The Permanent Money

The unelected institutions that fund every side of San Diego politics (1996-2026)

A dossier on the five money sources behind San Diego's permanent government: Sempra and its regulated-monopoly utility SDG&E, the Sycuan gaming tribe, the Building Industry Association of developers, and the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council AFL-CIO. Together they routed ~$3.8M in direct disclosed donations to candidates and committees of both parties, while each sponsors its own family of political committees.