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Opponentless mayor backed by $1.2 million

Cash flows to San Diego's Faulconer from many wealthy directions.

On the heels of a report from the University of Southern California chiding San Diego's wealthy establishment for running the town as an "exclusionary enterprise" for big money special interests, campaign reporting season has arrived, revealing that not all of the city's ostensible vote-buying is done by rich locals.

"For many decades, San Diego leaders held a vision of progress that we would argue is a narrow one — focused on a limited set of industries and built on a fragmented social and economic landscape," intones the study by Manuel Pastor, Alejandro Sanchez-Lopez, and Jennifer Ito of USC's Program for Environmental and Regional Equity.

Add the researchers, "Businesses still see San Diego’s proximity to the border with Mexico as an opportunity to exploit the lower labor costs and to escape governmental regulation."

As it turns out, a fair amount of the $634,915 collected by Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer during the first half of the year, according to his campaign's July 29 filing with the city clerk's office, originates from well-connected out-of-town sources to the north, including wealthy denizens of Rancho Santa Fe ($44,975); Del Mar ($15,349); Encinitas ($15,275); Carlsbad ($13,950); and Poway ($14,660).

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Executives of developer Baldwin and Sons out of Newport Beach came up with $2550.

Within San Diego city limits, a sizable $86,057 was coughed up by those using La Jolla addresses, continuing the city's long tradition of fat cat political giving alluded to in the USC report.

Regarding questions raised by the study about the ballot defeat of the Barrio Logan community plan at the hands of Faulconer and his political ally, ex-GOP mayor Jerry Sanders, the ranks of the mayor's financial backers are filled with employees of the military contractors who forked over for last year's successful campaign to kill the proposal.

A look inside General Dynamics' Tecnologias Internacionales de Manufactura, in Mexicali

According to the Faulconer filing, a total of $7245 was given by employees of General Dynamics-owned National Steel and Shipbuilding, which outsources a sizable chunk of its shipyard work to a giant maquiladora complex it owns in Mexicali.

Other traditionally faithful groups of mayoral donors included workers at ACE Parking ($2800) and cell phone giant AT&T ($1300). Employees of Cox Communications from around the country, including Phoenix, Arizona, donated $3450.

Douglas Manchester, the real estate developer and ex-U-T San Diego owner who uses "Papa" in his name, and his executive Tom Voss, gave a total of $1500.

Austin Beutner

Media watchers are waiting to see if the rechristened Union-Tribune’s new publisher, ex-Los Angeles deputy mayor and investment banker Austin Beutner will alter Manchester's pro-Faulconer, see-no-evil coverage of the city’s pay-to-play political scene.

“Our own city has seen a chorus of ethics violations and influence peddling from city officials,” Beutner blogged about Los Angeles in January 2012 as he was mounting a subsequently abandoned bid to become mayor of the City of Angels. "Shameful, isn’t it? No wonder the public has little trust or respect for politicians.”

In addition to his own campaign stash, Faulconer, who has yet to face a serious opponent, is set to benefit from the $600,000 raised so far by a committee called "Communities United for Tomorrow’s Economy supporting the reelection of Mayor Faulconer."

As previously reported here, the group is masterminded by the GOP Lincoln Club and the Jerry Sanders-run chamber of commerce.

Unlimited by the city's campaign contribution limits, donors to that fund included the California Apartment Association's political action committee of Sacramento, which kicked in $25,000.

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On the heels of a report from the University of Southern California chiding San Diego's wealthy establishment for running the town as an "exclusionary enterprise" for big money special interests, campaign reporting season has arrived, revealing that not all of the city's ostensible vote-buying is done by rich locals.

"For many decades, San Diego leaders held a vision of progress that we would argue is a narrow one — focused on a limited set of industries and built on a fragmented social and economic landscape," intones the study by Manuel Pastor, Alejandro Sanchez-Lopez, and Jennifer Ito of USC's Program for Environmental and Regional Equity.

Add the researchers, "Businesses still see San Diego’s proximity to the border with Mexico as an opportunity to exploit the lower labor costs and to escape governmental regulation."

As it turns out, a fair amount of the $634,915 collected by Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer during the first half of the year, according to his campaign's July 29 filing with the city clerk's office, originates from well-connected out-of-town sources to the north, including wealthy denizens of Rancho Santa Fe ($44,975); Del Mar ($15,349); Encinitas ($15,275); Carlsbad ($13,950); and Poway ($14,660).

Sponsored
Sponsored

Executives of developer Baldwin and Sons out of Newport Beach came up with $2550.

Within San Diego city limits, a sizable $86,057 was coughed up by those using La Jolla addresses, continuing the city's long tradition of fat cat political giving alluded to in the USC report.

Regarding questions raised by the study about the ballot defeat of the Barrio Logan community plan at the hands of Faulconer and his political ally, ex-GOP mayor Jerry Sanders, the ranks of the mayor's financial backers are filled with employees of the military contractors who forked over for last year's successful campaign to kill the proposal.

A look inside General Dynamics' Tecnologias Internacionales de Manufactura, in Mexicali

According to the Faulconer filing, a total of $7245 was given by employees of General Dynamics-owned National Steel and Shipbuilding, which outsources a sizable chunk of its shipyard work to a giant maquiladora complex it owns in Mexicali.

Other traditionally faithful groups of mayoral donors included workers at ACE Parking ($2800) and cell phone giant AT&T ($1300). Employees of Cox Communications from around the country, including Phoenix, Arizona, donated $3450.

Douglas Manchester, the real estate developer and ex-U-T San Diego owner who uses "Papa" in his name, and his executive Tom Voss, gave a total of $1500.

Austin Beutner

Media watchers are waiting to see if the rechristened Union-Tribune’s new publisher, ex-Los Angeles deputy mayor and investment banker Austin Beutner will alter Manchester's pro-Faulconer, see-no-evil coverage of the city’s pay-to-play political scene.

“Our own city has seen a chorus of ethics violations and influence peddling from city officials,” Beutner blogged about Los Angeles in January 2012 as he was mounting a subsequently abandoned bid to become mayor of the City of Angels. "Shameful, isn’t it? No wonder the public has little trust or respect for politicians.”

In addition to his own campaign stash, Faulconer, who has yet to face a serious opponent, is set to benefit from the $600,000 raised so far by a committee called "Communities United for Tomorrow’s Economy supporting the reelection of Mayor Faulconer."

As previously reported here, the group is masterminded by the GOP Lincoln Club and the Jerry Sanders-run chamber of commerce.

Unlimited by the city's campaign contribution limits, donors to that fund included the California Apartment Association's political action committee of Sacramento, which kicked in $25,000.

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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
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