Carter's last stand The staid old San Diego State University Research Foundation was rocked to its roots last Friday when longtime board member Tom Carter, the former San Diego Federal Savings exec, real estate investor, …

Old moneybags Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the richest San Diego city council aide of all? Based on recently filed financial disclosure statements, that honor goes to Geoffrey W. Lipsey, a "council representative" for …

Air war With San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders's privatization and pension-reform measures barreling through the city council, November 2006 is shaping up as one of the busiest ballot seasons in memory. Adding to the lucre …

In his 56 years, James T. Waring has worn many hats: real estate developer, attorney, high-tech investor, environmentalist, and close advisor to a Las Vegas mobster's wealthy daughter. Waring was also involved with the late …

Duke's donations Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who pled guilty last year to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors, has been using campaign money to pay for the pricey legal talents of the Washington …

Sewer story With San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders talking up the possibility of fee increases to pay for water and sewer projects, engineering and construction firms that stand to gain contracts worth millions and perhaps …

Fast livers San Diego sheriff Bill Kolender has finally coughed up the money his campaign committee owed the state after prosecutors revealed last year that a well-heeled drinking buddy laundered cash contributions through his employees …

Missing links First the good news: KPBS, the local public broadcasting organization owned and operated by San Diego State University, is reporting total revenues of $25,131,533 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005. Now …

Scandal city It might not be up to the level of Washington's Abramoff scandal, but the California Fair Political Practices Commission has filed a flurry of sanctions against San Diegans. First up is Ace Parking …

Two thousand five was the year Dick Murphy died. Murphy the man is still alive, we hope. We think. We're almost certain. We haven't been able to talk to him. Not that we haven't tried. …

Bankers' millions San Diego mayoral honcho Ronne Froman, an ex-admiral, has filed her first statement of economic interests as required by state law. It reveals she is a director of La Jolla's 1st Pacific Bank, …

Bio of Convicted Lobbyist in Stripper Scandal By Matt Potter On November 10, Lance Malone was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his role in the Cheetahs influence-peddling scandal. A lobbyist for high-flying …

Polyheme update In an attempt to prevent further publication of information about the testing of its controversial blood substitute Polyheme in San Diego, Chicago's Northfield Pharmaceuticals has filed suit against the Reader and its publisher, …

The care and feeding of Lamont Ewell San Diego's Ethics Commission has released notes of interviews conducted earlier this year during its investigation of San Diego Data Processing Corporation honcho Roger Talamantez. Talamantez was sanctioned …

Chips off the old block Colin Rice, Democratic assemblyman Juan Vargas's chief of staff, has of late found himself defending his boss in the ongoing dustup with Congressman Bob Filner over the paying of live-in …

Dirty money Following last week's guilty plea of Randy Cunningham, the tentacles of "Duke-Stir-gate" are spreading rapidly into local Republican money circles. Topping the list of reported coconspirators is Brent R. Wilkes, the Poway defense …

Poor, benighted Qualcomm Stadium. It's been around since 1967 and for its first three decades was one of the city's most popular landmarks. Winner of national architecture awards, the dual-use arena, owned jointly by the …

Borderline business Word that San Diego mayor-elect Jerry Sanders and Tijuana mayor Jorge Hank Rhon are getting together to promote the cross-border economy has resurrected not-so-distant memories of ex-mayor Susan Golding and her onetime husband, …

It turns out that National City mayor Nick Inzunza, recently the subject of a Union-Tribune exposé about his plans to take an extended holiday vacation from his mayoral duties, owns a getaway in the San …

Last week, San Diego County sheriff Bill Kolender announced he was running for his fourth four-year term. The 70-year-old candidate boasts the full support of the local Republican establishment, including all five members of the …

Business as usual In the campaign's closing days, some interesting names appeared on the donor list of San Diego's Lincoln Club, a local GOP group that backs pro-business Republicans, including mayor-elect Jerry Sanders and city …

It's only money When you're the president of a big taxpayer-funded state university in California, you get plenty of perks. Take the case of San Diego State's Stephen Weber, who has gone on more than …

Sand castle One of the most ostentatious houses on Del Mar's gold coast is up for sale with a hefty $50 million asking price. The 5200-square-foot mansion was custom built in 1999 along 120 feet …

Sand castle One of the most ostentatious houses on Del Mar's gold coast is up for sale with a hefty $50 million asking price. The 5200-square-foot mansion was custom built in 1999 along 120 feet …

One of the most ostentatious houses on Del Mar's gold coast is up for sale with a hefty $50 million asking price. The 5200-square-foot mansion was custom built in 1999 along 120 feet of beachfront …

Last week, lawyers for ex-San Diego city councilman Michael Zucchet, convicted last summer in the Cheetahs strip club trial, submitted 76 letters written on his behalf by family and friends requesting leniency from a federal …

Mayoral candidates Donna Frye and Jerry Sanders were each asked to sit down for on-the-record interviews. Sanders's campaign press secretary, Scott Maloni, initially agreed to the interview, then called back to say that Sanders would …

As the skies darkened in early 2003 over San Diego's scandal-wracked pension fund, those in charge began casting about for ways to attack reporters covering the story. The fund hired the PR firm of Nuffer …

High-tech evangelist Larry Smarr, who runs UCSD's California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, is being paid $249,200 a year, in part to promote commerce between big business and the public university. "My point is …

Over the past 50 years, Mission Valley, once home to dairy farms and truck gardens, has grown into one of the most developed and congested parts of the city. The commercial direction of the valley …

How bad is the festering drug problem among students at La Jolla High, arguably San Diego's toniest public school? Judging by a recent note to parents from principal Dana Shelburne, things might be better. "I …

Off to the races Former San Diego school superintendent Alan Bersin, currently GOP governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's secretary for education, is busy raising campaign cash for L.A. city attorney Rocky Delgadillo , who's running in next …

Their old chairs on the San Diego City Council dais may be empty, but the same can't be said of their former seats in the city's skybox at Petco Park, where politicos and their pals, …

Down in National City, Mayor Nick Inzunza, who recently announced he's running for the 79th District state assembly seat being vacated by Juan Vargas, has ramped up his campaign with an anti-fat theme. "Mayor Inzunza …

With the city's finances in tatters, the Union-Tribune has lately been talking up the idea of raising taxes. In a lengthy front-page story a week ago Sunday, headlined "America's cheapest city," the newspaper set forth …

It reads like a bad science fiction novel: A small Illinois biotech company cuts a deal with UCSD. The university agrees to test a substitute for human blood on comatose patients — victims of gunshots …

With Union-Tribune publisher David Copley on the mend from surgery to give him a new heart, next up on the U-T's sick list is editor Karin Winner, who's out for several weeks after breaking her …

What is it with local pols and their affinity for baseball? First it was Bonnie Dumanis, who called her April fund-raiser "Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and...Bonnie Dumanis for District Attorney." Now comes county treasurer …

Staffers loyal to former San Diego Unified superintendent Alan Bersin are quickly following him out the door. District flack Peri Lynn Turnbull is heading over to the Red Cross to work for Veronica "Ronne" Froman, …

Word that ailing actor and favorite son Cliff Robertson has finally unloaded his historic La Jolla beachfront mansion is causing a minor stir among the city's upper crust. Originally listed for $25 million back in …

Ex-Nevada high-roller Steve Francis, who has vowed to spend what it takes to get elected, is not your usual candidate for mayor. In addition to the million dollars or so of personal money he's expected …

Gerald R. "Jerry" Sanders and William Robert "Bob" Bradley are friends and business associates. Each faces problems. Sanders's potential woes are voluntary: he wants to be mayor of a financially ailing city, San Diego. Bradley's …

Who is Ziyad Abduljawad and why is he giving all those travel freebies to GOP congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the embattled old Navy fighter ace from the Vietnam War? According to congressional gift records, Cunningham …

The memo, dated September 6, 1978, is from San Diego Police Captain P.H. Rose to Captain M.C. Guaderrama. It sings the praises of a 28-year-old officer, badge number 1840, bucking for promotion to the rank …

The clerk in downtown's divorce court says that the 1993 case of former police chief, now mayoral candidate, Jerry Sanders and his ex-wife Kerrill is under seal and not available for public inspection. In March, …

“I was distressed to find out that he was so close to the whole Copley organization, and here I was working for them. I came into a situation where I was really walking on eggs.”

It was a distinguished turnout at the recent wake for Republican Jack Walsh, a well-loved San Diego city councilman turned county supervisor turned real estate maven who died last month at age 71. With Father …

It looks as though more of downtown's endangered historic buildings are headed for the wrecking ball. This time the doomed structures are in Little Italy, where a Texas developer wants a $5.3 million subsidy from …

Now that San Diego city councilman Scott Peters is wrapping up his single term on the California Coastal Commission, a behind-the-scenes struggle has erupted over who will replace him. Sources say La Jollan Peters, whom …

Former state senator Dede Alpert decided not to run for San Diego mayor maybe due to scrutiny from critics who contend she is too closely linked to big labor. The Democrat -- formerly from Coronado, …