Steakhouse wages

The San Diego Democratic Party is facing off in the fall against the GOP Lincoln Club in what is expected to be a particularly nasty electoral clash. The main battle is between Republican downtown lobbyist Chris Cate and Democratic grant evaluator Carol Kim; Democrats are quietly raking in sizable cash from labor unions to finance their role in the effort. On August 8, a political committee of the California Teachers Association came up with $30,500.

Two days before that, the California State Council of Service Employees gave $34,000. Meanwhile, super lobbyist Paul Robinson has been doing his best for Cate. According to an August 5 filing, the contract lobbyist for Irvine Company, Capitol Outdoor, and Time Warner Cable, among many others, has solicited a total of $31,098 for Cate’s cause. ...

Families Working for Financial Freedom, the group set up by Lincoln Club backers to mastermind an employer-friendly minimum-wage initiative, has folded up shop, according to an August 14 termination statement. As of this June 30, the end of its latest reporting period, the group had spent $113,784, $56,640 of that in outstanding debt. Donors included George’s at the Cove in La Jolla, Trophy Properties, Inc., and the Brigantine, Inc., which each came up with $5000. A referendum campaign against a minimum-wage law adopted by the San Diego City Council is shaping up as promised.