By Brooke Williams
and Danielle Cervantes
STAFF WRITER / RESEARCH ANALYST
Other former city employees also have connections to land deals. The same names popped up repeatedly in lease files, registers of lobbyists and campaign contribution lists.
Raphael Bostic, professor of real estate at the University of Southern California, said the high value of land in San Diego makes the city's real estate big business.
“It's going to make those properties very valuable,” he said. “If you can tie them down and get control of (them), you can get a competitive advantage.”
To get an advantage, some companies have hired lobbyists and contributed to political campaigns.
In its investigation, the Union-Tribune matched the names of companies and people who hold land deals against two lists: one of locally registered lobbyists and one of donations to the successful campaigns of mayors and City Council members for the past 12 years and candidates of the two most recent mayoral campaigns. That showed that owners and executives of at least 115 companies with land deals have contributed at least $338,691 to local campaigns.
It also showed that more than 50 city-lease holders have spent thousands of dollars on at least 68 local lobbyists in the last six years. At least 19 of those lobbyists once worked at City Hall in key positions, such as chief of staff to City Council members. Three-quarters of them have given money to the campaigns of city officials. Nine firms like McGrory's act as middlemen between the city and companies that use its property. Seven have hired local lobbyists or contributed to the campaigns of city officials. Fred Collignon, professor of city and regional planning at the University of California Berkeley, said lobbyists help companies to weave through the policies – and people at City Hall.