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

Zapf's legal defense gambit

Special interest history of providing legal fund cash

On August 2 Zapf filed papers at the city clerk's office for the Lorie Zapf Legal Defense Fund.
On August 2 Zapf filed papers at the city clerk's office for the Lorie Zapf Legal Defense Fund.

What's a termed-out city councilwoman - or at least one whose reelection eligibility is being challenged in court - to do?

The largest legal fund in city history has been that of Democrat Myrtle Cole for Cole's case brought by defeated foe Dwayne Crenshaw.

In the case of Second District Republican Lorie Zapf, she sets up a legal defense fund. Similar operations established by other council members have been traditionally paid for by special interests and lobbyists with business pending at city hall, and Zapf's track record suggests she will do the same.

The second largest defense kitty was amassed by then-city councilman Ben Hueso.

The councilwoman's fundraising flag went up August 2 with the filing at the city clerk's office of the Lorie Zapf Legal Defense Fund. Her signature on the document is dated July 13. It was time-stamped by the California Secretary of State's office July 24.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The purpose of her fund, per Zapf's filing, is to raise money to pay fees for "defense of elections contest brought by unsuccessful candidate Bryan Pease," who filed suit, arguing that allowing Zapf to run for a third term because she was redistricted out of her original home district is an illegal loophole. She has been using San Francisco lawyer Jim Sutton, famous for his high-dollar election law practice.

Judge Peter Deddeh, son of champion political fundraiser Wadie Deddeh, a retired state legislator, tossed out Pease's case last month, but an appeal is promised, setting up a potentially costly legal contest for Zapf lasting well beyond November.

Zapf, a pivotal figure in the local Chamber of Commerce and GOP Lincoln Club's efforts to battle back against Democratic council encroachment in the second year of Trump, has already been the beneficiary of $130,000 from the two groups this year, along with about $140,000 she has raised from other donors to her campaign committee from January through the end of June, per city records.

As legal defense funds go, the largest in city history has been that of Democrat Myrtle Cole, who tapped an array of donors in coming up with a total of $41,300. The fund paid the Lawton Law Firm $34,500 for Cole's successful defense against a 2014 campaign libel case brought by defeated foe Dwayne Crenshaw, disclosure records say.

In beating Crenshaw's claims involving a Cole campaign hit piece against him, the councilwoman took cash from an array of developers and their associates, many with ties to Mission Valley, including Tom Sudberry, H.G. Fenton Inc., and architect Doug Austin, a member of the planning commission.

The second largest defense kitty was amassed by then-city councilman Ben Hueso, currently a member of the state senate, who collected $14,450 from donors after he was accused in a 2008 confidential ethics complaint of “Participation in Municipal Decision Involving Economic Interests." The case was dropped by the ethics commission before any details could see the light of day.

Hueso fund contributors included Republican Mission Valley hotel magnate Terry Brown and three associates, who came up with a total of $1500, and three employees of Global Premier Development of Irvine, with $1250. Sudberry gave $500, as did developer Roberto Walz of Rancho Santa Fe's Walz Properties. The Los Angeles firm of Strumwasser & Woocher was paid $7500 for legal services, with Carlos Castaneda getting $3600, records show.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Raging Cider & Mead celebrates nine years

Company wants to bring America back to its apple-tree roots
Next Article

Could Supplemental Security Income house the homeless?

A board and care resident proposes a possible solution
On August 2 Zapf filed papers at the city clerk's office for the Lorie Zapf Legal Defense Fund.
On August 2 Zapf filed papers at the city clerk's office for the Lorie Zapf Legal Defense Fund.

What's a termed-out city councilwoman - or at least one whose reelection eligibility is being challenged in court - to do?

The largest legal fund in city history has been that of Democrat Myrtle Cole for Cole's case brought by defeated foe Dwayne Crenshaw.

In the case of Second District Republican Lorie Zapf, she sets up a legal defense fund. Similar operations established by other council members have been traditionally paid for by special interests and lobbyists with business pending at city hall, and Zapf's track record suggests she will do the same.

The second largest defense kitty was amassed by then-city councilman Ben Hueso.

The councilwoman's fundraising flag went up August 2 with the filing at the city clerk's office of the Lorie Zapf Legal Defense Fund. Her signature on the document is dated July 13. It was time-stamped by the California Secretary of State's office July 24.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The purpose of her fund, per Zapf's filing, is to raise money to pay fees for "defense of elections contest brought by unsuccessful candidate Bryan Pease," who filed suit, arguing that allowing Zapf to run for a third term because she was redistricted out of her original home district is an illegal loophole. She has been using San Francisco lawyer Jim Sutton, famous for his high-dollar election law practice.

Judge Peter Deddeh, son of champion political fundraiser Wadie Deddeh, a retired state legislator, tossed out Pease's case last month, but an appeal is promised, setting up a potentially costly legal contest for Zapf lasting well beyond November.

Zapf, a pivotal figure in the local Chamber of Commerce and GOP Lincoln Club's efforts to battle back against Democratic council encroachment in the second year of Trump, has already been the beneficiary of $130,000 from the two groups this year, along with about $140,000 she has raised from other donors to her campaign committee from January through the end of June, per city records.

As legal defense funds go, the largest in city history has been that of Democrat Myrtle Cole, who tapped an array of donors in coming up with a total of $41,300. The fund paid the Lawton Law Firm $34,500 for Cole's successful defense against a 2014 campaign libel case brought by defeated foe Dwayne Crenshaw, disclosure records say.

In beating Crenshaw's claims involving a Cole campaign hit piece against him, the councilwoman took cash from an array of developers and their associates, many with ties to Mission Valley, including Tom Sudberry, H.G. Fenton Inc., and architect Doug Austin, a member of the planning commission.

The second largest defense kitty was amassed by then-city councilman Ben Hueso, currently a member of the state senate, who collected $14,450 from donors after he was accused in a 2008 confidential ethics complaint of “Participation in Municipal Decision Involving Economic Interests." The case was dropped by the ethics commission before any details could see the light of day.

Hueso fund contributors included Republican Mission Valley hotel magnate Terry Brown and three associates, who came up with a total of $1500, and three employees of Global Premier Development of Irvine, with $1250. Sudberry gave $500, as did developer Roberto Walz of Rancho Santa Fe's Walz Properties. The Los Angeles firm of Strumwasser & Woocher was paid $7500 for legal services, with Carlos Castaneda getting $3600, records show.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Spa-Like Facial Treatment From Home - This Red Light Therapy Mask Makes It Possible

Next Article

Birding & Brews: Breakfast Edition, ZZ Ward, Doggie Street Festival & Pet Adopt-A-Thon

Events November 21-November 23, 2024
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