News Under the Radar
Government officials say they’re hard up for funds, but most can’t seem to resist spending for lobbying activities. A recently filed disclosure report covering the third quarter of last year shows that District Attorney Bonnie …
He’s the son of Alex Spanos and the president of the Chargers, currently seeking a multimillion-dollar handout from taxpayers as a condition for building a new stadium somewhere in the county. But La Jollan Dean …
San Diego politicos spent the last month of 2009 raising money for the 2010 election season. Contributors included the California Medical Association, which gave $7800 to San Diego city councilman Ben Hueso’s Democratic assembly bid. …
Ex–Democratic assemblyman turned insurance industry lobbyist Juan Vargas quietly kicked off his bid to replace termed-out incumbent state senator Denise Ducheny last week by personally making a $100,000 loan to his own campaign fund, state …
With the holidays approaching, what better way to get into the spirit of the season than with a free trip to Tel Aviv? Democratic congresswoman Susan Davis embarked on a three-day tour of Israel, from …
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s got the biggest California state pension of them all? In San Diego County, apparently it’s El Cajon’s William Garrett, at $254,745.72 a year, or $21,228.81 a month, according to …
Last week, Anheuser-Busch, the onetime icon of American beer that was snapped up a year ago by the Brazilian-Belgian international brewing combine InBev, finally unloaded its chain of theme parks — including San Diego’s SeaWorld …
Hard times will soon shutter Rainwater’s on Kettner Boulevard, the fabled red-meat eatery. Over the years, politicos of all stripes dined gratis at the bistro, thanks to well-heeled special interests. February 2004 was typical. GOP …
The Barona Band of Mission Indians hosted a high-powered group of state GOP legislators at the tribe’s Barona Resort and Casino on July 9, according to a recent lobbyist disclosure filing. Senators Tom Harman, Dennis …
For a little while, it sounded like great news. San Diego’s county library system was named to a national list of “Star Libraries,” compiled by Library Journal. The publication rated libraries coast to coast by …
Former eBay executive Meg Whitman, currently running first in at least one poll of voter sentiment in her race for the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination, gave $1.15 million to Valley Floor Preservation Partners. That’s the group …
San Diego City Council president Ben Hueso has been feathering more than just his assembly campaign’s nest of late. A recently filed disclosure statement shows that he’s been getting big money for his legal defense …
“Our Border” (ourborder.ning.com), an online social networking website set up by Obama administration border czar Alan Bersin, is having a contest to recruit new members: “We just want to remind you about the Membership Challenge …
In the category of lobbying standouts, there’s both Sempra Energy’s Heidi DeJong Barsuglia, who purportedly mixed it up with ex–GOP assemblyman Mike Duvall this summer (they both later denied the hanky-panky), and Jim Cassie of …
American Medical Response, which has lucrative paramedic and ambulance contracts with the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, and a host of other local government agencies, gave $2000 to the county …
After a delay, San Diego State University, in response to a request under the state’s Public Records Act, has turned over the contract between itself and the nonprofit Watchdog Institute, the experiment in investigative reporting …