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 View of the second largest island of the Seychelles, Praslin
nies registered in Cyprus. “Trump worked with a noto- riously corrupt Cypriot com- pany to bid for [a] casino… during the Republican pres- idential primary,” says the publication, quoting Hong Kong’s Global Sources and Israel’s Haaretz. Wilbur Ross, Trump’s
secretary of commerce, was vice chairman of Cyprus’s largest institu- tion, the Bank of Cyprus. He has invested $500 million in the bank, which failed once, and which has had a top offi- cer who was an ex-KGB friend of Vladimir Putin. But since Ross made his $2.5 billion in assets by investing in troubled businesses, his Cyprus adventure may not get him in trouble. Trump, who doesn’t do much borrowing from Ameri- can banks, may be able to explain any Cyprus borrow- ing he may have done. Early this month, the Washington Post reported that Erik Prince, founder of the mercenary firm once named Blackwater, allegedly had a secret meeting with a Putin ally in an attempt to establish back-channel communications between Trump and Putin. The meet- ing was supposedly held in the Seychelles, an island country off East Africa. Tax Justice Network calls the Seychelles “a paradise for dirty money and cor- ruption.” Former San Diego newscaster and unsuccess- ful mayoral candidate Dick Carlson was ambassador to the Seychelles in 1991–
1992. And Erik Prince? A decade ago, the San Diego County hamlet of Potrero, near Tecate, thwarted Black- water’s attempt to build an 824-acre training facility three miles from the town. In 2013, Prince, who is no longer with the firm, told the
Donald Trump Wilbur Ross
dal became known as the Panama Papers. Dubious friends of Bill and Hill- ary Clinton were exposed as users of offshore insti- tutions. The list included Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining magnate and crony of Bill Clinton; Marc Rich, the international fugitive pardoned by Bill Clinton; Ng Lap Seng, who was at the center of a Demo- cratic fund-raising scan- dal during the Clinton years; and the Chagoury Group, a West African developer that pledged a billion dollars to the Clinton Global Initiative. Transactions linked
Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton
Daily Beast that Blackwater was “a virtual extension of the CIA.” A year ago, investiga-
tive journalists released a trove of documents from a Panamanian law firm that specializes in setting up secret avenues for mov- ing money around offshore havens. The resulting scan-
to that Clinton initia- tive occurred in havens such as the British Vir- gin Islands, Isle of Man, Anguilla, Cay- man Islands, Bahamas, Hong Kong, Monaco,
and Gibraltar. Note the British accent.
London is at the center of much offshore mischief. The Channel Islands — Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man — are havens, along with Bermuda, the Cay- man Islands, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, continued on page 28
Fake news The City of San Diego’s communications department, already chock full of public rela- tions hands speak- ing favorably of Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer (himself an ex-PR man), is looking for more of the same. The new employ- ees, their numbers unspecified, will be expected to “develop, coordi- nate, and dissemi- nate information to the media,” as well as “arrange for photographic work for departmental and publicity purposes,” and “conduct media tours of facilities and activities.” Experience in “planning and coordinating the production and dissemination of public relations or pub- lic information programs involving audio, visual, print, or social media,” is a must along with “four years of full-time professional- level public relations, media relations, jour- nalism, advertising or community relations.” The annual salary will range from $59,363.20 to $71,760. Current employees of the city’s communications operation include ex–TV journalist Nicole Darling of former CW affili- ate XETV. The department, with estimated annual expenses of about $3.6 million, accord- ing to the city budget, runs a website called
InsideSanDiego.org, presenting Faulconer in upbeat situations, including teaching science to elementary school children at the down- town library. “It’s an opportunity to make it fun, get some hands-on learning with bugs, solar energy, 3D printing,” the mayor is quoted as saying. “It’s all about making math, engi- neering, arts fun for kids.”
Mission Val- ley green The ongoing battle over whether to turn over the 165-acre, pub- licly owned Qual- comm Stadium site to a group of La Jolla hedge-fund manag- ers seeking to develop a soccer stadium and commercial complex has been very good to
Nancy Hoover and J. David Dominelli
influence peddlers, based on this year’s city lobbyist filings. Big-money special pleaders range from the law firm of Latham and Watkins, seeking
rezones on behalf of Orange County’s Irvine Company for the Village at Mis- sion Valley, to giant Australian shopping- mall owner West- field, which wants
Kevin Faulconer’s past life as a PR man is a big part of his current life as mayor.
“land use entitle- ments for redevelop- ment of Mission Val- ley Center,” though “specific entitle- ments [are] not yet determined.” The nonprofit Climate Action Campaign, whose website says it
“has a simple mission: to stop climate change,” seeks “consistency with Climate Plan goals” in the Mission Valley community plan update, while land owner H.G. Fenton is monitoring the update process to “ensure density and zoning allow for future growth.” Similarly, the Building Industry Association says it wants to “ensure appropriate densities within the Mis- sion Valley Plan update”; for its part, Sudberry Development is trying to obtain “an Afford- able Housing Agreement regarding the Quarry Falls Community in Mission Valley.”
Mother’s milk Former San Diego city manager Jack McGrory, controversial for his role in the costly downtown Padres stadium project on behalf of mega-million- aire John Moores and later a big-time real estate developer in his own right, is set to receive an honor- ary degree from San Diego State Uni- versity, where he is on the board of the school’s fundraising Campanile Founda-
The Mission Valley soccer stadium proposal has lobbyists lined up to be heard by city leaders.
tion. After getting rich in his post–city hall career, McGrory has given more than $3 million to SDSU. “Jack has made gifts to our Departments of Classics and Public
Affairs as well as to our athletic programs, and he knows how important this support continued on page 28
San Diego Reader April 20, 2017 3
PHOTOGRAPH BY BY TOBI 87/WIKIPEDIA
PHOTOGRAPH BY JERRY MCCLARD
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