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

Bill and Hillary's California Peacock

Ex-Obama aide and friend of Bill gets $280,000 University of California spot

Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano

As the 2016 race for the presidency nears, a recent move by University of California president Janet Napolitano has the potential to inject high-stakes Clintonian politics into the already controversial university system.

Nelson Peacock

At its meeting in San Francisco last week, the university's board of regents signed off on creating the new position of senior vice president of government relations and gave the job to Nelson Peacock, an aide to Napolitano when she ran the Department of Homeland Security under Democratic president Barack Obama.

"In this role, Mr. Peacock will lead all of the University’s government relations activities at all levels of government," according to the agenda of the January 22 regents meeting. The action was approved 13 to 5, with Napolitano among the supporters and governor Jerry Brown voting no.

"He has a proven track record of establishing productive working relationships with senior officials and identifying and implementing solutions to address complex issues," the agenda says.

Peacock, who became a senior advisor to Napolitano last September, will get an annual base salary of $280,000, along with an $8916 car allowance.

"Mr. Peacock received a cash relocation allowance as a condition of his employment with the University and to assist with his relocation from Maryland when he first joined the University in September 2014," the agenda item says.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"He will continue to be eligible to receive the remaining balance of installments: $20,000 in 2015; $20,000 in 2016; and the final installment of $10,000 in 2017."

Prior to signing on with Napolitano in California, Peacock was a vice president at Cornerstone Government Affairs in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which he joined in May 2013. The big influence-peddling boutique has a list of clients ranging from Walmart to the United Egg Producers. According to the regents’ agenda, Peacock "provided support to higher education clients with interests in federal education policy and funding opportunities."

Hillary Clinton
Alan Bersin
Lisa Foster

At the same time, the agenda item says, Peacock "also served as an unpaid consultant to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation to assist former President Bill Clinton with logistical, political, and media support on domestic and international trips."

Before his Cornerstone gig, Peacock was assistant secretary for legislative affairs under Napolitano when she was Homeland Security secretary. There, records show, he worked closely with Alan Bersin, the former U.S. Attorney here under Bill Clinton and ex–San Diego schools chief who has held a series of Homeland Security positions in the Obama administration since his appointment as Obama's so-called border czar in April 2009.

Documents released last year by the administration in response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act show that Peacock and Bersin met repeatedly on the hot-button immigration topic of "border metrics.”

Due to Bersin’s college friendship with the Clintons and the campaign cash he and his wife Lisa Foster of the wealthy Ratner family have raised for Democrats, Bersin has long been an inside player in Democratic politics.

"Please look out for Alan in San Diego," wrote Bill Clinton aide Karen Skelton to fellow White House political worker Michael Feldman in a June 10, 1998 email released by the Clinton presidential library last year. "He's a POTUS Oxford pal and someone we want to know much better. You can use my name, though that might not help much….”

Like Bersin, Peacock is also personally familiar with Bill Clinton, for whom his mother did campaign work during Clinton’s early political career in Arkansas, according to a September 2011 profile in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

"We knew the Clintons ever since I was a little kid,” Peacock told the Little Rock paper. "I remember him coming to the house with the state trooper. Denver and I would go out and play in the state trooper's car. Obviously, we had no idea that he was ever going to become president.”

Peacock went to the University of Arkansas and then to Georgetown University in Washington for a master’s degree in law. There he worked for Clinton on the side, according to the paper’s account.

"School gave him the flexibility to travel to do advance work for the president when called, as did his first federal appointment as deputy director for intergovernmental affairs at the Justice Department.

“In that role, he coordinated the relationship between Attorney General Janet Reno and law enforcement and other officials at the state and local levels, as well as the interest groups that worked on their behalf."

Besides his ties to the ex-president and his wife, Bersin is closely allied with big-money Hillary Clinton backer Irwin Jacobs.

The billionaire Qualcomm founder and former University of California professor, along with Lisa Foster, also an Obama appointee, is expected to play a major role in the former first lady's putative run for the presidency.

Jacobs himself wields extensive influence in the university system, as witnessed by the free naming rights his company Qualcomm was awarded in 2013 to what is now known as the Qualcomm Institute at UCSD. Along with the well-compensated Peacock, the Bersin and Jacobs team could be shaping up as one of Hillary Clinton's best, if not-so-secret, California political weapons.

The latest copy of the Reader

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

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024
Next Article

Hike off those holiday calories, Poinsettias are peaking

Winter Solstice is here and what is winter?
Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano

As the 2016 race for the presidency nears, a recent move by University of California president Janet Napolitano has the potential to inject high-stakes Clintonian politics into the already controversial university system.

Nelson Peacock

At its meeting in San Francisco last week, the university's board of regents signed off on creating the new position of senior vice president of government relations and gave the job to Nelson Peacock, an aide to Napolitano when she ran the Department of Homeland Security under Democratic president Barack Obama.

"In this role, Mr. Peacock will lead all of the University’s government relations activities at all levels of government," according to the agenda of the January 22 regents meeting. The action was approved 13 to 5, with Napolitano among the supporters and governor Jerry Brown voting no.

"He has a proven track record of establishing productive working relationships with senior officials and identifying and implementing solutions to address complex issues," the agenda says.

Peacock, who became a senior advisor to Napolitano last September, will get an annual base salary of $280,000, along with an $8916 car allowance.

"Mr. Peacock received a cash relocation allowance as a condition of his employment with the University and to assist with his relocation from Maryland when he first joined the University in September 2014," the agenda item says.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"He will continue to be eligible to receive the remaining balance of installments: $20,000 in 2015; $20,000 in 2016; and the final installment of $10,000 in 2017."

Prior to signing on with Napolitano in California, Peacock was a vice president at Cornerstone Government Affairs in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which he joined in May 2013. The big influence-peddling boutique has a list of clients ranging from Walmart to the United Egg Producers. According to the regents’ agenda, Peacock "provided support to higher education clients with interests in federal education policy and funding opportunities."

Hillary Clinton
Alan Bersin
Lisa Foster

At the same time, the agenda item says, Peacock "also served as an unpaid consultant to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation to assist former President Bill Clinton with logistical, political, and media support on domestic and international trips."

Before his Cornerstone gig, Peacock was assistant secretary for legislative affairs under Napolitano when she was Homeland Security secretary. There, records show, he worked closely with Alan Bersin, the former U.S. Attorney here under Bill Clinton and ex–San Diego schools chief who has held a series of Homeland Security positions in the Obama administration since his appointment as Obama's so-called border czar in April 2009.

Documents released last year by the administration in response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act show that Peacock and Bersin met repeatedly on the hot-button immigration topic of "border metrics.”

Due to Bersin’s college friendship with the Clintons and the campaign cash he and his wife Lisa Foster of the wealthy Ratner family have raised for Democrats, Bersin has long been an inside player in Democratic politics.

"Please look out for Alan in San Diego," wrote Bill Clinton aide Karen Skelton to fellow White House political worker Michael Feldman in a June 10, 1998 email released by the Clinton presidential library last year. "He's a POTUS Oxford pal and someone we want to know much better. You can use my name, though that might not help much….”

Like Bersin, Peacock is also personally familiar with Bill Clinton, for whom his mother did campaign work during Clinton’s early political career in Arkansas, according to a September 2011 profile in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

"We knew the Clintons ever since I was a little kid,” Peacock told the Little Rock paper. "I remember him coming to the house with the state trooper. Denver and I would go out and play in the state trooper's car. Obviously, we had no idea that he was ever going to become president.”

Peacock went to the University of Arkansas and then to Georgetown University in Washington for a master’s degree in law. There he worked for Clinton on the side, according to the paper’s account.

"School gave him the flexibility to travel to do advance work for the president when called, as did his first federal appointment as deputy director for intergovernmental affairs at the Justice Department.

“In that role, he coordinated the relationship between Attorney General Janet Reno and law enforcement and other officials at the state and local levels, as well as the interest groups that worked on their behalf."

Besides his ties to the ex-president and his wife, Bersin is closely allied with big-money Hillary Clinton backer Irwin Jacobs.

The billionaire Qualcomm founder and former University of California professor, along with Lisa Foster, also an Obama appointee, is expected to play a major role in the former first lady's putative run for the presidency.

Jacobs himself wields extensive influence in the university system, as witnessed by the free naming rights his company Qualcomm was awarded in 2013 to what is now known as the Qualcomm Institute at UCSD. Along with the well-compensated Peacock, the Bersin and Jacobs team could be shaping up as one of Hillary Clinton's best, if not-so-secret, California political weapons.

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

Secrets of Resilience in May's Unforgettable Memoir

Next Article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”
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