Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Horton’s dowry

U-T San Diego threw its weight, and Papa Doug’s money, behind Shirley Horton (left) while disparaging her opponent Diane Harkey (right).
U-T San Diego threw its weight, and Papa Doug’s money, behind Shirley Horton (left) while disparaging her opponent Diane Harkey (right).

Readers of the U-T San Diego editorial page may still be wondering about the connection between GOP ex-assemblywoman Shirley Horton and U-T editorial writer-in-chief Bill Osborne, but there’s no doubt Horton sank some heavy personal cash into getting noticed. According to a mid-year campaign statement Horton filed after her failed June bid for state Board of Equalization, the former Chula Vista mayor lent her own campaign $40,000 in March.

Sponsored
Sponsored

As a political loser, Horton may or may not get get the money back. In addition to her personal investment in the race, during the campaign, Horton raised $60,000 from an array of familiar political donors, including $1000 from Resmed, Inc. founder and chairman Peter Farrell, who has threatened to decamp from California if his taxes get too high. But that was peanuts compared to the $6000 Horton picked up on April 21 from Douglas Manchester, the voluble mega-millionaire publisher of U-T San Diego. Other four-figure contributions included $6800 from ex–San Diego city manager and Borrego developer Jack McGrory; $5000 from fallen San Diego port commission and South Bay financier David Malcolm; $5000 from the Sycuan casino–owning tribe; $2500 from the developer Corky McMillin Companies; and $2000 from Mission Valley developer Tom Sudberry. Retired liberal Chula Vista newspaper publisher Lowell Blankfort also kicked in $2000.

Besides making his monetary donation to the cause, hotel developer and GOP kingpin Manchester employed his paper to editorialize on Horton’s behalf, disparaging her Orange County opponent Republican assemblywoman Diane Harkey by citing Harkey’s alleged unwillingness to talk about a “family scandal” regarding her husband’s business matters. At the bottom of the piece was a disclaimer, saying, “The decision to endorse Horton was made by the newspaper’s owners in consultation with some members of the Editorial Board. Editorial and Opinion Editor Bill Osborne, who has a conflict of interest, didn’t participate in this process or in the writing or editing of this editorial.” A description of the nature of the conflict has not yet been furnished by the U-T.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Born & Raised offers a less decadent Holiday Punch

Cognac serves to lighten the mood
Next Article

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024
U-T San Diego threw its weight, and Papa Doug’s money, behind Shirley Horton (left) while disparaging her opponent Diane Harkey (right).
U-T San Diego threw its weight, and Papa Doug’s money, behind Shirley Horton (left) while disparaging her opponent Diane Harkey (right).

Readers of the U-T San Diego editorial page may still be wondering about the connection between GOP ex-assemblywoman Shirley Horton and U-T editorial writer-in-chief Bill Osborne, but there’s no doubt Horton sank some heavy personal cash into getting noticed. According to a mid-year campaign statement Horton filed after her failed June bid for state Board of Equalization, the former Chula Vista mayor lent her own campaign $40,000 in March.

Sponsored
Sponsored

As a political loser, Horton may or may not get get the money back. In addition to her personal investment in the race, during the campaign, Horton raised $60,000 from an array of familiar political donors, including $1000 from Resmed, Inc. founder and chairman Peter Farrell, who has threatened to decamp from California if his taxes get too high. But that was peanuts compared to the $6000 Horton picked up on April 21 from Douglas Manchester, the voluble mega-millionaire publisher of U-T San Diego. Other four-figure contributions included $6800 from ex–San Diego city manager and Borrego developer Jack McGrory; $5000 from fallen San Diego port commission and South Bay financier David Malcolm; $5000 from the Sycuan casino–owning tribe; $2500 from the developer Corky McMillin Companies; and $2000 from Mission Valley developer Tom Sudberry. Retired liberal Chula Vista newspaper publisher Lowell Blankfort also kicked in $2000.

Besides making his monetary donation to the cause, hotel developer and GOP kingpin Manchester employed his paper to editorialize on Horton’s behalf, disparaging her Orange County opponent Republican assemblywoman Diane Harkey by citing Harkey’s alleged unwillingness to talk about a “family scandal” regarding her husband’s business matters. At the bottom of the piece was a disclaimer, saying, “The decision to endorse Horton was made by the newspaper’s owners in consultation with some members of the Editorial Board. Editorial and Opinion Editor Bill Osborne, who has a conflict of interest, didn’t participate in this process or in the writing or editing of this editorial.” A description of the nature of the conflict has not yet been furnished by the U-T.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Houston ex-mayor donates to Toni Atkins governor fund

LGBT fights in common
Next Article

Born & Raised offers a less decadent Holiday Punch

Cognac serves to lighten the mood
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader