That's rich

San Diego — Based on the personal financial disclosure statement he filed last month, Republican "Gubernator" candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger has a few more personal ties to San Diego than so far have been widely known. Among the muscleman's holdings is listed a greater-than-$1 million interest in "Sorrento Mesa Real Estate Investors," a property investment said to generate between $10,000 and $100,000 in gross income each year for the bodybuilder turned actor. His wife, NBC reporter Maria Shriver, a Kennedy heir, owns between $1000 and $10,000 worth of stock in Sempra Energy, Inc. La Jolla's Tony Robbins, the wealthy motivational guru who has in the past tangled with such noted local Democrats as ex-state senator Steve Peace, now a close aide to Schwarzenegger foe Gray Davis, is listed as giving Schwarzenegger a box of cigars worth $250 in July. Rancho Santa Fe's Dr. Marianne McDonald, a UCSD professor of classics and theater whose father founded the Zenith Radio Company and who created the McDonald Center for treatment of drug and alcohol abuse, gave Arnold a "gourmet basket" worth $100 last December. Joe Biggers, executive director of the San Diego version of the candidate's "Inner City Games," gave him a single golf club worth $360 last August. Schwarzenegger's close ties to the camp of ex-San Diego mayor and former GOP governor Pete Wilson are well known, with Wilson campaign chief George Gorton and Wilson chief of staff Bob White both playing key roles in the ongoing Schwarzenegger campaign. Gorton's California Group, now listed with an address in Topanga, billed the campaign for $32,500. Records show the campaign owed White $27,564. Longtime Wilson operative Marty Wilson (no relation), who now lives in a Sacramento suburb, submitted a bill for $25,000 in August, the records show. Ex-Wilson gubernatorial aide Joe Rodota is listed as having been paid $4398 in "campaign worker salary" on August 19. Bonita's Mitchell Mulanex drew $3087. Wilson's old press aide, Sean Walsh, billed $12,500. On the donor side, Coronado's Joe Dolphin, the retired ambulance operator, kicked in $1000 last week, as did contractor R.E. Hazard. Rancho Santa Fe's David Herrington, president of North American Construction, gave $10,000. Music publisher Neil Kjos Jr. of La Jolla gave $2000. Fellow La Jollan John Peck contributed $10,000. Other $10,000 givers include La Jolla's Claire Reiss. Orange County billionaire Donald Bren, a longtime Wilson ally, maxed out at $21,200, as did his wife. San Diegans giving the maximum include contractor Doug Barnhart and Barratt Mortgage Co. of Carlsbad.

Just your average felonious behavior In the wake of the Cheetahs bust, many supporters of the three indicted city councilmen have been employing the "everybody does it" defense of using bundled campaign contributions to buy city hall influence. But in the case of one of the accused councilmembers, campaign-disclosure records filed over the summer are raising more than their fair share of eyebrows. Back in January of this year, according to reports by Councilman Michael Zucchet, 14 employees of Irving Hughes, the big downtown real estate broker which enjoys various exclusive leasing contracts for city offices, each lined up to give him the $250 maximum individual contribution allowed by law. Two of the gifts came in on January 20; the rest were dated January 16. In April 2001, the county grand jury attacked a series of lucrative office-leasing deals between Irving Hughes and city hall, saying they were fraught with conflicts of interest, a charge denied at the time by city manager Mike Uberuaga, who told the Union-Tribune it was " 'common practice in the commercial real estate industry' for building owners to pay commissions to both their own brokerages and brokerages representing tenants." The company hadn't disclosed the possible conflicts as required by law, Uberuaga said, "because it is not always clear what constitutes an economic interest that should be disclosed" ... Representatives of Padres owner John Moores, no stranger himself to past influence-peddling scandals at city hall, also gave the max to Zucchet, all in February. They included JMI Realty head John Kratzer, construction director Tom Sullivan, Padres honcho Charles Black, and aide Erik Judson ... Meanwhile, representatives of Bartell Hotels, which leases public land from both the city and the port district, have teamed up to funnel campaign funds to Mayor Dick Murphy. On June 4, records show, eight individuals listing various associations with Bartell anted up the maximum $250 contribution to the mayor's on-again, off-again reelection campaign.

Family matters That mystery witness in the Cheetahs case who turned up dead in his Carmel Valley condo has become a coroner's case, cause of death yet to be revealed. David Ruzumna, sometime business partner of John D'Intino, the Cheetahs manager who has copped a felony plea to charges related to the city hall scandal, earlier had ducked a federal grand jury hearing before finally being corralled into testifying ... Assemblywoman Chris Kehoe is staging a $125-per-plate "good-natured roast" of herself next week to raise money for her state senate bid. Sponsors include City of San Diego lobbyist Andrew Poat, Time Warner Cable, Bob Baker Auto Group, and the San Diego Pawn Brokers Association.

-- Matt Potter