Joe Stuyvesant, who quit his job as the Port’s executive director, president, and chief executive officer on January 19 of this year — six months after the port commission mysteriously placed him on administrative leave on July 11, 2023 — isn’t being allowed to count his leave time against the state’s 12-month prohibition from lobbying.

Captive lobbying

Strike at least one would-be influence peddler from the ranks of ex-government insiders who want to sell their big-money services to corporations seeking to get their way with San Diego’s Port District — at least for a couple more months. Joe Stuyvesant, who quit his job as the Port’s executive director, president, and chief executive officer on January 19 of this year — six months after the port commission mysteriously placed him on administrative leave on July 11, 2023 — isn’t being allowed to count his leave time against the state’s 12-month prohibition from lobbying.

Joe Stuyvesant: still in the lobby when it comes to lobbying.

So shows an August 30 advice letter to Stuyvesant from Erika M. Boyd senior counsel, legal division, of California’s Fair Political Practices Commission. The state’s lobbying ban that applies to the port and other state agencies “prohibits certain former local officials, including chief administrators of special districts, from making any oral or written communication to their former agencies, for compensation and in representation of another person, for the purpose of influencing any legislative or administrative actions “‘for a period of one year after leaving that office or employment,’” says the Boyd missive. “Looking to the plain language of the statute, you had not left ‘office or employment,’ as you were still employed by the District and receiving a salary.”

Adds Boyd’s letter to Stuyvesant: “Even though you were placed on administrative leave and not permitted to perform the duties of your office as of July 11, 2023, you remained an employee of the District and received a salary (not compensation for accrued leave) until January 19, 2024. For purposes of the statute and regulation, the day you left office is January 19, 2024, such that the local one-year ban runs from that date.”

When he departed the Port in January, a news release by the agency quoted Stuyvesant as saying, “While I will miss being part of the Port team, new opportunities have recently presented themselves, and I am excited to pursue them.” His LinkedIn profile says that in February, he became chief executive officer of a consulting outfit called Blue Synergy. “After many years of community service at the State and Federal level, as well as serving in the Military, I have decided to harness my varied experience in a new way,” Stuyvesant says on the firm’s website.

“This experience, coupled with deep roots in my home port of San Diego, lead me to start a consulting company focused on bringing diverse stakeholders together to create the synergy necessary to successfully execute complex projects.” He then adds, “At the Port of San Diego, I had the opportunity to work with an amazingly talented staff on major real estate projects like the Gaylord Pacific Hotel and Convention Center, Freedom Park on Navy Pier next to the MIDWAY museum, and the historic agreement to return the Navy 1220 Pac Hwy parcel to the Port for redevelopment to the benefit of San Diego residents.” The site touts a host of consulting services, including Real Estate Negotiation Support and Public/Private Venture formation.

How much his lobbying delay will cost the former point chief is not known, but he has already profited from his early departure. Stuyvesant’s quiet January leave-taking from the Port District cost the agency a bundle, notes an April 3 Inewsource dispatch. “In January the port announced that it had reached a mutual separation agreement with Stuyvesant. Under the terms of the deal the port paid him one-year salary of $351,000, plus another $20,000. Further, as part of the settlement agreement, the port agreed to pay $40,000 in legal fees to Stuyvesant’s lawyer.”

Sempra backing Maienschein

A local political action committee tied to ex-state Senate Democrat Steve Peace is spending major money on behalf of termed-out state Assembly Democrat Brian Maienschein’s bid to become San Diego’s next city attorney. On October 3, Independent Voter PAC of San Diego spent a total of $55,000 on texts and other forms of digital advertising boosting Maienschein, per an October 7 disclosure filing posted online by the city clerk’s office. The PAC spent an additional $22,886 on a “postcard mailer” for Maienschein on October 9, per a filing the day after. The same day the first expenditure was made, according to an October 4 state filing, the PAC also spent $30,000 on digital media for District 47 Assembly Republican Greg Wallis.

Brian Maienschein

District 35 Senate Democratic hopeful Laura Richardson benefitted from the same, as did District 23 state Senate Republican hopeful Suzette Martinez Valladares. Much of the cash for PAC’s campaign activities came from San Diego-based utility giant Sempra Energy, whose subsidiary SDG&E holds a lucrative San Diego monopoly franchise that is in part overseen by the city attorney’s office. Sempra kicked in $100,000 on July 16, and the California Broadband & Video Association did the same September 18, state records show. In addition to its recent contribution, Sempra funded the group with $90,000 back on May 5 of last year. During the first half of 2023, the PAC paid IVC Media, LLC, whose president and CEO is Peace’s son Chad, $25,000. “The Independent Voter PAC is a California state political action committee dedicated to supporting candidates who will protect California’s nonpartisan primary and protect voter rights,” says a write-up on the PAC’s single page website. “We support candidates who will defend and strengthen our nonpartisan primary system.” California secretary of state records show the group’s treasurer to be Beth Reno, a longtime Peace associate, at a Laurel Street residence. Peace co-founded the Independent Voter Project back in 2006, per the group’s website.

State filings show that the Independent Voter PAC has a long history of political intrigue, being set up in 2012 with David Takashima, a former Pacific Gas & Electric executive, one-time Peace staffer, and ex-board member of the Independent Voter Project, at the helm. In an October 2012 interview here, Peace said that the PAC was not connected to him or his Independent Voter Project. Takashima was named by Assembly Democrat David Alvarez as his chief of staff in July 2022....

San Diego’s top Republican political givers appear to have split over determining the fate of incumbent Democratic mayor Todd Gloria. As previously noted, longtime hit piece purveyor Lincoln Club is using its unprecedented million-dollar contribution from spam attorney Steve Richter of Point Loma to boost the fortunes of ostensibly independent Larry Turner.

Now the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce PAC, usually a GOP stalwart, has countered that move, coming up with an $85,000 contribution on October 8 to a political committee calling itself San Diegans for Fairness Supporting Todd Gloria for Mayor & Steven Whitburn for City Council. Insiders suggest the power behind the surprise move is Steve Cushman, the local property mogul and onetime advisor to ex-mayor Susan Golding and other Republican leaders, who has been serving as Gloria’s homeless housing guru.

— Matt Potter

(@sdmattpotter)

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