Can San Diego State University be taken at its word? Not necessarily, judging by a September 13 report by California State University vice-chancellor and chief audit officer Larry Mandel. The audit dings SDSU – currently …

Miscreants of influence Morgan Dene Oliver, who sparked a months-long scandal when he hosted a secretive January 2016 luncheon with backers of SoccerCity and San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, has a new position of influence. …

As San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer tours California in search of good ink and his next elective office, he's dipped into his mayoral campaign fund to pay for some personal baggage at home. Weeks after …

Former Union-Tribune owner Douglas Manchester, his appointment by Republican President Donald Trump to be ambassador to the Bahamas stalled for over two years in a GOP Senate, has been promoting his charitable good work on …

The auditors are still out San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, a veteran of the public relations business, put a few good ones over on out-of-town media members covering the California Republican Party’s annual convention in …

Suspicious circumstances involving a multi-million-dollar, no-bid data processing contract awarded by the administration of lame-duck mayor Kevin Faulconer without city council approval has drawn scrutiny from interim city auditor Kyle Elser. A September 11 audit …

Boobs of influence Will San Diego’s lame-duck Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer try to block the hijacking of his charity’s name by backers of his would-be Democratic successor Todd Gloria? That’s just one of many questions …

With the abrupt retirement of House Democrat Susan Davis, followed shortly afterwards by the declaration of Sara Jacobs as a candidate in California's 53rd district, eyes are turning to her billionaire grandfather for clues to …

Throne of the Vulcans San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, fresh from being slapped with a $4000 fine over his failure to disclose a $10,000 behest to his One San Diego charity fund, has revealed a …

Political fate and coincidence sometimes meet in mysterious ways, as witnessed in the uncanny timing of the July 24 death of George Mitrovich at 84, followed soon after by the troubles of Gina Champion-Cain. Like …

Both sides now A key lobbyist for Campland, LLC, the bayside resort which convinced the city council to renew its controversial sweetheart lease on city-owned Mission Bay land in June, is raising money for both …

As horses have dropped dead at California tracks, some state politicos have been professing public concern regarding racing's public relations nightmare, including state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins. Atkins showed up at Del Mar …

Immigrant’s plea With talks for a labor agreement between the Los Angeles Times and its reporters’ union lagging, the journalists are beseeching Times readers to get in touch with the super-rich man in charge to …

Round one of a high-dollar lobbying war over who will control what was formerly known as the San Diego Sports Arena – for now named Pechanga – has concluded, with the win going to some …

Intrigue surrounding the June 24 city council vote for Campland, LLC's five-year sweetheart leasehold extension for choice Mission Bay frontage has deepened with a $4000 fine levied against Kevin Faulconer by the city's ethics commission …

Two San Diego city council members exploring ways to tap the city's $12 million annual marijuana tax haul are likely out of the money, based on a July 31 memo from City Attorney Mara Elliott. …

Granny power While one candidate takes maternity leave from the campaign trail, the San Diego Democratic Party has set up a so-called independent committee to take on incumbent Kristin Gaspar in next year’s race for …

No trolley in my backyard A group of neighborhood conservationists in University City are hoping to put the brakes on a plan to extend trolley service from downtown San Diego's Santa Fe Depot to a …

The word that California governor Gavin Newsom has endorsed Assemblyman Todd Gloria for San Diego mayor has cemented the reputation of Irwin Jacobs as the city's top political moneyman and would-be city hall kingmaker. Backstage …

Mara’s marred Morgan Dene money San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott, a Democrat, has been raking in super-sized campaign contributions from some of Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s most stalwart backers, including one mixed up in …

Sloppy supervision, a muted alarm, and lack of training led to the suffocation death of a severely paralyzed patient at San Diego's Veterans Administration hospital last year when an alarm failed to sound after a …

Assembly Democrat Todd Gloria, running to replace termed-out Republican Kevin Faulconer for San Diego mayor next year, has plenty of support among his legislative colleagues, judging by the ex-city councilman's campaign finance report filed with …

Costly mayoral affair The revelation that top members of San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s official taxpayer-paid staff have been taking out-of-town trips to boost his quest for higher office hasn’t surprised city hall insiders, who …

As the tenure of lame-duck San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer ticks down, city executive ranks have been thinning, spelling difficulties for key services. Most famous on the list of unfilled Faulconer appointments is the position …

LA versus SD On July 16 the Union-Tribune, owned by Los Angeles billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, ran a half-page advertisement touting the merits of Soon-Shiong’s NantEnergy. “NantEnergy offers innovative Energy Storage Solutions that deliver healthy outcomes …

Customs and Border Patrol officials are playing fast and loose with storage of the deadly synthetic opioid known as fentanyl, risking the health and lives of employees as the government grapples with a burgeoning load …

Lame-duck San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, his dreams of higher office in 2018 shattered by the flight of the Chargers and the city's tardy response to a homeless Hepatitis B breakout, sought to salvage a …

Short-termers’ trashy haul Online vacation rentals of less than a month, already at the center of a popular storm regarding traffic, noise, and zoning, now have another challenge to contend with. “Our investigation determined that …

When Assembly Democrat Todd Gloria closed down his 2018 reelection committee back in March, the former San Diego city councilman rolled $293,078 of remaining cash into his 2020 reelection fund, spending the balance of the …

Ethical vacation As his boss twisted slowly in the winds of federal jurisprudence, a top employee of indicted Republican House member Duncan Hunter took off with his wife for a round of ethics training at …

The ex-chief of San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer's controversial streetlights that spy program has filed suit against the city, charging gender discrimination and retaliation for leading an investigation into an "egregious" sexual harassment case at …

Qualcomm time bomb As the clock continues to tick on super-secret talks between San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and the California University System over turning over the city-owned stadium formerly known as Qualcomm to San …

A high-profile 2015 raid by the University of Southern California on the University of California San Diego's home-grown but disgruntled Alzheimer's research unit will cost the Los Angeles school $50 million, according to the terms …

It's being pitched as the latest voting reform elixir, widely adopted by counties across the country, but a call for proposals to create and operate a so-called electronic voting book system for the San Diego …

Trees falling in the city The ungraceful demise of La Jolla’s semi-famous Lorax Tree may be only the beginning. San Diego’s urban forest has grown increasingly unruly, and much of the blame lies with not …

An ex-Republican politico, a super-rich heiress with future office in mind, a giant power company, a Beverly Hills outfit seeking to preserve its lucrative Mission Bay leasehold, and lots of labor unions have helped keep …

Nooses GEO Group, the private prison provider and political sugar daddy to a bevy of local elected officials ranging from Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer to state Senate Democratic Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Democrat …

The approach of the 2020 presidential election season heralds the beginning of a frantic fundraising time for San Diego city officeholders aiming to stave off reelection challenges next year with campaign war chests bankrolled by …

Decadent dungeon Serena Blanks, a data center manager for the city of San Diego, was off on a mid-May overnight excursion to Houston, Texas, where she was put up in the city’s luxury four-star Hotel …

The following comes from a Reader story published on June 1, 1989. It's ten minutes before one o'clock, Thursday afternoon. The crew of the Today show is in Seaport Village about to begin taping a …

News that Campland on The Bay, the legacy recreational vehicle park on the northeast corner of Mission Bay, is rapidly closing in on a five-year lease extension from city hall is casting a spotlight on …

Quid pro SDSU The arrival on Montezuma Mesa of San Diego State University’s latest president Adela de la Torre, who officially took control of the school in a flashy April 11 inaugural, has marked the …

The raw power of San Diego's big money politics is again on display with news that a company founded by ex-Padres owner John Moores will take over development of San Diego State University's proposed Mission …

The theme of the day at House member Duncan Hunter's Ramona town hall meeting Sunday was supposed to be "The Border, Then and Now," though the indicted ex-Marine GOP congressman's off-topic discussion of his selfie …

Campanile delinquents Money-handling by San Diego State University’s non-profit Campanile Foundation, which features a glittering array of local movers and shakers on its board, has once again run afoul of auditors for the California State …

Lorena’s suite life A bevy of state politicos found their way into a San Diego Native American casino to slake their thirst and partake in luxury dining during the first three months of 2019. Topping …

Many of San Diego's biggest and most controversial special interests continue to give to One San Diego, the charity set up by Republican Kevin Faulconer, which among its good works pays for the free turkeys …

Tired ethics network Republican Bill Baber, a member of the San Diego’s city ethics commission, has drawn a warning from the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission for his work on behalf of a political committee …

Democrats continued to lead the pack of San Diego county donors to federal campaigns during the first four months of 2019, with Escondido lawyer and nuclear proliferation opponent Ira Lechner, with legal roots in Washington …

Toni Atkins, President Pro Tempore of the California Senate is looking to hire a speechwriter. "The Office of Communications for Senator Atkins has the responsibility to lead all strategic communications efforts for the Senator," says …