C I T Y L I G H T S


C I T Y L I G H T S


C I T Y L I G H T S UNDER THE RADAR An internal sheriff’s department investigation included testimony that branded Paul Ward as “hostile.”


Branch off and sending him onto the left shoulder of the freeway. Instead of slowing, Branch sped up, passing the driver of the Ford while driving on the shoulder. A few miles west on Interstate 8, Branch began to hear a knocking sound come from his left rear tire. He exited the freeway at College Ave- nue and turned right into the neighborhood of Del Cerro; there, he got out of his car to see what was caus- ing the noise. Moments later, Ward


pulled up behind him. Dressed in plain clothes, Ward exited his vehicle and asked to see Branch’s driv- er’s license and registration. Not seeing a badge, gun, or handcuffs, Branch refused. Ward asked again. This time Branch agreed on the con- dition that he was going to record the incident on his phone. Branch tapped record on his phone. “Look, right now, I’m in


La Mesa,” Branch said, his voice quivering. (In fact, he was in the city of San Diego.) Behind him stands Ward,


smiling. Branch looks into the


camera and glances back at Ward frantically, “You see this officer, right now, he does not have his lights on?” Branch winces as Ward


grabs his arm. “You are being detained,”


says Ward. “Sit down.” Grasping his phone, Branch struggles while look-


ing at the camera. “You can- not touch me. You cannot touch me,” he says. Ward’s arm moves in


front of Branch’s throat and into a carotid chokehold. The detective flexes, restrict- ing air to Branch’s brain. Branch faints. His phone falls to the ground but con- tinues to record. “I told you it was my


fault,” Branch yells as he gets up from the ground. “You’re harassing me,” his voice still


Baltimore,” responded the detective. As the men waited for the


police to arrive, Branch, still in a chokehold, told Ward that he should have reported the incident to police before stopping him on his own. “First of all, you didn’t


call the police. You didn’t do none of that. You just stepped out of the car,” Branch says. “You call the police and let them know what’s going on. All this


Fat-cat commission As the city’s ethics commission slumbers during the reign of San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, executive director Stacey Fulhorst has been buying and selling lots of securities, according to her personal finan- cial disclosure report for 2016. Per Fulhorst’s March 28 filing, the ethics hon- cho purchased between $10,000 and $100,000 worth of biotech Allergan’s stock last June 16 and dumped it two months later, on August 25. She acquired between $2000 and $10,000 in drug dis- tributor AmerisourceBergen Corp. on April 29, selling it August 25. Fulhorst’s other short-term positions valued between $10,000 and $100,000 included Ligand Pharmaceuticals; Domino’s Pizza; Home Depot; Lockhead [sic] Martin; Ralph Lauren; Tutor Perini; and Dexcom, a local bio- tech. Additional short-term holdings last year, reported by Fulhorst to be worth between $2000 and $10,000, were software vendor Ellie Mae and HD Supply. In addition, the document shows that on March 30 of last year Fulhorst acquired between $10,000 and $100,000 worth of Apple stock, as well as the same value range of the Walt Disney Company on May 11. On the local


Shane Harris (on mic) points out the inherent flaw of having the district attorney investigate the case.


quivering. “You cannot do that. Your lights aren’t on. You are off-duty. You cannot do that. You cannot grab me like this.” Branch reached for his


pepper spray and aimed it at the detective. Ward reached to retrieve his gun from his ankle holster. Branch dropped the pepper sprray. “You’re going to put


a gun on me? I’m scared of you right now. I think I am going to die. Don’t you know what’s going on in Baltimore..?” “I don’t care about


choking me and all this stuff, bro…” Shortly after, police


squad cars arrived at the scene, responding to a call from an eyewitness. In a March 26 Reader


interview, weeks before his criminal trial is set to begin, Branch says Ward appeared unhinged. “I seriously believed


they were going to arrest the guy,” Branch explains. “Right when they took me to the patrol car I asked them if he was a cop. I mean, he continued on page 28


front, Fulhorst bought and held between $2000 and $10,000 worth of Qual- comm on July 12. She purchased and held similar dollar amounts of Valeant Pharma (January 6); Visa (June 24); Emerson Electric (June 28); Hewlett-Packard (October 7); and Walmart (January 7). Mean- while, according to the disclosure, an outfit called Corporate Recovery Associates, LLC, listing Ful- horst’s spouse Richard Feferman as managing member, was said to be worth more than $1 mil- lion. Its website says the firm is “a leading national consulting firm to creditors’ committees that need to maximize the recovery of claims in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy matters.” The holdings of top ethics officials here have


raised questions among those watching the watch- dogs. Walmart is a registered city lobbyist and a major money political giver that previously has faced a commission audit. Qualcomm, which


frequently lobbies city officials and provides cam- paign cash to mayoral and city council candidates, was the target of a 2013 suit filed by New York state comptroller Thomas P. DiNap- oli alleging that “despite requests for increased trans- parency, Qual- comm continues to obscure its politi- cal spending.” Last March


According to disclosure reports, city ethics commissioner Stacey Fulhorst is quite rich.


Qualcomm exec- utives contributed thousands of dol- lars both before


and after a secret meeting between company founder and billionaire Democrat Irwin Jacobs and GOP mayor Kevin Faulconer regarding a controversial Balboa Park road and parking plan by Jacobs, which the Republican subsequently endorsed. Ethics complaints are not aired in public unless the commission votes to impose sanctions, and Fulhorst no longer provides formal advice letters, reserving her opinions for email and tele- phone talks that don’t provide a public paper trail.


Goldsmith’s lobby break As long expected by city hall insiders, ex–city attor- ney Jan Goldsmith is one more step along the road to his big- money reward in the lucrative


As a freshly minted Procopio employee, could former city attorney Jan Goldsmith “provide confidential information to the new employer that would be harmful to the City”?


world of influence- peddling. “As Of Counsel, Jan will be leading teams of Attorneys and


support staff on a wide


variety of matters ranging from government issues to business


and business litigation, drawing on his varied experiences as a judge, city attorney, state legis- lator, and private attorney,” Kim Jewell, market- ing director for the Procopio law firm, told the Union-Tribune. “When employees leave City service, they


often take with them insider information and close personal relationships with City decision makers that in some circumstances could be det- rimental to the City or to other parties seeking to conduct business with the City,” notes the city’s website. “Without post-employment restrictions, that former City employee could provide confi- dential information to the new employer that would be harmful to the City in contract nego- tiations.” Thus, a one-year “cooling-off” period continued on page 28


San Diego Reader April 6, 2017 3


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