The plan was adopted by the city council on a 5-4 vote last fall, just as the primary election for mayor ramped up. Faulconer quickly jumped to the fore of a referendum campaign to repeal it.
Donors to the referendum effort, which has since qualified for the ballot, weren't known until January 31, when a campaign fund calling itself “Protect Our Jobs Coalition” was required by law to file a disclosure report covering the period between October 1 and December 31 of last year.
According to that document, the group spent a total of $729,463 on its effort, raised $432,550 in cash, and was $287,483 in debt.
The biggest donor was National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, owned by military contracting behemoth General Dynamics, with $200,000; second largest, with $75,000, was giant British-based military contractor BAE Systems; in third place, with $50,000, was Continental Maritime of San Diego.
The congressional campaign of ex–city councilman Carl Demaio, an unsuccessful GOP candidate for mayor in 2012, made an in-kind contribution of $800, the report says.
Unpaid bills included at least $91,486 owed Southwest Strategies, the public relations and lobbying boutique founded by Al Ziegaus, an ex-reporter with the now defunct Evening Tribune. The firm's clients have included Fox Sports, Medbox, a marijuana-vending-machine company, and billboard giant Lamar Outdoor Advertising.
Spending on the San Diego measure has represented a big portion of General Dynamics’ political payments, according to figures provided online by OpenSecrets.org. During the 2014 campaign cycle to date, the General Dynamics political action committee has given $477,500 to federal candidates.
