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

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Gave Pols $63,000

Phone giant AT&T picks up the tab for Vargas's trip to the ballpark.
Phone giant AT&T picks up the tab for Vargas's trip to the ballpark.

When Democrat Juan Vargas narrowly edged out Assemblywoman Mary Salas in last year’s primary race for the state senate’s 40th District, it was tantamount to winning the general election, thanks to the gerrymandering that both Democrats and Republicans have relied on to carve out so-called safe legislative districts. So it was no surprise that Vargas, a former assemblyman and insurance company lobbyist, didn’t have to run an exactly vigorous fall campaign. That left him plenty of time to consort with special interests, including phone giant AT&T, which on October 27 picked up his $344 tab for “ticket to Giants game and Refreshments” at San Francisco’s AT&T Park, according to the company’s recent lobbying disclosure filing.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Speaking of San Francisco, San Diego County’s Barona tribe paid for a $58.87 meal eaten by Democratic assemblywoman Fiona Ma at the Slanted Door, a trendy restaurant in San Francisco’s historic ferry building at the foot of Market Street. Other legislators had to be content with meals at the tribe’s casino, including Democratic assemblyman Charles Calderon ($39.92) and then–Democratic assemblywoman Karen Bass ($23.95).

San Diego–based Sempra Energy funded an election-night reception at Donovan’s Circle of 5ths in the Gaslamp Quarter, which advertises itself as featuring “Martinis & Music on 5th.” Total cost of the activity, the power company reported, was $4092.12. Admission for Andrew Poat, the former Pete Wilson aide and vice president of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, was valued at $48.14. Sempra also took Assemblyman Jim Silva out for a $23 lunch at Gulliver’s Restaurant in Irvine…The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, which in November renewed its lease with the state to run the track for at least another ten years, gave a total of $63,769 to state candidates and officeholders last year, according to its recent disclosure filing. Recipients ran the gamut from termed-out Democratic assemblywoman Lori Saldaña’s 2012 senate campaign committee ($1000) to the officeholder account of termed-out Democratic senator Denise Ducheny ($1000). Victorious Democratic senate candidate Juan Vargas picked up $1500, and Democratic senator Ron Calderon got a $1430 “in-kind” contribution. Not among the lucky recipients in the second half of the year was Democratic senator Christine Kehoe, who has been working largely behind the scenes to sell the track and the rest of the fairgrounds to the City of Del Mar for $120 million. Part of that deal is said to include a new track operator. Before that plan became public in October, Kehoe got a total of $1500 from the track in March and June.

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

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Phone giant AT&T picks up the tab for Vargas's trip to the ballpark.
Phone giant AT&T picks up the tab for Vargas's trip to the ballpark.

When Democrat Juan Vargas narrowly edged out Assemblywoman Mary Salas in last year’s primary race for the state senate’s 40th District, it was tantamount to winning the general election, thanks to the gerrymandering that both Democrats and Republicans have relied on to carve out so-called safe legislative districts. So it was no surprise that Vargas, a former assemblyman and insurance company lobbyist, didn’t have to run an exactly vigorous fall campaign. That left him plenty of time to consort with special interests, including phone giant AT&T, which on October 27 picked up his $344 tab for “ticket to Giants game and Refreshments” at San Francisco’s AT&T Park, according to the company’s recent lobbying disclosure filing.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Speaking of San Francisco, San Diego County’s Barona tribe paid for a $58.87 meal eaten by Democratic assemblywoman Fiona Ma at the Slanted Door, a trendy restaurant in San Francisco’s historic ferry building at the foot of Market Street. Other legislators had to be content with meals at the tribe’s casino, including Democratic assemblyman Charles Calderon ($39.92) and then–Democratic assemblywoman Karen Bass ($23.95).

San Diego–based Sempra Energy funded an election-night reception at Donovan’s Circle of 5ths in the Gaslamp Quarter, which advertises itself as featuring “Martinis & Music on 5th.” Total cost of the activity, the power company reported, was $4092.12. Admission for Andrew Poat, the former Pete Wilson aide and vice president of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, was valued at $48.14. Sempra also took Assemblyman Jim Silva out for a $23 lunch at Gulliver’s Restaurant in Irvine…The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, which in November renewed its lease with the state to run the track for at least another ten years, gave a total of $63,769 to state candidates and officeholders last year, according to its recent disclosure filing. Recipients ran the gamut from termed-out Democratic assemblywoman Lori Saldaña’s 2012 senate campaign committee ($1000) to the officeholder account of termed-out Democratic senator Denise Ducheny ($1000). Victorious Democratic senate candidate Juan Vargas picked up $1500, and Democratic senator Ron Calderon got a $1430 “in-kind” contribution. Not among the lucky recipients in the second half of the year was Democratic senator Christine Kehoe, who has been working largely behind the scenes to sell the track and the rest of the fairgrounds to the City of Del Mar for $120 million. Part of that deal is said to include a new track operator. Before that plan became public in October, Kehoe got a total of $1500 from the track in March and June.

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

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

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.