Mother’s milk

Former San Diego city manager Jack McGrory, controversial for his role in the costly downtown Padres stadium project on behalf of mega-millionaire John Moores and later a big-time real estate developer in his own right, is set to receive an honorary degree from San Diego State University, where he is on the board of the school’s fundraising Campanile Foundation.

After getting rich in his post–city hall career, McGrory has given more than $3 million to SDSU. “Jack has made gifts to our Departments of Classics and Public Affairs as well as to our athletic programs, and he knows how important this support is to public higher education,” Mary Ruth Carleton, SDSU vice president for university relations and development said on the school’s website.

Other May graduation honorees, per Campanile Foundation board minutes, will be Harold K. Brown, a San Diego civil rights activist of the 1960s who later became a dean of the school, and Andrea Skorepa, retired Casa Familiar head and onetime city council candidate.

The fat cats who control the Democratic and Republican parties here are now able to give even more to San Diego city politicos under the latest hike in campaign fundraising limits, which are tied to the consumer price index. Last year’s $10,300 ceiling for contributions by the parties to city-council committees bumps up $400 to $10,700. For mayor and city attorney, the party donation limits are raised by $750 to $21,400, effective February 17. Individuals who yearn to give more to city candidates are out of luck, however, remaining restricted to $550 for council committees and $1050 for mayor and city attorney, per a February 14 notice on the city’s website.