INVESTIGATION FILE

The Council Files

NEW HERE? Start with The Wiring → Part 3: The Council

REPORTS IN THIS FILE

01
The Council Files

The Money Machine: How a Lincoln Club-Founded PAC Buys Democratic Votes on San Diego's City Council

Suite 1420 and the Lincoln Club Ghost-Branding Operation

$1.2M from a single PAC to Council campaigns

They share an address. They share donors. They share a purpose.
02
The Council Files

The Insiders: What the Money Machine Buys Once It Wins

The Revolving Door Between Staff and Lobbyists

14 insiders hired from donor-connected firms

They write the policy. Then they leave. Then they lobby on the policy they wrote.
03
The Council Files

The Returns: What San Diego's Money Machine Produces for the People Who Pay Their Bills

What San Diego's Money Machine Produces for the People Who Pay Their Bills

$3.4M in contracts awarded to top donor firms

They all voted yes. All eight of them. Your electric bill went up.
04
The Council Files

The System: How San Diego's Rules Were Written to Keep You From Seeing What Your Money Buys

How San Diego's Rules Were Written to Keep You From Seeing What Your Money Buys

23 disclosure rules that failed to catch a single violation

Twenty-five investigations. Seven politicians. Both parties. One system. Season 1 concludes.
Active case files

2 case files are collecting in this dossier — members watch them build.

Become a member