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

San Diego State window on wealth at the top

Juan Vargas gets money from Warren Buffett PAC

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 beginning of an institutional housecleaning now sweeping a legion of executives out the door. The presidential purge is creating lucrative openings for highly-paid replacements and isn’t such bad news for some of the departed incumbents, who are picking up fat pensions accompanied by gigs with firms doing business tied to the university.

SDSU president Adela de la Torre’s $441,504 compensation makes her smile.

Topping the list of the well-heeled departed is Mary Ruth Carleton, vice president for university relations and development, and an ex-Oklahoma City TV personality. Carleton was the school’s fundraiser in chief for a decade before leaving at the end of last year for a top job at Marts & Lundy, a multi-national consulting outfit specializing in extracting mega-contributions from super-rich alumni and parents of students in exchange for a healthy split of the action. The company’s website lists San Diego State University and the school’s subsidiary operation in Tbilisi, Georgia, along with SDSU’s Campanile Foundation on its client roster.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“At the end of the day, you need to find out what makes a person happy and figure out their motivation to move them to be a philanthropist who will support your institution repeatedly for a long period of time,” Carleton told University Business in October 2016 regarding her knack for money-raising. The item headlined “Good as gold: Higher ed fosters fundraising all-stars” also featured advice from Teri McIntyre, an SDSU Major Gift Officer working under Carleton. McIntyre recalled having “an honest conversation” with a rich alumnus about his desire to “name a program” after himself that “ended with a $2.8 million gift.” McIntyre, who has since become Director of Development, Health Sciences Advancement at Moores UCSD Cancer Center in La Jolla, got $192,646 from SDSU in 2015, including $55,550 in benefits, according to TransparentCalifornia.org.

In 2017 Carleton, who rocketed through SDSU ranks while being mentored by SDSU president Steve Weber, pulled down $312,637 in total pay and $101,665 in unspecified benefits for a hefty total of $414,303. In 2018, Carleton’s pay was boosted by about $12,000 to $325,193, though her total compensation can’t be determined because the university did not provide information regarding her benefits, per Transparent California. By comparison, de la Torre, who assumed office last year, has already seen her original compensation package of $428,645, plus free rent in a sprawling Alvarado Estates mansion hiked $12,859 to $441,504.

Juan Vargas is smiling because Warren Buffett tossed him some cash.

Juan’s Buffett cash cow

Congressman Juan Vargas, the first House member from San Diego to push for impeaching President Donald Trump, has picked up the biggest contribution to his reelection fund from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy Political Action Committee. Filings with the Federal Election Commission show that that the Des Moines, Iowa-based political operation kicked in a total of $7500 during January and March of this year, and during 2018 provided $5000 for the San Diegan. The PAC attracted unwanted attention last year when it came to light that it had given $2500 to anti-immigration Republican congressman and Trump ally Steve King of Iowa. “Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s company-affiliated political action committee has donated to Rep. King’s re-election campaign in recognition of shared renewable energy policy goals, which help protect the environment and advance a sustainable energy future for our customers,” Jessi Strawn, Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s corporate communications director said in an October 18 statement to the website Sludge. “We do not always agree with every position taken by the candidates we support.”

Berkshire Hathaway runs MidAmerican Energy Company, an Iowa utility giant that this year has been lobbying for state legislation that would require solar panel users pay fees to MidAmerican for use of the company’s power grid. “The assault on private solar generation being waged at the Statehouse isn’t to help utility customers, as ads would like you to believe,” wrote solar proponent Chris Hoffman in the March 25 edition of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “It is only to eliminate private generation as a competitor to the utility companies. It is meant to weaken any attempt by Iowans to free themselves from higher utility costs.”

The second largest contribution to Vargas during the period was $5000 from the Ally Financial, Inc. Advocacy PAC. Ally, bankrolled by Detroit-based car lender spun out from General Motors Acceptance Corp.

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

Seals hook up with Beaver

Salty’s Escape is a Mexican-Style cerveza brewed with corn and puffed Jasmine rice
Next Article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches

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 beginning of an institutional housecleaning now sweeping a legion of executives out the door. The presidential purge is creating lucrative openings for highly-paid replacements and isn’t such bad news for some of the departed incumbents, who are picking up fat pensions accompanied by gigs with firms doing business tied to the university.

SDSU president Adela de la Torre’s $441,504 compensation makes her smile.

Topping the list of the well-heeled departed is Mary Ruth Carleton, vice president for university relations and development, and an ex-Oklahoma City TV personality. Carleton was the school’s fundraiser in chief for a decade before leaving at the end of last year for a top job at Marts & Lundy, a multi-national consulting outfit specializing in extracting mega-contributions from super-rich alumni and parents of students in exchange for a healthy split of the action. The company’s website lists San Diego State University and the school’s subsidiary operation in Tbilisi, Georgia, along with SDSU’s Campanile Foundation on its client roster.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“At the end of the day, you need to find out what makes a person happy and figure out their motivation to move them to be a philanthropist who will support your institution repeatedly for a long period of time,” Carleton told University Business in October 2016 regarding her knack for money-raising. The item headlined “Good as gold: Higher ed fosters fundraising all-stars” also featured advice from Teri McIntyre, an SDSU Major Gift Officer working under Carleton. McIntyre recalled having “an honest conversation” with a rich alumnus about his desire to “name a program” after himself that “ended with a $2.8 million gift.” McIntyre, who has since become Director of Development, Health Sciences Advancement at Moores UCSD Cancer Center in La Jolla, got $192,646 from SDSU in 2015, including $55,550 in benefits, according to TransparentCalifornia.org.

In 2017 Carleton, who rocketed through SDSU ranks while being mentored by SDSU president Steve Weber, pulled down $312,637 in total pay and $101,665 in unspecified benefits for a hefty total of $414,303. In 2018, Carleton’s pay was boosted by about $12,000 to $325,193, though her total compensation can’t be determined because the university did not provide information regarding her benefits, per Transparent California. By comparison, de la Torre, who assumed office last year, has already seen her original compensation package of $428,645, plus free rent in a sprawling Alvarado Estates mansion hiked $12,859 to $441,504.

Juan Vargas is smiling because Warren Buffett tossed him some cash.

Juan’s Buffett cash cow

Congressman Juan Vargas, the first House member from San Diego to push for impeaching President Donald Trump, has picked up the biggest contribution to his reelection fund from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy Political Action Committee. Filings with the Federal Election Commission show that that the Des Moines, Iowa-based political operation kicked in a total of $7500 during January and March of this year, and during 2018 provided $5000 for the San Diegan. The PAC attracted unwanted attention last year when it came to light that it had given $2500 to anti-immigration Republican congressman and Trump ally Steve King of Iowa. “Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s company-affiliated political action committee has donated to Rep. King’s re-election campaign in recognition of shared renewable energy policy goals, which help protect the environment and advance a sustainable energy future for our customers,” Jessi Strawn, Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s corporate communications director said in an October 18 statement to the website Sludge. “We do not always agree with every position taken by the candidates we support.”

Berkshire Hathaway runs MidAmerican Energy Company, an Iowa utility giant that this year has been lobbying for state legislation that would require solar panel users pay fees to MidAmerican for use of the company’s power grid. “The assault on private solar generation being waged at the Statehouse isn’t to help utility customers, as ads would like you to believe,” wrote solar proponent Chris Hoffman in the March 25 edition of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “It is only to eliminate private generation as a competitor to the utility companies. It is meant to weaken any attempt by Iowans to free themselves from higher utility costs.”

The second largest contribution to Vargas during the period was $5000 from the Ally Financial, Inc. Advocacy PAC. Ally, bankrolled by Detroit-based car lender spun out from General Motors Acceptance Corp.

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

OSHA rules wall falls our fault

Who, U.S.?
Next Article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Comments
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
June 6, 2019
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.