Predator Maker Linden Blue Blasts Barack Obama
La Jolla's Linden Blue, co-chairman with his brother Neal Blue of General Atomics, the big Torrey Pines-based U.S. military contractor and maker of the Predator drones now in wide use in battlefield hotspots by the Central Intelligence Agency, is out …
San Diego Sheriff Shopping for Riot Control Munitions
In the wake of clashes between San Diego police and Occupy San Diego demonstrations, the county, on behalf of San Diego county Sheriff Bill Gore, has issued a request for quotations from vendors willing to supply an array of "Special …
City of San Diego Lobbies Congress On Debt, Hotel Taxes
An analysis by Washington's non-profit Center for Responsive Politics has found that more than 400 special interests, including corporations, labor unions, and non-profits, have been lobbying the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction--otherwise known as Congress's debt supercommittee. On the …
Maienschein Paid $106,270 As Homeless Commissioner
News arrived this morning via the Union-Tribune's Tom Blair that ex-San Diego city councilman Brian Maienschein is throwing a $3900-a-head fundraiser for his 77th district Assembly campaign at the La Jolla house where MTV's "Real World" was shot. The big …
Trash Magnate Paying for Mayors' Newspaper Columns
Who says the power and influence of newspapers is dying? Apparently not five North County mayors and San Diego's own Jerry Sanders. The North County mayors have inquired of the state's Fair Political Practices Commission whether or not they are …
Auditor Says Police Botched Stripper Enforcement, Lost Track of Funds
As if the troubled San Diego Police Department didn't have enough headaches with on-duty officer sex scandals and sexual harrassment charges, along comes the office of San Diego city auditor Eduardo Luna with a highly-critical 64-page report finding that the …
U.S. Puts Ensenada Car Dealer on Drug Kingpin List
The United States has added Martin Avendano Ojeda and two brothers to its drug kingpin list, freezing their U.S. assets and prohibiting them from doing business with anyone in the United States. “Today’s action aims to disrupt the ability of …
Popular Sacramento Watering Holes Host San Diego Pols
The Sacramento Bee is out today with a list, complete with map, of the state capital's top 20 restaurants and watering holes receiving campaign funds since 2008, and of course there's a San Diego angle. Leading the pack is Chops, …
Embattled Sycuan Band Gives Big to Local GOP
The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, which operates a prosperous casino and is currently embroiled in a pitched battle to expand its East County reservation for an ambitious real estate development plan, has of late been giving heavily to …
Tijuana's Adela Navarro Bello wins 2011 Courage in Journalism Prize
Adela Navarro Bello, a Tijuana journalist who has risked death by covering the ongoing drug war and corruption of government officials there, has won a 2011 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation. A key subject for …
Vargas Hands Out Gifts of Cash to Prospective Friends and Allies
Democratic State Sen. Juan Vargas, now running for the congressional seat being vacated by San Diego mayoral candidate Bob Filner, has been dipping into the campaign bank account of his senate campaign for cash to bestow on local charities. Such …
Molasky's San Diego FBI Building Breaks Ground
San Diego city councilman and GOP mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio, along with a contingent of federal officials, has helped break ground for a new FBI headquarters building here. As we wrote in June, the building, to be leased to the …
Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane Fighting Separate Sports Battles
Say what you will about the many stadium proposals littering the California landscape these days, they are very good at providing work for political consultants. Take for example the longtime partnership of Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane, veterans of the …
San Diego City Auditor Cites Retirement System's High Costs
A performance review by the office of San Diego city auditor Eduardo Luna has found room for improvement in the way the city's long-controversial pension system is run. "Our audit found that when compared to peers, SDCERS’ administrative expenses—approximately $15 …
Has Craig Venter's ExxonMobil Deal Hit a Rough Patch?
As a hometown hero, genome mapping pioneer, world sailor, and venture capital rainmaker extraordinaire, J. Craig Venter, who lives in a posh La Jolla mansion with his third wife and longtime publicist Heather Kowalski, is awash in good ink. But …
The State of Brian Bilbray's Finances
A rush of sorts is on among local Democrats to declare for the congressional seat of the GOP’s Brian Bilbray, generally considered more vulnerable after the redistricting shrank the margin of Republican voters in his previously safe district. Both former …
Chicano Federation, Urban League Lobby for AT&T's T-Mobile Takeover
Efforts by telecom giant AT&T to obtain federal approval of its $39 billion bid to buy competing cell phone provider T-Mobile became controversial after this summer's revelations that some groups endorsing the merger, including the National Association for the Advancement …
Juan Vargas Gets $1000 of Roski Campaign Cash
Majestic Realty honcho Edward P. Roski, Jr., locked in a battle with AEG's Philip Anschutz for the chance to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, gave $1000 to help retire the campaign debt of state Sen. Juan Vargas, now …
Fabian Núñez's Lobbying Power Grows
Ex-assembly speaker Fabian Núñez became a political pariah here this year after his close friend, then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, commuted the voluntary manslaughter sentence given Núñez's son Esteban for playing a role in the 2008 fatal stabbing of Luis Dos Santos, …
Filner Moves Funds Between Mayoral and Congressional Campaign Committees
Democratic Congressman Bob Filner is running for mayor these days, but his old congressional campaign finance committee just keeps on chugging along. According to its most recent filing, dated October 15 and covering the period between July 1 and September …