Rick Perry's La Jolla super PAC down to its last $946
San Diego committee backing California job-poaching Texas governor isn't so super anymore
Self-styled San Diego business leaders aflutter about Texas governor Rick Perry's recent California job raiding forays can rest easy about one thing: his La Jolla-based super PAC. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/feb/07/39694/ At one point during the run-up to the 2012 presidential election season, …
Jacobs says he is bowing out of Balboa Park makeover
Money talks as La Jolla billionaire Democrat and Qualcomm founder makes announcement on public broadcasting station he funds: "I've told the committee that the project is over "
San Diego's richest man, Qualcomm billionaire Irwin Jacobs, says he is pulling out of his controversial Balboa Park traffic and parking plan. The move came a day after a Superior Court judge here ruled that the city council had acted …
After backing industry-favored timber tax, Fletcher reaped big contributions
Republican-turned-independent Assemblyman was one of two crucial votes needed for passage of tax bill favored by Sierra Pacific Industries and other timber interests
It was August 2012 and one of the most heated tax battles of the year was unfolding. California's Democratic governor was pushing an industry-favored timber bill through the legislature, imposing a tax on California consumers for the lumber they buy. …
In debt to self for failed mayoral bid, San Diego District Attorney already raising 2014 re-election cash
Republican Bonnie Dumanis puts out the word that be she intends to have a big campaign war chest for next year's re-election battle
Fresh from a frantic year-end fundraising bout for her failed mayoral campaign fund- which finished 2012 with $32,758 of cash on hand and $50,000 of remaining debt to the candidate herself - San Diego county District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis is …
San Diego's great red light camera rebellion
August story on secretive Sanders bid solicitation preceded today's dumping of red light cameras by new mayor
Back on August 22, we reported here on a plan by Republican then-mayor Jerry Sanders to extend the city's controversial red light camera program. There was no notice to the public, other than a request for proposal quietly posted by …
Lobbyists, lawyers, and land developers anted up for Dumanis’s post-loss fundraising
San Diego district attorney and mayoral candidate raked in big money in December after placing fourth in June primary; still carried $50,000 debt to self
San Diego's Republican District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who placed fourth in last year's mayoral primary, did well at post-election fundraising, bringing in a total of $17,060 in cash for her mayoral campaign committee during the final six months of 2012, …
George Shultz, wealthy lumbermen backed ex-GOP mayor candidate after loss
Ex-Secretary of State, San Francisco financiers, rich loggers, and billionaire Silicon Valley heir give post-election cash to Nathan Fletcher's failed bid.
Months after his defeat, former GOP Assemblyman turned independent Nathan Fletcher remained a big money favorite of some high-profile establishment Republicans, according to the year-end campaign disclosure statement of his San Diego mayoral campaign committee posted online by the city …
Booze, golf, and lobbyists hallmarks of Vargas bi-coastal fundraisers
Breakfast admission in Washington starts at $1500; Friday afternoon Mission Valley golf affair just $1250
As previously reported, freshman Democratic congressman Juan Vargas has been first off the blocks in the House fundraising race for 2014, scheduling a Capitol Hill breakfast bash next month at Johnny’s Half Shell on North Capitol Street. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jan/30/39262/ “Using organic …
Padres honcho says it with cash: Anybody but Filner
Mega-millionaire beer distributor gave big to DeMaio and Fletcher, along with brew merchants political committees, Major League Baseball PAC, and Mitt Romney
Ron Fowler, the politically-wired California beer distribution magnate who assembled the wealthy group that took over the Padres last year, has made it clear that he's no fan of mayor Bob Filner. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jan/29/39218/ That might not come as a surprise, …
Reader's owner backed anti-assisted suicide campaign in Massachusetts
Pot and parental notification also on publisher's personal political radar during 2012
It's the end of January, the time final 2012 campaign finance disclosure statements begin rolling in, and early filings show it was a record political fundraising season for local contributors. Among San Diego's major donors was the Reader's owner, Jim …
New filing shows U-T's Manchester personally backed Carl DeMaio and GOP to tune of $283,900
San Diego newspaper mogul and litigation-beset Navy Broadway Complex developer gave heavily to those supporting controversial downtown project
Combative U-T San Diego publisher Douglas Manchester, whose development company was sued last week by the California Coastal Commission over Manchester's plans to turn the U.S. Navy's waterfront real estate into a giant hotel, office, and retail complex, remained busy …
California sues Manchester's firm; reports show Navy complex push by fired city lobbyist
Disclosures reveal that U-T San Diego Manchester's Navy Broadway Complex was one of several contentious issues lobbied by D.C. influence peddling firm dumped by new mayor
As noted here last month, having ex-congressman Bob Filner as San Diego's new Democratic mayor might mean interesting changes for the city's costly and heavily partisan lobbying agenda, as previously controlled by Republican Jerry Sanders. Two new developments illustrate the …
La Jolla billionaire to get the Neil Morgan award
SDG&E, U-T San Diego, Bridgepoint Education, and Qualcomm listed among sponsors of 'Visionary Awards" dinner
2012 was a successful political year for La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs. Besides the re-election of Barack Obama, to whose super PAC the Democrat gave $2.12 million, Jacobs also won big with Proposition Z, the tax-raising San Diego Unified school …
More key lobbyist names emerge in wake of mayor's high dollar fundraiser
Influence peddlers for controversial development projects attend fundraiser in offices of downtown lobbyist owned by Filner consultant, watchdog says
That $500-a-head fundraiser thrown last night by the downtown lobbying shop of Public Policy Strategies - an influence peddling boutique owned by Tom Shepard, who was Bob Filner's chief campaign consultant in his victory over Republican city councilman Carl DeMaio …
What election? Filner and DeMaio continue to hold big fundraising bashes
Democratic mayor and Republican ex-councilman hit the political party circuit with lucrative campaign cash events
Last night, Bob Filner attended a $500 per person fundraising party for his campaign held by the downtown lobbying firm of Public Policy Strategies. The San Diego mayor was ferried to the occasion in a black Toyota sports utility vehicle, …
Lobbyist for billionaire’s Balboa Park makeover throwing Filner fundraiser
Former aides of GOP mayor Sanders throw open doors of their downtown lobbying office to raise campaign cash for Democratic mayor
The crew over at Public Policy Strategies Inc., the lobbying outfit founded and owned by onetime GOP champion Tom Shepard, is throwing a fundraiser tomorrow for Democratic mayor Bob Filner. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jan/22/38859/ Shepard is now Filner's top political guru, credited by …
U.S. Marshals’ automatic weapons, $71,840 San Diego SUV hit by audit
Unauthorized automatic weapons and a costly sport utility vehicle used in San Diego on list of prohibited and improperly documented purchases made by U.S. Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service has come under scrutiny by the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Inspector General over, among other things, unauthorized conversion of semi-automatic weapons purchases to those capable of fully automatic fire. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jan/21/38721/ In a report released …
Filner can veto port nominations, city attorney memo says
Legal memorandum drafted by former Union-Tribune political writer green-lights strong mayor's powers
If there was any doubt that new Democratic mayor Bob Filner has plenty of leverage under the city's so-called strong mayor form of government - once ardently embraced and financed by San Diego's Republican business establishment - GOP City Attorney …
Two San Diego pols reported among top richest in Congress
Democrat Peters and Republican Issa make San Diego county one of America's top concentrations of congressional wealth, according to new ranking
The website OpenSecrets.org, run by Washington's non-profit Center for Responsive Politics, is out with its Congressional wealth rankings, and San Diego county can boast two members in the top twenty: Republican Darrell Issa and Democrat Scott Peters. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jan/16/38521/ Congressional disclosure …
City Attorney: OK to release private business e-mail addresses to improvement districts
Business Improvement District chiefs in San Diego can obtain email addresses of business owners from city records, Goldsmith holds
Those who have business licenses from the city of San Diego may be seeing some new unsolicited email in their inboxes, thanks to a Memorandum of Law issued Friday by the office of City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jan/15/38463/ "Business Improvement …