The Activated Podcast, which covers local progressive news and protests, posted this criticism of Todd Gloria’s Downtown San Diego Partnership comic video: “Mocking ‘solving homelessness’ and ‘building housing for everyone’ in a video used to fundraise with a group of construction firms, big business, lobbyists, and political donors, is TACKY & DISRESPECTFUL.”

Talking Todd’s debacle

Democratic San Diego mayor Todd Gloria’s first comic video turn on behalf of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, an economic development association that sometimes dabbles in partisan politics, went viral for all the wrong reasons. “The joke video ignited a social media firestorm in San Diego, which was covered by many local outlets,” noted an October 2 online item run by Bloomberg’s CityLab. “Some saw it as a harmless skit, while others took issue with Gloria’s claims of tackling homelessness as city crews continue to bulldoze encampments. Still others just found it cringey.” The Twitter account for The Activated Podcast, which covers local progressive news and protests, posted this criticism: ”Mocking ‘solving homelessness’ and ‘building housing for everyone’ in a video used to fundraise with a group of construction firms, big business, lobbyists, and political donors, is TACKY & DISRESPECTFUL.”

Todd Gloria learned that while politics is hard, comedy is even harder.

Now fresh filings with the city clerk’s office reveal that the Downtown Partnership received $19,500 from a bevy of special interests to stage the event, billed as “featuring the Inaugural ToddTalk.” A disclosure statement signed by the mayor on October 5 shows that Sacramento-based California Apartment Association kicked in $8500 on September 3 for the event at his behest. On September 10, the Association of Builders and Contractors came up with $5500. Vancouver, B.C.-based luxury condo builder Holland Partner Group did the same on August 26, the filings show. In the first quarter of this year, Holland, redeveloping the old county courthouse parcel, paid the law and influence-peddling firm Sheppard Mullin $48,000. The mission: to “obtain permits and approvals from City of San Diego to authorize development of the project and improve development permit processing procedures in the City’s proposed Land Development Code Update.”...

Southwest Strategies, the well-connected downtown San Diego lobbying and political consulting shop, has registered to do federal lobbying on behalf of San Diego County, Politico reports. An August 17 letter by supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer, a Democrat, and Jim Desmond, a Republican, outlines the sole-sourced role of Southwest as manager of a county-funded effort called Action for Spent Fuel Solutions Now to push for a “disposal solution” for the spent radioactive fuel at the defunct San Onofre nuclear power plant. “Southwest Strategies is requesting authority for One Hundred Thousand Dollars for a contract term effective September 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, with one option year and up to an additional six months if needed.”

Doghouse blues

House Blue Dog Democrat Lou Correa of Santa Ana and his spouse got some free hospitality at San Diego’s Kona Kai resort last month, courtesy of the Aspen Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

Lou Correa: stayed in San Diego, learned about China.

Correa’s wife, obstetrician-gynecologist Esther Reynoso, was along for the freebies; the couple each received transportation ($80), meals ($190), and “other” expenses ($525), for a total outlay by Aspen of $795 per person. The “other” costs included “Private meeting and dinner space, AV, [and] conf. services.” The reason for selecting the Kona Kai, per a September 24 disclosure filing with the House Ethics Commission: “Hotel has required technology and meeting space. Security a key factor.” According to an attached itinerary, “Rep. Correa and his wife, Esther Correa, arrive in San Diego late afternoon in their personal vehicle and overnight at personal expense.” The purpose of the three-day excursion, beginning September 9, was for Correa to be at UCSD’s 21st Century China Scholars program, according to the filing. Said Correa, “I want to participate in this conference which focuses on the U.S. China relationship in order to learn more about this important and challenging relationship and so that I can make informed policy decisions when doing my work as a U.S. Congressman and a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.”

... San Diego city councilwoman Vivian Moreno has shut down the campaign committee that funded her successful 2020 bid for the county Democratic Central Committee. After paying Sacramento-based Deane & Company, a campaign treasurer, $740, according to an October 11 filing, Moreno had $2500 to give to Gente Unida, a non-profit run by human rights activist Enrique Morones. “Enrique has a history of firsts,” says Gente Unida’s website. “In 1998 he was the first person to be granted dual citizenship with Mexico, the first president of the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Vice President in Major League Sports with the San Diego Padres bringing the first ever regular season games outside the US/Canada, the President and Founder of House of Mexico and President and Founder of Border Angels (saving migrant lives), an all volunteer group.”

— Matt Potter (@sdmattpotter)

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