Issa’s gold

Personal financial disclosure reports for members of Congress covering 2008 have been filed, and they reveal that the richest local congressman is still North County Republican Darrell Issa. Noteworthy transactions of the multimillionaire, who made his fortune marketing Viper car alarms, include capital gains from sales of shares in AIM International Small Company Fund, BlackRock Large Cap Value Fund, Eaton Vance Asian Small Companies Fund, and BlackRock Pacific Fund, each valued at somewhere between $1 million and $5 million.

Issa collected the same range of income in rents and interest from DEI, LLC, which his disclosure describes as a “limited liability corporation that owns and manages office and light industrial property” in various parts of North County, Poway, and Cincinnati, Ohio. It is valued at greater than $50 million.

He donated an $825 fee he earned from a February 2008 appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO to an undisclosed charity. The poorest local congressman is also a Republican. Duncan Hunter, who succeeded his father this session, reported having no assets, gifts, or outside income.