C I T Y L I G H T S
ing lots south of the main campus, along Santa Barbara Place. In 1952, according to records from the San Diego County Assessor’s Office, the southern property was added to the pre-existing property to the north, result- ing in a combined 2.23 acres. In 1973, San Diego Uni-
fied School District closed the school down. During the following 40 years the cam- pus was used as administra- tive offices and housed an adult-education program. Then, in 2012, school-
district officials announced they were selling the prop- erty in order to raise funds. As a condition under the sale of public land, other public agencies, includ- ing the City of San Diego, were allowed a chance to purchase the land before any private companies. Yet, despite former mayor Bob Filner’s attempts to buy the land and turn it into a park, the funds were not avail- able and the sale moved to include private develop- ers. In May 2013, McKel- lar McGowan announced they were the winning bid of $18.5 million. Tensions between devel- oper and the Mission Beach
C I T Y L I G H T S
C I T Y L I G H T S UNDER THE RADAR McKellar McGowan architectural rendering
nary plans to close public alleys, combine and recon- figure lots, all while setting aside only 1500 square feet of park land. The planning
30 feet by 80 feet and set maximum height limits. Most guidelines and restric- tions had been in place since the Mission Beach commu-
Chris McKellar
board rejected the proposal, citing several issues that violated the Mission Beach Planned District Ordinance. For residents and plan-
Marcela Escobar-Eck
nity was developed in the early 1900s. The purpose of the ordinance, accord- ing to the city’s municipal code, was to “preserve and enhance the cultural, aes- thetic or economic value of neighborhoods having spe- cial importance due to their historical significance or because of their being part of older, established commu- nities and neighborhoods.” In Mission Beach, that
has meant adhering to strict guidelines in regards to den- sity, height, lot size, traffic, and park land. The absence of com-
Mission Beach Elementary School
Precise Planning Board, the group in charge of review- ing new projects in Mission Beach, mounted. In November 2013, one
month before McKellar McGowan closed escrow, the group blasted prelimi-
ning-group members, Mis- sion Beach’s Planned District Ordinance is sacrosanct. Ratified in 1979, the ordi- nance adds more teeth and a stronger bite to land-use plans. For example, it estab- lished standard lot sizes of
munity parks in Mission Beach has always been a touchy subject for residents. According to a City of San Diego planning document, population and density levels dictate that Mission Beach should have 13 acres of park land. Currently, Mis- sion Beach has zero — city continued on page 33
Gamer’s costly rise and fall In January 2014, University of California regents thought they had a hustler in Steve Gamer, so much so that they hastily agreed to pay him the princely annual salary of $455,792 to become UCSD’s new vice chancellor of advancement. “As the San Diego campus prepares to launch a comprehensive fundraising campaign, the Vice Chancellor- Advancement position is being reinstated in the Chancellor’s cabinet,” said a report that noted Gamer had “more than 20 years of experience in identifying, cul- tivating, and soliciting high net worth individuals, corporations, and founda- tions.” Gamer had been in a similar position at UCLA since 2002, and before that was planning and budgeting director for the Atlanta Jewish Federation and campaign director for the Madi- son Jewish Community Council, the report said. “It is critical that the new Vice Chancellor begin his appointment near the start of the calendar year so that he will become quickly engaged in the campus strategic planning initiative that has been in progress over the past year and prepare for the launch of the new fundraising campaign.” Gamer was to oversee “approximately 220 staff and annual expenditures in excess of $25 million,” in UCSD’s big-dollar quest. By fall of last year, the school reported raising a record $177.5 million in fiscal year 2015, 20 percent more than the year before, still “far behind the upper echelon in private fundraising among universities,” according to an October 2 account in the Union-Tribune. “Gamer said he doesn’t plan to focus more on alumni donations, but rather to promote the univer- sity to the entire community,” the paper reported, adding that Gamer was planning to roll out a billion-dollar-plus fundrais- ing campaign for the univer- sity this coming November. But last month, UCSD
was suddenly in as much of a hurry to get rid of Gamer as it had been to hire him. “This urgent request is in response to a need to execute the agreement in exchange for Mr. Gamer’s resig- nation effective March 1, 2016,” says a March 24 report to the regents from UC president Janet Napolitano. “The President of the University requests approval of a $135,072 separation pay- ment ($177,031 severance minus $41,959 reloca- tion repayment) in connection with the separa- tion agreement. Under the terms of the proposed
agreement, the payment would be made within 30 days of his resignation date of March 1, 2016.” The document goes on to reveal that “due to family obligations Mr. Gamer never relocated from Los Angeles to San Diego.” But he still accepted a $85,938 relocation allowance “to help
cover the additional living expenses associated with having an apartment near the campus.” The report pro-
Steve Gamer
vides few details regarding Gamer’s abrupt departure, saying only, “the San Diego campus is in the final stages of
planning the campus’ first major fun- draising campaign in nearly ten years.
Because of a change in strategy for the campaign, it is now agreed that it is in everyone’s interest that Mr. Gamer resign from his position.” It adds that “the campus placed Mr. Gamer on paid leave beginning January 13, 2016.” And Gamer didn’t leave without an additional cost, in the form of a $135,072 severance payment. “A separation payment is being requested due to Mr. Gamer’s 13-year tenure at University of California during which time he made numerous contributions at UCLA and UC San Diego,” says the document. “The Office of the General Counsel has been consulted on this action and concurs.”
The Jacobs-Faulconer dance When Republican Kevin Faulconer first ran for mayor in the fall of 2013, Qualcomm then- CEO Paul Jacobs, the son of com- pany founder and Hillary Clin- ton-backer Irwin Jacobs, backed Republican-turned- Democrat Nathan Fletcher
Kevin Faulconer and Paul Jacobs
for the job. After a relentless attack by the GOP Lincoln Club on Fletcher, who had gone to work for Qualcomm following his turn as a Republican in the state Assem- bly, Paul Jacobs fired back, accusing Faulconer’s allies of “lying to serve a political agenda.” This year, however, with Faulconer’s two biggest chal- lengers shaping up as independent Lori Saldaña and Democrat Ed
Harris, the younger Jacobs has headed straight for the Faulconer fold. City campaign-disclosure filings show that on March 31, the mayor’s fund picked up $1000 from the Qualcomm executive, who was kicked upstairs to company executive chairman in March 2014, shortly after Faulconer’s election as mayor. The next day, Qualcomm exec- utive vice president and general counsel Donald Rosenberg came up with the same. Earlier in the month, on March 13, Michele Sterling of Poway, continued on page 35
PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESSICA WENTZEL
San Diego Reader April 21, 2016 3
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