Summary — what happened
In the June 2022 District 2 primary, Council President Jennifer Campbell's own committee raised about $157,000, a figure that included a $25,000 loan she made to herself weeks before the vote VOSD-Loan-2022. Two IE committees she was legally barred from coordinating with spent roughly $247,000 in the same race OBRag-IE-2022. The New San Diego PAC spent $179,704 — $171,154 opposing progressive challenger Lori Saldana and $8,550 supporting Campbell — and Community Voices San Diego spent $76,299 promoting Republican candidate Linda Lukacs OBRag-IE-2022. Saldana finished third; Campbell advanced against Lukacs and won the general OBRag-IE-2022. The PAC's largest single donor was Badiee Development Inc., which gave $50,000 during the same period the company had hired a registered lobbyist to contact Mayor Todd Gloria's office about Otay Mesa project entitlements OBRag-IE-2022 OBRag-Mailer-2022 EC603-Badiee-2022. Another PAC donor was the state committee Re-Elect Senator Atkins 2020, which transferred $25,000 roughly 18 months after Atkins won an uncontested election OBRag-IE-2022. The PAC was founded and operated by Gil Cabrera, a Gloria appointee to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Board, against whom an ethics complaint was filed for soliciting PAC donations from Authority contractors OBRag-Cabrera-2022.
Campbell's own campaign consultant, Dan Rottenstreich, told the OB Rag the anti-Saldana, pro-Lukacs mailer was "pivotal" and that without it Lukacs "wouldn't have been able to consolidate Republicans" OBRag-Pivotal-2022. On the city's 2020–2021 SDG&E gas-and-electric franchise renewal, Campbell voted yes; a review of KPBS, Union-Tribune, Times of San Diego, and NBC 7 coverage found no public statement from her explaining that vote DB. The lobbying firm Southwest Strategies, whose client roster includes SDG&E and Sempra, is recorded lobbying Campbell on the franchise; MathPolitics' cross-reference found no recorded SDG&E or Sempra donations or behested payments to Campbell SWS-Energy DB. The New San Diego PAC dissolved in June 2024 after an FPPC warning for failing to identify top funders on mailers — but first spent $247,135 in the 2024 mayoral race backing Republican candidate Jane Glasson, with Badiee Development again a $50,000 donor Reader-2024.
Timeline
Constituent backlash begins. The OB Rag reports Campbell has "lost support at the beach" after the Midway-area height-limit position and a short-term vacation rental compromise.
Badiee project approved. The Otay Mesa Planning Group approves Badiee Development's Airway Logistics Center 10-0 — a year before the New San Diego PAC is formed, and a separate project from the 2022 Britannia entitlements.
SDG&E franchise lobbying. Southwest Strategies principal Chris Wahl contacts Campbell's office on the SDG&E gas-and-electric franchise renewal (city EC-603 lobbying disclosure, Q3 2020).
Recall campaign launches. A recall of Campbell officially begins, citing her reversal on the Midway height limit, her vacation-rental compromise, and constituent unresponsiveness — before her re-election campaign existed.
Re-election committee forms. Campbell's committee, "Re-Elect Dr. Jen Campbell for City Council 2022" (FPPC 1436385), is formed (terminated November 2023).
New San Diego PAC founded. Gil Cabrera — Gloria's appointee to the Airport Authority Board — forms the New San Diego PAC, registered as a general-purpose committee.
Sempra donation. Sempra Energy donates $2,500 to the New San Diego PAC (per a Sempra Major Donor filing dated 2022-01-22). The PAC's own FPPC 460 filed 2022-01-25 did not list the contribution.
Atkins committee transfer. The state committee Re-Elect Senator Atkins 2020 donates $25,000 to the New San Diego PAC — one of four $25,000 donors who together gave about two-thirds of the PAC's 2022 contributions, roughly 18 months after Atkins won an uncontested 2020 election. (California permits committee-to-committee transfers.)
Anti-Saldana mailers. The New San Diego PAC spends $34,129 on mailers attacking Saldana; the OB Rag documents specific claims in the mailers as debunked. The mailer's largest funder, Badiee Development, gave $50,000 to the PAC.
Five challengers; no party endorsement. Five challengers run against Campbell, the first Democratic incumbent in District 2 in 20 years to run without the county party's endorsement; Campbell holds a large fundraising lead in reported totals.
Cabrera ethics complaint. An anonymous ethics complaint is filed against Cabrera, alleging he violated the Airport Authority Ethics Code by soliciting PAC contributions from persons doing business with the Authority (named: Craig Benedetto and Benjamin Haddad of California Strategies, Rachel Laing of ThreeSixty Public Strategies). The outcome of the complaint is not in the evidence.
The $25,000 self-loan. Campbell loans her own re-election committee $25,000 weeks before the June primary; her committee's total raised is about $157,000, including the loan.
The "pivotal" admission. Campbell consultant Dan Rottenstreich tells the OB Rag the anti-Saldana / pro-Lukacs mailer was "pivotal" — "On her own, Lukacs wouldn't have been able to consolidate Republicans."
Combined IE spending: ≈ $247,000. Two IE committees spend in the D2 primary: the New San Diego PAC $179,704 ($171,154 opposing Saldana + $8,550 supporting Campbell) and Community Voices San Diego $76,299 promoting Republican Lukacs (its disclosed funders include the SD Regional Chamber, the Building Industry Association, and the Downtown San Diego Partnership). Saldana finishes third; Campbell advances against Lukacs.
General election. Campbell defeats Lukacs in the general; Voice of San Diego analysis describes the strategy as IE groups helping engineer a Republican opponent, then beating her.
Badiee lobbying. Badiee Development's lobbyist (Atlantis Group / Marcela Escobar-Eck) files an EC-603 disclosing contact with Mayor Gloria's office on "matters related to projects at Britannia" in Otay Mesa, seeking "equitable and timely processing of entitlements."
Badiee second donation. Badiee Development contributes $49,000 more to the New San Diego PAC, bringing its lifetime total to about $99,000.
PAC dissolves after spending on Glasson. Before dissolving, the New San Diego PAC spends $247,135 in the 2024 mayoral race backing Republican candidate Jane Glasson, with Badiee Development again a $50,000 donor. The PAC terminates after an FPPC warning letter for failing to identify top funders on mailers.
$300 fine. SD Ethics Commission Stipulation 24-17 fines Campbell's committee $300 for failing to retain 2 of 12 campaign mailers (a record-keeping violation).
D2 2026 race underway. A candidate forum for the 2026 District 2 race is held; Voice of San Diego covers the contest.
Thematic groupings
### The two IE committees in the 2022 primary - New San Diego PAC — $179,704: $171,154 opposing Saldana + $8,550 supporting Campbell; operated by Cabrera (Gloria appointee); largest donor Badiee Development $50,000. OBRag-IE-2022 OBRag-Mailer-2022 - Community Voices San Diego — $76,299: promoting Republican Lukacs; disclosed funders include the SD Regional Chamber, BIA, and Downtown SD Partnership. OBRag-IE-2022 - Combined: ≈ $247,000 in IE spending — about 1.6× Campbell's own committee's ~$157,000. OBRag-IE-2022 VOSD-Loan-2022
### Documented absences (negative findings) - No recorded SDG&E or Sempra donations to Campbell during the franchise period (DB cross-reference). DB - No FPPC Form 803 behested-payment filings by Campbell from any entity. DB - No separate Sempra lobbying of Campbell found in city filings (only SW Strategies on SDG&E). DB - No public statement by Campbell explaining her SDG&E franchise yes vote, across reviewed KPBS / UT / Times of SD / NBC 7 coverage. DB
Enforcement, in scale
| Action | Subject | Issue | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD Ethics Commission Stip. 24-17 | Re-Elect Dr. Jen Campbell 2022 | Failed to retain 2 of 12 campaign mailers | $300 fine Stip24-17 |
| FPPC warning letter | New San Diego PAC | Failed to identify top funders on mailers | Warning; PAC dissolved 2024-06-21 Reader-2024 |
| Ethics complaint (outcome not in evidence) | Gil Cabrera | Soliciting PAC donations from Airport Authority contractors | Unknown OBRag-Cabrera-2022 |
| (none on record) | ≈ $247K IE spending, 2022 primary | — | No enforcement action documented OBRag-IE-2022 |
Key players (callback index)
- Jennifer Campbell — SD City Council D2, Council President 2020–2022; raised ~$157K (incl. $25K self-loan); SDG&E franchise yes-voter with no recorded public explanation.
- Gil Cabrera — Gloria appointee to the Airport Authority Board; founder/operator of the New San Diego PAC; subject of an ethics complaint for soliciting PAC donations from Authority contractors.
- Ben Badiee / Badiee Development Inc. — La Jolla developer operating a 2-million-plus-square-foot industrial land bank across San Diego, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City REBO-Badiee-2024; the PAC's largest single donor ($50,000; ~$99,000 lifetime) while lobbying Mayor Gloria's office on Otay Mesa entitlements.
- Re-Elect Senator Atkins 2020 — state committee that transferred $25,000 to the local PAC ~18 months after Atkins's uncontested 2020 election.
- Dan Rottenstreich — Campbell's campaign consultant; called the anti-Saldana / pro-Lukacs mailer "pivotal" on the record.
- Lori Saldana — former assemblywoman; Campbell's progressive primary challenger and the target of the IE attack mailers; finished third.
- Southwest Strategies (now Bodewell Group) — lobbying firm with SDG&E/Sempra among its energy clients; recorded lobbying Campbell on the SDG&E franchise.
- Community Voices San Diego — second IE committee; spent $76,299 promoting Republican Lukacs (no org ID in the MathPolitics DB).
Caveats
- Aggregated vs. itemized. The ≈ $247,000 IE total is the sum of two committees' reported spending ($179,704 + $76,299) as documented by the OB Rag; the ~$157,000 Campbell figure is her committee's reported total including the $25,000 self-loan. IE figures are drawn from disclosure reporting and may not capture every expenditure.
- Characterization vs. legal finding. "Engineer a Republican opponent" and "pivotal" are the cited outlets'/consultant's words. The financial and lobbying relationships are documented through public records; this brief does not claim coordination between Campbell and the IE committees, nor that any vote was bought. No coordination is alleged or found.
- Lobbying ≠ outcome. The Badiee EC-603 documents lobbying contact with Gloria's office; the entitlement outcomes are not in the evidence.
- Negative findings are documented absences, not proof of no relationship — they reflect what was and was not found in the reviewed filings.
- The 2026 Coyne donor-overlap (9 of 12) is an unverified AI-synthesis lead under active investigation, not a confirmed finding, and is cited here only via
DB. - The Cabrera ethics-complaint outcome (sanctioned or cleared) is not in the evidence.
Reference key
- OBRag-Donors-2022 OB Rag, "Here's 2022 Donors to New San Diego PAC — Source of Attack Mailers Against Saldaña," 2022-06-01. https://obrag.org/2022/06/heres-2022-donors-to-new-san-diego-pac-source-of-attack-mailers-against-lori-saldana/
- EC603-Badiee-2022 SD eFile lobbying disclosure EC-603, Atlantis Group / Badiee Development (2022 Q4), filed 2023-05-23. https://efile.sandiego.gov/pdfview?doc_public=Ext_af539eaf-2c0a-40d3-be5e-24d7c8761d9e
- Stip24-17 SD Ethics Commission Stipulation 24-17, Re-Elect Dr. Jen Campbell for City Council 2022, $300 fine, 2025-09-11. https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/stip24-17.pdf
- SWS-Energy Southwest Strategies (now Bodewell Group), energy client portfolio (SDG&E, Sempra, SCE, PG&E). https://soq.swspr.com/energy
- OBRag-IE-2022 OB Rag, "Establishment Democrats Attacked Fellow Democrat Saldaña and Promoted Republican Lukacs to Re-Elect Campbell," 2022-11. https://obrag.org/2022/11/establishment-democrats-attacked-fellow-democrat-saldana-and-promoted-republican-lukacs-to-re-elect-campbell/
- Reader-2024 San Diego Reader, "Radar / Old San Diego" (New San Diego PAC's $247K for Glasson; June 2024 dissolution), 2024-07-03. https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2024/jul/03/radar-old-san-diego/
- KPBS-Recall-2021 KPBS, "Recall Campaign For Council President Jennifer Campbell To Officially Begin," 2021-02-03. https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/feb/03/recall-campaign-for-council-president-jennifer/
- VOSD-Recall-2021 Voice of San Diego, "What's Behind the Effort to Recall Council President Jen Campbell," 2021-02-09. https://voiceofsandiego.org/2021/02/09/whats-behind-the-effort-to-recall-council-president-jen-campbell/
- OBRag-Cabrera-2022 OB Rag, "Complaint Lodged Against Gil Cabrera for Violating Airport Authority Ethics Code…," 2022-05-24. https://obrag.org/2022/05/complaint-lodged-against-gil-cabrera-for-violating-airport-authority-ethics-code-by-accepting-donations-to-his-attack-group/
- OBRag-Beach-2020 OB Rag, "After 2 Major Missteps, Jen Campbell Has Lost Support at the Beach," 2020-07. https://obrag.org/2020/07/after-2-major-missteps-jen-campbell-has-lost-support-at-the-beach/
- OBRag-Sempra-2022 OB Rag, "Sempra Joins Pile-On Against Saldaña, Helps Fund Attack Group New San Diego," 2022-05. https://obrag.org/2022/05/sempra-joins-pile-on-against-saldana-helps-fund-attack-group-new-san-diego/
- ToSD-Recall-2021 Times of San Diego, "Recall of Council's Jennifer Campbell Over Pro-Development Stance Nears Signature Gathering," 2021-02-03. https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2021/02/02/recall-of-councils-jennifer-campbell-over-pro-development-stance-nears-signature-gathering/
- VOSD-D2-2026 Voice of San Diego (via OB Rag mirror), "District 2 Race Is On," 2026-03-21. https://obrag.org/2026/03/voice-of-san-diego-district-2-race-is-on/comment-page-1/
- VOSD-Audacious-2022 Voice of San Diego, "The Audacious Re-Election Campaign for Councilwoman Jen Campbell," 2022-11-10. https://voiceofsandiego.org/2022/11/09/the-audacious-re-election-campaign-for-councilwoman-jen-campbell/
- REBO-Badiee-2024 REBusinessOnline, "Badiee's Industrial Trifecta: San Diego, Sacramento, Salt Lake City," 2024-06-17. https://rebusinessonline.com/badiees-industrial-trifecta-san-diego-sacramento-salt-lake-city/
- OBRag-Mailer-2022 OB Rag, "Dark Money Hit Piece Against Saldaña in District 2 San Diego Council Race — a Pack of Lies." https://obrag.org/2022/05/dark-money-hit-piece-against-saldana-in-district-2-san-diego-council-race-a-pack-of-lies/
- OtayMesa-2020 City of San Diego Planning Department, Otay Mesa Planning Group Minutes, 2020-08-19 (Badiee Airway Logistics Center approved 10-0). https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/v1_meeting_minutes-08_19_2020_1.pdf
- VOSD-Loan-2022 Voice of San Diego, "The Former Council President's Loan to Herself," 2022-06-05. https://voiceofsandiego.org/2022/06/05/the-former-council-presidents-loan-to-herself/
- OBRag-Pivotal-2022 OB Rag, "Campbell Campaign Admits Their Mailer Attacking Saldaña and Promoting Republican Lukacs Was 'Pivotal,'" 2022-06-08. https://obrag.org/2022/06/campbell-campaign-admits-their-mailer-attacking-saldana-and-promoting-republican-lukas-was-pivotal/
- KPBS-Challengers-2022 KPBS, "Five Challengers Seek to Unseat Campbell in San Diego City Council District 2," 2022-05-20. https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2022/05/19/five-challengers-seek-to-unseat-campbell-in-san-diego-city-council-district-2
- PLM-Fundraising-2022 Point Loma & OB Monthly / San Diego Union-Tribune, "Election 2022: Incumbent Jennifer Campbell Faces Three Strong Challengers in District 2," 2022-05-11. https://www.pointloma-obmonthly.com/news/story/2022-05-11/election-2022-incumbent-jennifer-campbell-faces-three-strong-challengers-in-district-2-s-d-council-race
- DB MathPolitics database connection/evidence IDs as cited in the full report
the-247k-primary(connections C-177984, C-177985, C-177986, C-177987, C-177988, C-177989, C-124874; evidence E-23563, E-23569, E-23570, E-23575, E-23581, E-23588, E-23593, E-23594, E-23596). Includes the SDG&E-lobbying cross-reference, the negative findings, the committee-formation record, the Badiee second-donation total, and the unverified 2026 Coyne donor-overlap lead. → view in evidence search
Report #57 · The Campbell Files (Part 1) · condensed AI fact sheet. Chronological; every claim cited; inferences flagged. Source: full report the-247k-primary.
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