Faulconer aide ran private political business in months before leaving office

A top aide to Kevin Faulconer, who left his high-ranking job in the San Diego mayor's office on October 2, has been consulting for the campaign for Measure E, bankrolled by Canadian real estate giant Brookfield Properties.

City campaign disclosure filings show that an outfit called Matter Strategies, LLC is owed a total of $24,000 for campaign consulting by the Yes on E campaign.

Reports show the Yes on E group incurred $16,000 of the obligation on September 19, two weeks before Matter's principal, Matthew Awbrey, left the city.

The $8000 remainder of the debt owed by the Measure E forces to Matters was incurred on October 17, just two weeks after Awbrey left his job as Faulconer's chief of staff, civic-external affairs, according to his leaving office statement, filed with the city clerk's office November 2.

The same document shows that Matter Strategies, LLC, described as a "strategic communications limited liability company" acquired by Awbrey on February 14 of this year, has worked for contracting giant HNTB and this March's Measure C. Backed by Faulconer, that narrowly failed initiative would have hiked room taxes to finance convention center expansion and homeless relief.

State records show that the corporate agent for Matter Strategies, incorporated February 13, is former convention center board member and failed city attorney candidate Gil Cabrera. Both Awbrey and Cabrera appear on a February 20 document as managers of the company. The nature of the business is said to be Public Affairs and Public Relations.

If passed by city voters, Measure E would raise the Midway district's height limit adjacent to the sports arena. The campaign has received the bulk of its money from Brookfield Properties Development, LLC of Costa Mesa, which has kicked in a total of $402,205 in cash as of October 23, disclosures show.

Before Awbrey left his position with Faulconer, the mayor announced he had chosen Brookfield and partners ASM Global to take over the city-owned sports arena and surrounding property for redevelopment said to require ditching the longtime height limit for the area.

Faulconer personally engineered the closed-door deal in late August, when Awbrey was still on the city payroll, records show.

"ASM and Brookfield's international reputation truly precedes them, and I am confident they are the right choice to breathe new life into this very important place," said Faulconer.

Awbrey, identified as communications director for Measure E, spoke at a September 14 mayoral news conference backing the height limit increase, two weeks before the aide formally left city employ on October 2, per his November 2 filing.