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

Qualcomm opens coffers for Fletcher's cause

To counterattack hits by GOP Lincoln Club, corporation cuts check for $49,000

Paul and Irving Jacobs
Paul and Irving Jacobs

San Diego's GOP Lincoln Club relentlessly nipping at its heels, cell-phone giant Qualcomm — founded by La Jolla billionaire Democrat Irwin Jacobs and run by his son Paul — has finally tossed some major money into the cause of Nathan Fletcher, the former Republican assemblyman now a Qualcomm executive running as a Democrat for mayor of San Diego.

As reported last week, local political insiders have been wondering whether Jacobs and his son Paul, Qualcomm's CEO, would tap into the company's cash hoard to fight back against the Lincoln Club's onslaught of hit pieces against Fletcher and the corporation.

The first Lincoln Club mailer provoked Paul into issuing a rare statement that attacked the high-rolling Republicans for what he said were untrue allegations against the high-tech giant.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I was outraged to learn that the Lincoln Club of San Diego — a supposedly pro-business political group — would fund a political hit piece that unfairly and incorrectly attacks one of San Diego’s largest employers.

I demand a full apology and a retraction of this slanderous attack on our company and its more than 13,000 local employees.

But until making yesterday's $49,000 contribution to the independent expenditure committee that calls itself "Restoring Trust in San Diego - A Committee to Support Nathan Fletcher for Mayor 2013," the corporate giant had officially remained above the fray.

The firm's financial support of the pro-Fletcher cause may raise new questions among some company shareholders regarding specific benefits that the corporation may expect from Fletcher's election as mayor in exchange for its backing.

Earlier this year, Qualcomm settled a case brought against it by New York's comptroller general, representing a state pension fund, which alleged the corporation was concealing its political donations.

Without disclosure, there is no way to know whether corporate funds are being used in ways that go against shareholder interests.

...Senior figures associated with Qualcomm, including the Company’s current CEO as well as his father, the Company’s founder and a Qualcomm director until 2012, are widely reported to be politically active and in recent years have donated more than $2 million of their personal funds in furtherance of political purposes.

Indeed, Qualcomm’s CEO has given the maximum donations permitted under law to his favored political candidates.

Meanwhile, the Lincoln Club and its backers, including U-T San Diego publisher Doug Manchester and Predator drone-maker Linden Blue, show no signs of abating their well-funded drive against Fletcher. According to a disclosure statement filed yesterday, November 12, the Republicans have widened their attack from hit pieces to $3000 worth of "auto dials."

Fresh funds for the club’s campaign against the newly minted Democrat include $25,000 from Bergelectric Corp. in Escondido and $10,000 from San Diego’s Vulcan Materials. Lehigh Hanson of Irving, Texas, came up with $5000.

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

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Paul and Irving Jacobs
Paul and Irving Jacobs

San Diego's GOP Lincoln Club relentlessly nipping at its heels, cell-phone giant Qualcomm — founded by La Jolla billionaire Democrat Irwin Jacobs and run by his son Paul — has finally tossed some major money into the cause of Nathan Fletcher, the former Republican assemblyman now a Qualcomm executive running as a Democrat for mayor of San Diego.

As reported last week, local political insiders have been wondering whether Jacobs and his son Paul, Qualcomm's CEO, would tap into the company's cash hoard to fight back against the Lincoln Club's onslaught of hit pieces against Fletcher and the corporation.

The first Lincoln Club mailer provoked Paul into issuing a rare statement that attacked the high-rolling Republicans for what he said were untrue allegations against the high-tech giant.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I was outraged to learn that the Lincoln Club of San Diego — a supposedly pro-business political group — would fund a political hit piece that unfairly and incorrectly attacks one of San Diego’s largest employers.

I demand a full apology and a retraction of this slanderous attack on our company and its more than 13,000 local employees.

But until making yesterday's $49,000 contribution to the independent expenditure committee that calls itself "Restoring Trust in San Diego - A Committee to Support Nathan Fletcher for Mayor 2013," the corporate giant had officially remained above the fray.

The firm's financial support of the pro-Fletcher cause may raise new questions among some company shareholders regarding specific benefits that the corporation may expect from Fletcher's election as mayor in exchange for its backing.

Earlier this year, Qualcomm settled a case brought against it by New York's comptroller general, representing a state pension fund, which alleged the corporation was concealing its political donations.

Without disclosure, there is no way to know whether corporate funds are being used in ways that go against shareholder interests.

...Senior figures associated with Qualcomm, including the Company’s current CEO as well as his father, the Company’s founder and a Qualcomm director until 2012, are widely reported to be politically active and in recent years have donated more than $2 million of their personal funds in furtherance of political purposes.

Indeed, Qualcomm’s CEO has given the maximum donations permitted under law to his favored political candidates.

Meanwhile, the Lincoln Club and its backers, including U-T San Diego publisher Doug Manchester and Predator drone-maker Linden Blue, show no signs of abating their well-funded drive against Fletcher. According to a disclosure statement filed yesterday, November 12, the Republicans have widened their attack from hit pieces to $3000 worth of "auto dials."

Fresh funds for the club’s campaign against the newly minted Democrat include $25,000 from Bergelectric Corp. in Escondido and $10,000 from San Diego’s Vulcan Materials. Lehigh Hanson of Irving, Texas, came up with $5000.

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

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Next Article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
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.