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

Second spouses network

Jim Madaffer’s conflict of interest

Robin and Jim Madaffers’ conflicts of interest — what conflicts of interest?
Robin and Jim Madaffers’ conflicts of interest — what conflicts of interest?

Jim Madaffer, who first linked up with second wife Robin a decade ago when he was a Republican member of the San Diego city council and she was a big-money city hall lobbyist, continues to grapple with conflict-of-interest questions arising from their relationship. The latest issue stems from Madaffer’s membership on the board of the San Diego County Water Authority, to which he was appointed by GOP then-mayor Jerry Sanders in October 2012. Potential conflicts have subsequently followed close behind for the ex-councilman, who himself has found work as an influence peddler at Madaffer Enterprises, which, according to its website, has “deep, long-standing relationships with elected officials and decision makers in municipalities and government agencies throughout the state.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Meanwhile, wife Robin Madaffer labors close by as a member of the state bar. A November 7, 2016, letter of advice to the water authority from the California Fair Political Practices Commission notes that the water agency “retained the law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP as special counsel regarding certain litigation matters. In the past year and well after the water authority’s existing contract with Procopio was in place, Director Madaffer’s spouse joined Procopio as a non-equity partner.”

The plot then thickens. “It is anticipated that in the next year, the Authority may need to amend its existing contract with Procopio or enter into new contracts with the firm for additional legal services. Additionally, Director Madaffer’s spouse may become an equity partner prior to these decisions.”  Thus, the question arises, “May the San Diego County Water Authority amend its existing contract or execute a new contract with a law firm, in light of the fact that the spouse of Director Jim Madaffer recently joined the firm as a partner, if the Director Madaffer recuses himself from the decision?”

No problem, says the state’s self-styled political watchdog. As long as Madaffer avoids a direct role in the action and abstains from voting, the benefit to his wife from the fat water district contract is regarded by state law as merely a “remote interest” to him and hence doesn’t represent a legal conflict. “In this case, Director Madaffer is an appointed member of an unelected board and his spouse is the owner or partner of the law firm. It is well established that the remote interest exceptions apply in those circumstances when it is the official’s spouse who has the actual interest as opposed to the official.”

The latest copy of the Reader

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

The greatest symphonist of them all

Havergal Brian wrote over 30 of them
Next Article

How to make a hit Christmas song

Feeling is key, but money helps too
Robin and Jim Madaffers’ conflicts of interest — what conflicts of interest?
Robin and Jim Madaffers’ conflicts of interest — what conflicts of interest?

Jim Madaffer, who first linked up with second wife Robin a decade ago when he was a Republican member of the San Diego city council and she was a big-money city hall lobbyist, continues to grapple with conflict-of-interest questions arising from their relationship. The latest issue stems from Madaffer’s membership on the board of the San Diego County Water Authority, to which he was appointed by GOP then-mayor Jerry Sanders in October 2012. Potential conflicts have subsequently followed close behind for the ex-councilman, who himself has found work as an influence peddler at Madaffer Enterprises, which, according to its website, has “deep, long-standing relationships with elected officials and decision makers in municipalities and government agencies throughout the state.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Meanwhile, wife Robin Madaffer labors close by as a member of the state bar. A November 7, 2016, letter of advice to the water authority from the California Fair Political Practices Commission notes that the water agency “retained the law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP as special counsel regarding certain litigation matters. In the past year and well after the water authority’s existing contract with Procopio was in place, Director Madaffer’s spouse joined Procopio as a non-equity partner.”

The plot then thickens. “It is anticipated that in the next year, the Authority may need to amend its existing contract with Procopio or enter into new contracts with the firm for additional legal services. Additionally, Director Madaffer’s spouse may become an equity partner prior to these decisions.”  Thus, the question arises, “May the San Diego County Water Authority amend its existing contract or execute a new contract with a law firm, in light of the fact that the spouse of Director Jim Madaffer recently joined the firm as a partner, if the Director Madaffer recuses himself from the decision?”

No problem, says the state’s self-styled political watchdog. As long as Madaffer avoids a direct role in the action and abstains from voting, the benefit to his wife from the fat water district contract is regarded by state law as merely a “remote interest” to him and hence doesn’t represent a legal conflict. “In this case, Director Madaffer is an appointed member of an unelected board and his spouse is the owner or partner of the law firm. It is well established that the remote interest exceptions apply in those circumstances when it is the official’s spouse who has the actual interest as opposed to the official.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

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

Live Five: Songwriter Sanctuary, B-Side Players, The Crawdaddys, Saint Luna, Brawley

Reunited, in the round, and onstage in Normal Heights, East Village, Little Italy, Encinitas
Next Article

Will Trump’s Baja resort be built after all?

Long-stalled development sparks art exhibit, gets new life
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