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

The man who mistook his wife for a politico, and other Qualcomm tales

Mega-millionaire lavished nearly $4 million on spouse's failed GOP House bid

Amoretta Hoeber
Amoretta Hoeber

San Diegans in the political know are well familiar with the recently forged, political-money-fueled alliance between La Jolla Democratic billionaire Irwin Jacobs and Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer, widely said to be lining up campaign donors for a putative 2018 bid for California governor.

Hillary Clinton, Irwin and Joan Jacobs

Faulconer, who declined to endorse Donald Trump for the presidency, and Jacobs, who has given millions of dollars to the causes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, unveiled their political partnership in June, with the announcement that the mayor was reviving the controversial Jacobs plan to rip a big chunk out of the historic Cabrillo Bridge and bulldoze a major swatch of the park to a new, taxpayer-financed $50-million-plus parking garage behind the organ pavilion, all without a public vote.

The well-publicized post-mayoral election event followed a confidential meeting in March between Faulconer and Jacobs over the project and a subsequent torrent of campaign cash from Qualcomm executives, including Jacobs's recently divorced son Paul, to the mayor's reelection fund.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Jerry Sanders

During the first round of the Jacobs battle for the massive park makeover, first proposed during the administration of GOP mayor Jerry Sanders, Jacobs demonstrated his political clout when Democratic then–lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom called out state preservation officer Wayne Donaldson for his opposition to the project.

Gavin Newsom

Donaldson had noted that the Jacobs plan would destroy a major portion of the bridge and wreak other irreversible adverse changes to the park, designated a national historic landmark.

Declared Newsom in a February 15, 2012, letter to Donaldson, "This is a project with broad local political, philanthropic and community support so it may be more productive to work in collaboration with the project development team to achieve your goal of preserving this historical open-space....

"As the State Historic Preservation Officer I hope that you will consider these arguments, withdraw your comments, and begin to work in collaboration with the leaders of the Plaza de Panama project."

He added, "Should you need help making contact with the project team I stand ready to assist."

Milford Wayne Donaldson

Precisely a month after Newsom fired off his letter, Newsom received $12,000 from Jacobs and wife Joan for his 2012 reelection bid and Donaldson subsequently lost his job.

Now the political ambitions of both Newsom and Faulconer have put both directly into the financial pockets of Jacobs and his Qualcomm associates, who have never been afraid to wield their sizable wealth to obtain an array of commercial desires.

A recent Field Poll of California voters has Newsom first in the 2018 race for governor, with 23 percent, and Faulconer second at 16 percent.

Meanwhile, in the state of Maryland, another Qualcomm bigwig has not done as skillfully in the political pay-to-play game, laying out a reported $3.8 million of his personal fortune in an ultimately failed bid to elect his wife, Republican Amoretta Hoeber, to a seat in Congress.

Hoeber fell to Maryland Sixth District Democratic incumbent John Delaney, 55 to 41 percent.

The candidate’s husband, Mark Epstein, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as a Qualcomm senior vice president, set up a super PAC called Maryland USA to funnel his funds into a House campaign for Hoeber, an Iraq chemical-weapons expert in the administration of GOP president George W. Bush.

"Because Super PACs are prohibited from coordinating their activities with a candidate’s personal campaign committee, a situation in which the candidate and the chief funder of a Super PAC benefitting her candidacy resided under the same roof stirred legal controversy," reported Bethesda Magazine.

"Epstein insisted repeatedly that he merely donated the money and exerted no influence over how the funds were spent, but the Delaney campaign filed a still-pending Federal Election Commission complaint alleging violations of federal election law."

The candidate wrestled with the issue of Donald Trump during her campaign, the magazine added.

"Hoeber, while seeking to distance herself from several of Trump’s more controversial statements, stood by her support of him — saying she had pledged during the primaries to back whomever was on the national Republican ticket. She was also walking a political tightrope: While disavowing Trump would likely have played well in the Montgomery County end of the district, it would have cost her support in the white working-class sections in the far west of the Maryland panhandle."

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

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Amoretta Hoeber
Amoretta Hoeber

San Diegans in the political know are well familiar with the recently forged, political-money-fueled alliance between La Jolla Democratic billionaire Irwin Jacobs and Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer, widely said to be lining up campaign donors for a putative 2018 bid for California governor.

Hillary Clinton, Irwin and Joan Jacobs

Faulconer, who declined to endorse Donald Trump for the presidency, and Jacobs, who has given millions of dollars to the causes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, unveiled their political partnership in June, with the announcement that the mayor was reviving the controversial Jacobs plan to rip a big chunk out of the historic Cabrillo Bridge and bulldoze a major swatch of the park to a new, taxpayer-financed $50-million-plus parking garage behind the organ pavilion, all without a public vote.

The well-publicized post-mayoral election event followed a confidential meeting in March between Faulconer and Jacobs over the project and a subsequent torrent of campaign cash from Qualcomm executives, including Jacobs's recently divorced son Paul, to the mayor's reelection fund.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Jerry Sanders

During the first round of the Jacobs battle for the massive park makeover, first proposed during the administration of GOP mayor Jerry Sanders, Jacobs demonstrated his political clout when Democratic then–lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom called out state preservation officer Wayne Donaldson for his opposition to the project.

Gavin Newsom

Donaldson had noted that the Jacobs plan would destroy a major portion of the bridge and wreak other irreversible adverse changes to the park, designated a national historic landmark.

Declared Newsom in a February 15, 2012, letter to Donaldson, "This is a project with broad local political, philanthropic and community support so it may be more productive to work in collaboration with the project development team to achieve your goal of preserving this historical open-space....

"As the State Historic Preservation Officer I hope that you will consider these arguments, withdraw your comments, and begin to work in collaboration with the leaders of the Plaza de Panama project."

He added, "Should you need help making contact with the project team I stand ready to assist."

Milford Wayne Donaldson

Precisely a month after Newsom fired off his letter, Newsom received $12,000 from Jacobs and wife Joan for his 2012 reelection bid and Donaldson subsequently lost his job.

Now the political ambitions of both Newsom and Faulconer have put both directly into the financial pockets of Jacobs and his Qualcomm associates, who have never been afraid to wield their sizable wealth to obtain an array of commercial desires.

A recent Field Poll of California voters has Newsom first in the 2018 race for governor, with 23 percent, and Faulconer second at 16 percent.

Meanwhile, in the state of Maryland, another Qualcomm bigwig has not done as skillfully in the political pay-to-play game, laying out a reported $3.8 million of his personal fortune in an ultimately failed bid to elect his wife, Republican Amoretta Hoeber, to a seat in Congress.

Hoeber fell to Maryland Sixth District Democratic incumbent John Delaney, 55 to 41 percent.

The candidate’s husband, Mark Epstein, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as a Qualcomm senior vice president, set up a super PAC called Maryland USA to funnel his funds into a House campaign for Hoeber, an Iraq chemical-weapons expert in the administration of GOP president George W. Bush.

"Because Super PACs are prohibited from coordinating their activities with a candidate’s personal campaign committee, a situation in which the candidate and the chief funder of a Super PAC benefitting her candidacy resided under the same roof stirred legal controversy," reported Bethesda Magazine.

"Epstein insisted repeatedly that he merely donated the money and exerted no influence over how the funds were spent, but the Delaney campaign filed a still-pending Federal Election Commission complaint alleging violations of federal election law."

The candidate wrestled with the issue of Donald Trump during her campaign, the magazine added.

"Hoeber, while seeking to distance herself from several of Trump’s more controversial statements, stood by her support of him — saying she had pledged during the primaries to back whomever was on the national Republican ticket. She was also walking a political tightrope: While disavowing Trump would likely have played well in the Montgomery County end of the district, it would have cost her support in the white working-class sections in the far west of the Maryland panhandle."

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

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
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