT San Diego story posted online last night saying that "he expects to file suit this week" on behalf of the marketing district, which, as noted here yesterday, has traditionally channeled about $30 million a year of tourist tax money through a board composed of the city's biggest hotel owners, many who are wealthy, largely Republican political donors.

Filner has declined to sign a contract, negotiated by GOP ex-mayor Jerry Sanders, ratifying a renewed multi-decade deal to turn over the cash to the district.

Colantuono says the district - which is a creature of the state, and by California law must hold its board meetings in public, in compliance with the Brown Act open meeting law, as well as the California Public Records Act - has provisionally signed off on its plans to sue Filner and the taxpayers over the matter, but has not taken final action pending attempts to negotiate with the mayor, which the lawyer says have been unsuccessful.

A discussion and vote regarding proceeding with the action is set for the next noticed meeting of the district's board this Friday, February 22, he said, and the posted agenda shows the item docketed for closed session discussion:

CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – REGARDING POTENTIAL LITIGATION ON THE MATTER OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND THE SDTMD.

The location of the 9 a.m. event is a conference room in the Bahia Hotel, 998 West Mission Bay Drive, the hotel owned by Evans Hotels.

As reported here yesterday:

The board features a host of the most powerful names of local inn-keeping, including chairman C. Terry Brown, long a funding pillar of the county Republican party, and Bill Evans, whose family got its start leasing city owned hotel land on Mission Bay, and remains the biggest operator of public leasehold hotels, including the still contentious Bahia Hotel deal.

Richard Bartell, president of Bartell Hotels, whose employees and executives have given heavily to Republican ex-mayor Jerry Sanders and DeMaio, is also a member, as is Patrick Duffy, the general manager of Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.

And then there is John Schafer, vice president and managing director of the Manchester Grand Hyatt downtown.

The U-T publisher transferred his interest in that property to Host Hotels and Resorts, a mammoth hotel owner, in a complicated deal which included a substantial stock holding in Host, as reported by Don Bauder in March 2011.

Schafer personally gave $1000 to DeMaio's mayoral cause, according to data made available online by the San Diego city clerk's office.

The mayor's self-styled reform proposals for distributing the funds have been labeled as "non-starters" by several marketing district board members, who have long threatened to sue over control of the tourist tax dollars.

A sizable chunk of the money has been employed by the district to fund bowl games, wine and beer festivals, and the Rock and Roll Marathon, along with more conventional advertising and promotional activities.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Pet pig perches in pocket

Escondido doula gets a taste of celebrity
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor

Who will pay the tab for that prospective lawsuit against the city of San Diego regarding Democratic mayor Bob Filner's refusal to release hotel tax money demanded by the hotelier-controlled San Diego Tourism Marketing District?

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/feb/19/40413/

The district is largely, if not entirely, funded by city money collected as taxes on room stays here. So is it legal to use the city's own cash to sue the city?

Contacted this morning by phone, the marketing district’s lawyer, Michael Colantuono of Grass Valley, says he doesn't know who is picking up the tab for his work on the controversial proposed litigation against Filner, and doesn't want to go public with any legal advice he might have for his client on whether the district could legally use public money to go after the mayor.

Colantuono, a noted public government specialist who has served as a contract city attorney in cities and towns across California, says he also can't discuss any details of the marketing district's financing or whether private funders, including the hotel owners themselves, might step up to foot the sizable legal bill that would likely be run up should the district file suit against the mayor.

He said he did not know if anyone except the city of San Diego had provided funding to the district in the past.

The attorney referred further questions to Tom Blair, an ex-Union-Tribune columnist now reportedly working for California Strategies, the lobbying and influence peddling shop run by Bob White, GOP ex-governor and ex-San Diego mayor Pete Wilson's one-time top aide in both San Diego and Sacramento.

Blair, the one-time editor of San Diego magazine, did not immediately return phone calls.

Colantuono was quoted in a UT San Diego story posted online last night saying that "he expects to file suit this week" on behalf of the marketing district, which, as noted here yesterday, has traditionally channeled about $30 million a year of tourist tax money through a board composed of the city's biggest hotel owners, many who are wealthy, largely Republican political donors.

Filner has declined to sign a contract, negotiated by GOP ex-mayor Jerry Sanders, ratifying a renewed multi-decade deal to turn over the cash to the district.

Colantuono says the district - which is a creature of the state, and by California law must hold its board meetings in public, in compliance with the Brown Act open meeting law, as well as the California Public Records Act - has provisionally signed off on its plans to sue Filner and the taxpayers over the matter, but has not taken final action pending attempts to negotiate with the mayor, which the lawyer says have been unsuccessful.

A discussion and vote regarding proceeding with the action is set for the next noticed meeting of the district's board this Friday, February 22, he said, and the posted agenda shows the item docketed for closed session discussion:

CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – REGARDING POTENTIAL LITIGATION ON THE MATTER OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND THE SDTMD.

The location of the 9 a.m. event is a conference room in the Bahia Hotel, 998 West Mission Bay Drive, the hotel owned by Evans Hotels.

As reported here yesterday:

The board features a host of the most powerful names of local inn-keeping, including chairman C. Terry Brown, long a funding pillar of the county Republican party, and Bill Evans, whose family got its start leasing city owned hotel land on Mission Bay, and remains the biggest operator of public leasehold hotels, including the still contentious Bahia Hotel deal.

Richard Bartell, president of Bartell Hotels, whose employees and executives have given heavily to Republican ex-mayor Jerry Sanders and DeMaio, is also a member, as is Patrick Duffy, the general manager of Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.

And then there is John Schafer, vice president and managing director of the Manchester Grand Hyatt downtown.

The U-T publisher transferred his interest in that property to Host Hotels and Resorts, a mammoth hotel owner, in a complicated deal which included a substantial stock holding in Host, as reported by Don Bauder in March 2011.

Schafer personally gave $1000 to DeMaio's mayoral cause, according to data made available online by the San Diego city clerk's office.

The mayor's self-styled reform proposals for distributing the funds have been labeled as "non-starters" by several marketing district board members, who have long threatened to sue over control of the tourist tax dollars.

A sizable chunk of the money has been employed by the district to fund bowl games, wine and beer festivals, and the Rock and Roll Marathon, along with more conventional advertising and promotional activities.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.