Drone-maker draws a bead on mayoral Democrat

La Jolla's Linden Blue, whose General Atomics makes the Predator drone along with other exotic military hardware for the world's armies, has given $1000 to Republican city councilman Kevin Faulconer, who is running for San Diego mayor against Democratic council colleague David Alvarez.

The global arms-maker made his contribution on January 9, according to a disclosure statement filed by Faulconer's camp with the city clerk's office the next day.

Blue, a staunch opponent of legalized marijuana, has also spoken out strongly against Democratic president Barack Obama, saying, "States that have implemented medical marijuana have three times higher drugged-driver fatalities than states that have no medical marijuana laws."

General Atomics does not give exclusively to Republicans. Blue is a fan of and contributor to Democratic U.S. senator and drone advocate Dianne Feinstein, who in 2012 announced that Blue was getting engaged to ex–rear admiral Ronne Froman.

Froman subsequently accused fallen Democratic mayor Bob Filner of inappropriate touching.

Another La Jolla power couple is also backing Faulconer: Rochelle and Bill Bold each kicked in $1000 on January 9. He is senior vice president of government affairs for Qualcomm Incorporated, whose founder, La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs, backed Republican-turned-Democrat and current Qualcomm executive Nathan Fletcher during the mayoral primary.

Fletcher and Qualcomm drew a series of stern hit pieces from the GOP Lincoln Club in that race. Since then, Fletcher backer Paul Jacobs, son of Irwin, has been replaced as Qualcomm CEO by Steve Mollenkopf. He may want to make up with the local business establishment, mostly Republican and backers of Faulconer.

Meanwhile, the San Diego–Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO has filed a lobbyist disclosure statement with the San Diego city clerk's office revealing that its political and legislative director Kirsten Clemons and secretary-treasurer/CEO Richard Barrera raised a total of $573,369.27 between September 11 and September 30 for “Working Families for a Better San Diego to Support David Alvarez for Mayor 2014,” an independent expenditure committee run by the labor council.

Barrera — also a member of the San Diego Unified School District board — and Clemons raised the money via "email and telephone solicitation," the report says.

According to a lobbyist registration statement filed by the labor council on July 31 of last year, Barrera and Clemons were lobbying "to ensure passage of a prevailing wage ordinance." They made contact with Democratic city councilman Todd Gloria and two of his aides, the disclosure says.

Other labor council points of advocacy included "City policy regarding compliance with federal immigration law dealing with impounding vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers." The outcome sought was "to modify current police department practice so that it both complies with federal law but also results in fewer impounded vehicles."