San Diego Rostra

In August 2018, Clumpner was appointed to the board of the San Diego Housing Commission.

Who is behind a political committee aiming to throw second place in San Diego's city council District 2 election to a Republican?

The Union-Tribune isn't saying, or somehow missed the information posted on the campaign finance disclosure websites of two local governments.

In a May 27 dispatch, U-T columnist Michael Smolens - noting that a group calling itself Community Voices San Diego is "sending mailers that pump up the lone Republican in the race," per the O.B. Rag - adds, "It's unclear who is behind that committee."

But though it may be unclear to the U-T, campaign disclosure reports posted online by the San Diego City Clerk as required by state and city law, are more forthcoming about the money paying the bills of the so-called Community Voices committee.

On May 24, the Building Industry Association of San Diego County PAC kicked in $30,000.

The same day, per a May 25 filing, Community Voices spent $8688 on a mailer for Republican dentist Linda Lukacs in the Second District race. As of the same date, the committee had spent a total of $76,299 on mailers for the Lukacs cause, according to the document.

Over at the county’s Registrar of Voters, where Community Voices must also file disclosure reports, there are more details.

According to a May 22 filing with the county, Community Voices raised $69,000 from the beginning of this year through May 21.

The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce PAC came up with $49,000 on May 9, and the Downtown San Diego Partnership PAC gave $20,000 on May 11.

The history of donations to Community Voices in 2020 is revealed in the county filings. Neighbors for Housing Solutions Supporting Todd Gloria for Mayor 2020 gave $31,895 near the end of the year. The San Diego Police Officers Association PAC came up with $49,000.

In 2019, the committee got $5000 from Del Mar Beach Investors, and spent $7500 opposing Terra Lawson-Remer's successful county supervisorial bid.

The current incarnation of Community Voices goes back to October 9, 2019, according to a statement of organization filed with the Registrar listing the former GOP Lincoln Club executive director Ryan Clumpner as principal officer.

Clumpner's political consulting firm, Public Dynamics, received more than $66,000 from Community Voices for "Digital advertising,” during the period from October 18, 2020, through the end of that year, per a January 9, 2021, filing.

This year, through May 21 Public Dynamics was paid by Community Voices $67,968 for production of "Mail in support of Linda Lukcas," according to a May campaign finance statement by the committee.

"Ryan Clumpner, a political consultant who managed Carl DeMaio’s race for mayor and has been a part of many conservative efforts in recent years, has left the Republican Party," reported the Voice of San Diego on July 31, 2018.

"My eternally optimistic side kept seeing opportunities for a transformation of the GOP in the direction I and many coastal Republicans preferred. Had Trump lost by a wide margin, the GOP would be in the throes of a very healthy soul-searching right now," said Clumpner.

"Presently, such a moment of reflection is nowhere in sight."

Then, in August 2018, Clumpner was appointed to the board of the San Diego Housing Commission, by GOP then-San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, according to the commission news release, which said the appointment's tenure runs through August 2022.

Per the commission's website, Clumpner is the board's current vice chair.

"Ryan Clumpner was elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Board by SDHC Commissioners on January 11, 2019," says an online profile.

"In 2016, Vice Chair Clumpner launched a boutique consultancy business, focused on providing strategic advice to business associations and ballot measure campaigns.

"He also has worked for a national public affairs consulting agency, handling public outreach and communications for candidates and ballot measures across the country at all levels of government, from small municipalities to statewide."