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

Qualcomm spent millions on political clout

Disclosure following lawsuit shows large payments to foreign-visa lobby

Qualcomm, the San Diego–based cell-phone technology giant founded by billionaire La Jolla Democrat Irwin Jacobs, made a total of $2,955,786 in politically related expenditures during the 12-month period ending this past September, according to a disclosure posted on the firm's website as part of a settlement of a transparency lawsuit brought by New York's comptroller general.

Recipients of the Qualcomm cash included the campaign funds of more than 60 members of the U.S. Congress, Senate, and both houses of the California legislature.

But the bulk of the money, $2,704,186, was spent to support 26 trade associations and lobbying groups, including the Business Roundtable, which received $471,120, and the Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A., which got $170,000.

The high-powered Business Roundtable, whose members include Microsoft, Walmart, and a raft of other blue-chip corporations, pressed hard this year for a so-called immigration-reform measure. Qualcomm has wanted additional foreign-worker visas, though that effort has continued to languish in Congress.

Another foreign-visa-related group, Immigration Voice, got $25,000.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The mission of Immigration Voice is to organize grassroots efforts and resources to solve several problems in the employment based green card process...

We will work to remove these and other flaws by supporting changes to immigration law for high-skilled legal employment-based immigrants. High-skilled legal immigrants strengthen the United States' economy and help maintain American technological superiority.

In addition, the disclosure shows, Qualcomm gave $25,000 to Third Way, which claims on its website that it "represents Americans in the 'vital center' — those who believe in pragmatic solutions and principled compromise, but who too often are ignored in Washington."

Our agenda includes: a series of grand economic bargains, a new approach to the climate crisis, progress on social issues like immigration reform, marriage for gay couples, tighter gun safety laws, and a credible alternative to neoconservative security policy.

Business Forward, another big business advocacy outfit, got $50,000.

With the help of more than 40 of the world’s largest and most respected companies, Business Forward is making it easier for tens of thousands of business leaders from across America to advise Washington on how to create jobs and accelerate our economic recovery.

San Diego's business lobby did less well by the homegrown corporate giant.

Jacobs and his son Paul, Qualcomm's chairman and CEO, have repeatedly clashed with San Diego's largely Republican real-estate developer and business establishment over their choice for mayor, ex-GOP assemblyman turned Democrat Nathan Fletcher, who placed third in last month's primary election.

In addition to sizable contributions from the Jacobs family and Qualcomm executives, Fletcher's bid received $49,000 in funds from the corporation itself, disclosures have shown.

Fierce attacks on the integrity of Fletcher and Qualcomm (Fletcher’s current employer) by the Republican Lincoln Club are believed by many observers to have played a significant role in the defeat.

The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, run by GOP ex-mayor Jerry Sanders, who endorsed Republican city councilman Kevin Faulconer in the race, got $50,000 from Qualcomm. Sanders personally gave Faulconer $1000.

The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., whose president and CEO Mark Cafferty gave Fletcher $500 on October 5, received $35,000 from Qualcomm during the period.

Qualcomm's political funding disclosures were made as a result of a deal cut earlier this year by the company with New York state's comptroller general, who had filed suit against the corporation, alleging that it was less than transparent regarding its political giving.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

At 4pm, this Farmer's Table restaurant in Chula Vista becomes Acqua e Farina

Brunch restaurant by day, Roman style trattoria by night

Qualcomm, the San Diego–based cell-phone technology giant founded by billionaire La Jolla Democrat Irwin Jacobs, made a total of $2,955,786 in politically related expenditures during the 12-month period ending this past September, according to a disclosure posted on the firm's website as part of a settlement of a transparency lawsuit brought by New York's comptroller general.

Recipients of the Qualcomm cash included the campaign funds of more than 60 members of the U.S. Congress, Senate, and both houses of the California legislature.

But the bulk of the money, $2,704,186, was spent to support 26 trade associations and lobbying groups, including the Business Roundtable, which received $471,120, and the Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A., which got $170,000.

The high-powered Business Roundtable, whose members include Microsoft, Walmart, and a raft of other blue-chip corporations, pressed hard this year for a so-called immigration-reform measure. Qualcomm has wanted additional foreign-worker visas, though that effort has continued to languish in Congress.

Another foreign-visa-related group, Immigration Voice, got $25,000.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The mission of Immigration Voice is to organize grassroots efforts and resources to solve several problems in the employment based green card process...

We will work to remove these and other flaws by supporting changes to immigration law for high-skilled legal employment-based immigrants. High-skilled legal immigrants strengthen the United States' economy and help maintain American technological superiority.

In addition, the disclosure shows, Qualcomm gave $25,000 to Third Way, which claims on its website that it "represents Americans in the 'vital center' — those who believe in pragmatic solutions and principled compromise, but who too often are ignored in Washington."

Our agenda includes: a series of grand economic bargains, a new approach to the climate crisis, progress on social issues like immigration reform, marriage for gay couples, tighter gun safety laws, and a credible alternative to neoconservative security policy.

Business Forward, another big business advocacy outfit, got $50,000.

With the help of more than 40 of the world’s largest and most respected companies, Business Forward is making it easier for tens of thousands of business leaders from across America to advise Washington on how to create jobs and accelerate our economic recovery.

San Diego's business lobby did less well by the homegrown corporate giant.

Jacobs and his son Paul, Qualcomm's chairman and CEO, have repeatedly clashed with San Diego's largely Republican real-estate developer and business establishment over their choice for mayor, ex-GOP assemblyman turned Democrat Nathan Fletcher, who placed third in last month's primary election.

In addition to sizable contributions from the Jacobs family and Qualcomm executives, Fletcher's bid received $49,000 in funds from the corporation itself, disclosures have shown.

Fierce attacks on the integrity of Fletcher and Qualcomm (Fletcher’s current employer) by the Republican Lincoln Club are believed by many observers to have played a significant role in the defeat.

The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, run by GOP ex-mayor Jerry Sanders, who endorsed Republican city councilman Kevin Faulconer in the race, got $50,000 from Qualcomm. Sanders personally gave Faulconer $1000.

The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., whose president and CEO Mark Cafferty gave Fletcher $500 on October 5, received $35,000 from Qualcomm during the period.

Qualcomm's political funding disclosures were made as a result of a deal cut earlier this year by the company with New York state's comptroller general, who had filed suit against the corporation, alleging that it was less than transparent regarding its political giving.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

At 4pm, this Farmer's Table restaurant in Chula Vista becomes Acqua e Farina

Brunch restaurant by day, Roman style trattoria by night
Next Article

Big swordfish, big marlin, and big money

Trout opener at Santee Lakes
Comments
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.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader