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

Akilah Weber inherits her mom's donors

Santa Barbara top cop in Coronado during Thomas fire, Montecito mud flow, and Black Lives Matter

A lot of special interest money is quietly flowing to one candidate in the race to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by Shirley Weber.
A lot of special interest money is quietly flowing to one candidate in the race to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by Shirley Weber.

Keeping Weber Golden

A lot of special interest money is quietly flowing to one candidate in the race to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by Shirley Weber, who was appointed California Secretary of State by fellow Democrat Gavin Newsom. At the top of the campaign cash heap is Weber’s daughter, Akilah Weber, an obstetrician-gynecologist and vice mayor of La Mesa.

Akilah Weber, like her mom Shirley, is a fundraising juggernaut.

No fewer than four so-called independent committees have weighed into the fray on Weber’s behalf with a total of $525,683 as of March 11, per campaign disclosure records with the California Secretary of State’s office. The biggest spender is an outfit calling itself Frontline Healthcare and Essential Workers Supporting Dr. Akilah Weber for Assembly 2021, with a total of $454,366. Contributors include the California Medical Association Independent Expenditures Committee ($200,000, March 1), the California Dental Association Independent Expenditure PAC ($100,000, February 26), the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America IEC ($100,000, February 24), controversial dialysis provider DaVita, Inc. ($25,000, March 15), and the United Domestic Workers of America Action Fund ($50,000, March 15). All that money has bought TV time, digital media, and polling.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In addition, Jobs PAC, which calls itself a “bi-partisan association of California employers,” is spending heavily for text messaging, live calls, and research on Weber’s behalf. Its most recent contributor is SDG&E owner Sempra Energy, with $25,000 on January 26.

Another corporate interest group, calling itself Keep California Golden, has weighed into the campaign, spending $113,927 on Weber’s behalf for research, polling, phone banking, text blasts, and mailers. The group has funded itself with contributions from Driving California’s Economy Sponsored by California New Car Dealers Association ($10,000, March 1), utility giant PG&E Corporation ($50,000, October 27, 2020), and the Merced Police Officers Association PAC ($4200, October 26, 2020), among a bevy of other corporations with business before the legislature.

Many of the Akilah Weber donors, including DaVita, have been longtime funding stalwarts for Shirley Weber. Besides the independent expenditure groups backing her cause, Akilah Weber is hitting up contributors for two personally controlled committees, Weber for California Assembly 2021 ($124,325) and Weber for California Assembly 2022 ($91,715). Corporate donors to this year’s cause include the California Beer and Beverage Distributors Community Action Fund ($1300, March 15), Dart Container ($2500, March 11), the California Hospital Association PAC ($1500, March 10), and Eli Lilly and Company Federal PAC ($2000, March 3.) Sempra came up with $4900 on March 1, and the California Apartment Association PAC gave the same on February 16.

Weber’s putative 2022 reelection committee has already gotten $4900 each from alcohol vendor Anheuser Busch, San Diego’s Anesthesia Service Medical Group Advocacy Fund, and the Shirley Weber Secretary of State 2022 election fund which itself took in $8100 from Anheuser Busch.

Former SDPD officer Lori Luhnow

Santa Barbara’s Coronado chief

Scandal has erupted in ritzy Santa Barbara over newly retired Chief of Police Lori Luhnow, a 27-year veteran of the San Diego police department, and Anthony Wagner, an ex-aide to former San Diego city councilman An exposé by Los Angles Magazine tells the tale. “Luhnow, who retired as Santa Barbara chief last month, had begun receiving her pension from the City of San Diego when she took the [Santa Barbara] job. Yet according to her timecards, available through public information requests, Luhnow took regular three-day weekends in her home in Coronado Island, including during the Thomas fire, the Montecito debris flow, and the Black Lives Matter protests.”

The story recounts how Luhnow arranged to hire Wagner, also a San Diego native, as her “information and engagement manager.” Besides working for Zucchet, Wagner was named by fallen mayor Bob Filner, a fellow Democrat, to San Diego’s planning commission. Wagner is now on a leave of absence in the wake of the magazine’s coverage, including playing alleged hanky-panky with pot licenses. “On March 12, Los Angeles Magazine published an article that raised a number of issues concerning an employee of the police department, Mr. Anthony Wagner. Most of these allegations have been previously investigated, either within the police department or by the city attorney’s office. In addition, the City prevailed in a federal lawsuit by one of the unsuccessful cannabis permit applicants, which was dismissed in December 2019,” says a statement by Santa Barbara interim police chief Bernard Melekian. “Nevertheless, the Los Angeles Magazine article makes new allegations concerning the nature of Mr. Wagner’s role in the process of awarding cannabis licenses that support further investigation. To that end, the Department will be retaining an outside firm to conduct that investigation for the Police Department. I have placed Mr. Wagner on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of this inquiry. I should note that Mr. Wagner has been fully cooperative with this inquiry and welcomes the involvement of an outside reviewer.”

— Matt Potter (@sdmattpotter)

The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.

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

Gonzo Report: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band

Fans turn out in force for show at SDSU
Next Article

The vicious cycle of Escondido's abandoned buildings

City staff blames owners for raising rents
A lot of special interest money is quietly flowing to one candidate in the race to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by Shirley Weber.
A lot of special interest money is quietly flowing to one candidate in the race to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by Shirley Weber.

Keeping Weber Golden

A lot of special interest money is quietly flowing to one candidate in the race to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by Shirley Weber, who was appointed California Secretary of State by fellow Democrat Gavin Newsom. At the top of the campaign cash heap is Weber’s daughter, Akilah Weber, an obstetrician-gynecologist and vice mayor of La Mesa.

Akilah Weber, like her mom Shirley, is a fundraising juggernaut.

No fewer than four so-called independent committees have weighed into the fray on Weber’s behalf with a total of $525,683 as of March 11, per campaign disclosure records with the California Secretary of State’s office. The biggest spender is an outfit calling itself Frontline Healthcare and Essential Workers Supporting Dr. Akilah Weber for Assembly 2021, with a total of $454,366. Contributors include the California Medical Association Independent Expenditures Committee ($200,000, March 1), the California Dental Association Independent Expenditure PAC ($100,000, February 26), the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America IEC ($100,000, February 24), controversial dialysis provider DaVita, Inc. ($25,000, March 15), and the United Domestic Workers of America Action Fund ($50,000, March 15). All that money has bought TV time, digital media, and polling.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In addition, Jobs PAC, which calls itself a “bi-partisan association of California employers,” is spending heavily for text messaging, live calls, and research on Weber’s behalf. Its most recent contributor is SDG&E owner Sempra Energy, with $25,000 on January 26.

Another corporate interest group, calling itself Keep California Golden, has weighed into the campaign, spending $113,927 on Weber’s behalf for research, polling, phone banking, text blasts, and mailers. The group has funded itself with contributions from Driving California’s Economy Sponsored by California New Car Dealers Association ($10,000, March 1), utility giant PG&E Corporation ($50,000, October 27, 2020), and the Merced Police Officers Association PAC ($4200, October 26, 2020), among a bevy of other corporations with business before the legislature.

Many of the Akilah Weber donors, including DaVita, have been longtime funding stalwarts for Shirley Weber. Besides the independent expenditure groups backing her cause, Akilah Weber is hitting up contributors for two personally controlled committees, Weber for California Assembly 2021 ($124,325) and Weber for California Assembly 2022 ($91,715). Corporate donors to this year’s cause include the California Beer and Beverage Distributors Community Action Fund ($1300, March 15), Dart Container ($2500, March 11), the California Hospital Association PAC ($1500, March 10), and Eli Lilly and Company Federal PAC ($2000, March 3.) Sempra came up with $4900 on March 1, and the California Apartment Association PAC gave the same on February 16.

Weber’s putative 2022 reelection committee has already gotten $4900 each from alcohol vendor Anheuser Busch, San Diego’s Anesthesia Service Medical Group Advocacy Fund, and the Shirley Weber Secretary of State 2022 election fund which itself took in $8100 from Anheuser Busch.

Former SDPD officer Lori Luhnow

Santa Barbara’s Coronado chief

Scandal has erupted in ritzy Santa Barbara over newly retired Chief of Police Lori Luhnow, a 27-year veteran of the San Diego police department, and Anthony Wagner, an ex-aide to former San Diego city councilman An exposé by Los Angles Magazine tells the tale. “Luhnow, who retired as Santa Barbara chief last month, had begun receiving her pension from the City of San Diego when she took the [Santa Barbara] job. Yet according to her timecards, available through public information requests, Luhnow took regular three-day weekends in her home in Coronado Island, including during the Thomas fire, the Montecito debris flow, and the Black Lives Matter protests.”

The story recounts how Luhnow arranged to hire Wagner, also a San Diego native, as her “information and engagement manager.” Besides working for Zucchet, Wagner was named by fallen mayor Bob Filner, a fellow Democrat, to San Diego’s planning commission. Wagner is now on a leave of absence in the wake of the magazine’s coverage, including playing alleged hanky-panky with pot licenses. “On March 12, Los Angeles Magazine published an article that raised a number of issues concerning an employee of the police department, Mr. Anthony Wagner. Most of these allegations have been previously investigated, either within the police department or by the city attorney’s office. In addition, the City prevailed in a federal lawsuit by one of the unsuccessful cannabis permit applicants, which was dismissed in December 2019,” says a statement by Santa Barbara interim police chief Bernard Melekian. “Nevertheless, the Los Angeles Magazine article makes new allegations concerning the nature of Mr. Wagner’s role in the process of awarding cannabis licenses that support further investigation. To that end, the Department will be retaining an outside firm to conduct that investigation for the Police Department. I have placed Mr. Wagner on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of this inquiry. I should note that Mr. Wagner has been fully cooperative with this inquiry and welcomes the involvement of an outside reviewer.”

— Matt Potter (@sdmattpotter)

The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.

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

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Next Article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief
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