Summary — what happened
A MathPolitics crosswalk of California Secretary of State Cal-Access bulk receipt data against SANDAG board-member committees found 30 vendor-to-board-member donations totaling roughly $24,395 E-23895. The money concentrates on two members. Catherine Blakespear — former Encinitas mayor, SANDAG Chair in 2021–2022, and since November 2022 California State Senator for SD-38 — received $14,100 across 8 donations from HNTB Holdings PAC, Deloitte Services LP, Granite Construction, and one Deloitte employee, dated June 2021 through October 2025 E-23895. Todd Gloria — San Diego mayor and a current SANDAG board member — received $10,045 across 21 donations from HNTB, AECOM, Deloitte, WSP, and Jacobs Engineering employees plus two Deloitte corporate checks, concentrated in his 2020 mayoral cycle E-23895. Joel Anderson, a Republican county supervisor on the board, received a single $250 donation from a Hazard Construction executive E-23895. The same crosswalk returned zero vendor donations for eleven other current and recent board members E-23895.
The donated-to and the undonated-to board members voted the same way on the contracts and the funding measure. The SANDAG board placed the half-cent Measure G transit sales tax on the November 2024 ballot; it failed 51.7% No to 48.2% Yes E-23882. The City of San Diego voted Yes; suburban North County and East County voted No E-23893. Two SANDAG vendors — HNTB (~$400,000) and Flatiron (~$400,000) — were among the largest funders of the Yes campaign E-894; the No campaign was police-union and anti-tax money E-23894. On contract awards, the board acted after two procurement audits: a $290 million flagged-spending audit released October 14, 2022 during Blakespear's chairmanship E-23886, and a later cycle flagging AECOM cost overruns. In October 2025 the board voted unanimously to award AECOM a $50 million Otay Mesa contract E-23890. A separate disclosure gap: former Chair Nora Vargas registered an LLC on July 29, 2024, reported $1,001–$10,000 of income to it on her Form 700, and left the client-name column blank before resigning December 20, 2024 E-561.
Timeline
Blakespear on the board. Catherine Blakespear serves on the SANDAG Board of Directors as Encinitas mayor (2016–2022); she is elected SANDAG Chair in January 2021 and serves as Chair through 2022, presiding over the Regional Transportation Plan, then leaves the board upon election to the State Senate in November 2022. (connection C-178673)
First Gloria vendor donation. Deloitte Services LP gives $1,300 to Todd Gloria for Assembly 2018 (Cal-Access filer 1392977).
Desmond on the board. Jim Desmond, county supervisor for District 5, joins the SANDAG board and chairs its Transportation Committee; he later leads opposition to Measure G. (connection C-178674)
WSP employee to Gloria. Tara Lake (WSP) gives $150 to Gloria for Mayor 2020.
Deloitte corporate to Gloria. Deloitte Services LP gives $2,000 to Gloria for Assembly 2020 (filer 1416118).
The four monthly checks. A single HNTB employee, Joshua Englander, makes four $180 donations to Gloria for Mayor 2020 — June 22, July 23, August 23, September 23, 2020 — totaling $720 in the four months leading into the November mayoral runoff.
Close of Gloria's mayoral vendor stream. With the final Englander check, Gloria's committees have received, across the Assembly 2018, Assembly 2020, and Mayor 2020 cycles, 21 donations totaling $10,045 from HNTB, AECOM, Deloitte, WSP, and Jacobs employees plus two Deloitte corporate checks. (Gloria for Mayor 2020 is Cal-Access filer 1416118.) Gloria is elected mayor in November 2020.
Deloitte employee to Blakespear. Shawn VanDiver (Deloitte) gives $100 to Blakespear for Senate 2022.
The $290M procurement audit. Independent Performance Auditor Mary Khoshmashrab releases Part 1 of a SANDAG contracts-and-procurement audit covering the top 30 vendors over five fiscal years: $290 million flagged, 447 of 1,627 contract files with blank original-amount fields, and the top 10 vendors' share grown from roughly $48 million to $106 million. Blakespear is SANDAG Chair on the release date.
HNTB and Deloitte to Blakespear's Senate 2026. HNTB Holdings PAC gives $1,000 (Nov 14) and Deloitte Services LP gives $1,500 (Nov 6) to Blakespear for Senate 2026 (filer 1456912).
The $28M sole-source Deloitte contract. The SANDAG board approves a $28 million sole-source contract to Deloitte and A-to-Be for State Route 125 toll back-office operations.
Vargas registers an LLC. While serving as SANDAG Chair, Nora Vargas registers Nora Vargas LLC with the California Secretary of State.
Deloitte to Blakespear. Deloitte Services LP gives a second $1,500 to Blakespear for Senate 2026.
Measure G funding documented. Reporting documents that SANDAG vendors fund the Yes-on-Measure-G campaign: HNTB ~$400,000, Flatiron ~$400,000, WSP USA ~$100,000, HDR Engineering ~$85,000; the Yes committee raised ~$1.6 million in 2024 (~$4.5 million since 2021), with Flatiron and HNTB listed as official sponsors.
Vargas resigns. Nora Vargas announces she will resign from the County Board of Supervisors and the SANDAG chairmanship, citing personal threats; her Form 700 reports $1,001–$10,000 of income to Nora Vargas LLC with the client-name column left blank.
Heebner becomes Chair. The SANDAG board elects Lesa Heebner (Solana Beach) Chair, Joe LaCava 1st Vice Chair, and John Minto 2nd Vice Chair.
Post-Measure-G HNTB check to Blakespear. HNTB Holdings PAC gives $3,000 to Blakespear for Senate 2026 — after Measure G has failed.
Unanimous $50M AECOM award. After a SANDAG audit cycle flags AECOM for cost overruns, the board votes unanimously to approve a not-to-exceed $50 million contract with AECOM Technical Services for construction management on the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project.
Deloitte to Blakespear. Deloitte Services LP gives a third $1,500 to Blakespear for Senate 2026.
Thematic groupings
### The donations, by recipient - Catherine Blakespear — $14,100, 8 donations E-23895: HNTB Holdings PAC $4,000 (Senate 2022) + $1,000 + $3,000 (Senate 2026); Deloitte Services LP $1,500 × 3 (Senate 2026); Granite Construction $1,500 (Senate 2026); Shawn VanDiver / Deloitte $100 (Senate 2022). Two donors — Deloitte and Granite — hold or held SANDAG contracts flagged in the audits (Deloitte's $28M SR-125 sole-source E-23888; Granite named in the Khoshmashrab audit E-23886). - Todd Gloria — $10,045, 21 donations E-23895: Deloitte Services LP corporate $1,300 (Assembly 2018) + $2,000 (Assembly 2020); 19 vendor-employee donations to Mayor 2020 from HNTB (Slimp, Feuerborn, Weber, Englander), Deloitte (VanDiver, Hammond, Finnigan), AECOM (Haber, Bragado, Wood), WSP (Lake), and Jacobs (Orozco). - Joel Anderson — $250, 1 donation E-23895: Jason Mordhorst (Hazard Construction) — a Republican board member, a different vendor, the same donation structure.
### The negative finding — eleven who took nothing The crosswalk searched for any donation from HNTB, AECOM, Deloitte, Granite, Kimley-Horn, WSP, or Jacobs to eleven other current and recent board members and returned zero: Lesa Heebner (current Chair), John Minto (2nd Vice Chair), Joe LaCava (1st Vice Chair), Bill Wells (El Cajon), Steve Vaus (Poway), Carolina Chavez, Jim Desmond (Transportation Committee Chair), Stephen Whitburn, Nora Vargas, Kent Lee, and Paloma Aguirre (Imperial Beach). E-23895 Inferred: the report frames the contract and Measure G outcomes as a product of the board's one-seat-per-city composition rather than of the donations alone, since donated-to and undonated-to members voted the same way; this is the report's structural argument, not a legal or audited finding.
### Measure G — vendors funded the Yes side - Yes on Measure G (Cal-Access committee 1439981, terminated 2024-12-31): funded substantially by SANDAG vendors — HNTB ~$400,000, Flatiron ~$400,000, WSP USA ~$100,000, HDR Engineering ~$85,000; ~$1.6M raised in 2024. E-894 - No on Measure G / "Stop the SANDAG Tax" (Cal-Access filer 1469305, active): police-union and anti-tax money — Deputy Sheriffs Association of San Diego County, Oceanside Police Officers Association, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Reform California, San Diego County Taxpayers Association. E-23894 E-23896
Audits vs. awards
| Date | Event | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-10-14 | Khoshmashrab procurement audit Part 1 (top 30 vendors, 5 yrs) | $290M flagged; 447/1,627 files blank; top-10 share $48M → $106M | E-23886 |
| 2024-01 | Board approves sole-source Deloitte/A-to-Be SR-125 contract | $28M | E-23888 |
| 2025-10-30 | Board UNANIMOUSLY approves AECOM Otay Mesa contract (after cost-overrun flag) | $50M not-to-exceed | E-23890 |
Key players
- Catherine Blakespear — Former Encinitas mayor, SANDAG Chair 2021–2022, State Senator SD-38 since Nov 2022; received $14,100 from SANDAG vendors across two Senate cycles E-23895.
- Todd Gloria — San Diego mayor and current SANDAG board member; received $10,045 from vendor employees and corporate donors, concentrated in his 2020 mayoral cycle E-23895.
- Joel Anderson — Republican county supervisor on the board; received a single $250 vendor donation E-23895.
- Lesa Heebner — Solana Beach mayor, SANDAG Chair since Jan 10, 2025 E-23891; in the crosswalk's zero-donation group E-23895.
- Nora Vargas — Former SANDAG Chair; registered Nora Vargas LLC July 29, 2024, reported $1,001–$10,000 income to it with client names blank, resigned Dec 20, 2024 E-561.
- Jim Desmond — County supervisor (D5), SANDAG Transportation Committee Chair, led Measure G opposition; in the zero-donation group E-23895.
- Mary Khoshmashrab — SANDAG Independent Performance Auditor whose Oct 2022 Part 1 audit flagged $290M E-23886.
- HNTB / Deloitte / Granite / AECOM — SANDAG vendors that appear as donors (HNTB, Deloitte, Granite to Blakespear; HNTB, Deloitte, AECOM employees to Gloria) and as contract recipients or audit subjects E-23895 E-23886 E-23888 E-23890.
Caveats
- All donation totals are itemized from the Cal-Access bulk RCPT_CD crosswalk E-23895. The itemized records sum to $24,395 (Blakespear $14,100 + Gloria $10,045 + Anderson $250 = $24,395); the source fact packet's headline figure of "$24,495" differs from the itemized sum by $100 and is not used here.
- Gloria's per-committee total is stated as $10,045 in the source body and stat callouts; one internal fact-packet line gives "$9,895" — the itemized donation rows sum to $10,045, the figure used here.
- No transaction described here is alleged to be illegal. Donations are reported on public filings; the votes are public records. The brief documents co-occurrence, not a quid pro quo. No campaign-finance or ethics body has found any of these board members traded a vote for a contribution.
- The "bundled vendor-employee giving" characterization of the Englander four-check pattern, and the structural attribution of vote outcomes to board geometry rather than to donations, are inferences/characterizations flagged inline — not legal or audited findings.
- Measure G contributor figures (HNTB ~$400K, Flatiron ~$400K, WSP ~$100K, HDR ~$85K) are approximate and as reported by iNewsource E-894; No-side contributors are as listed on the campaign website and in news reporting E-23894.
- Nora Vargas's blank Form 700 client column is documented E-561; the brief makes no claim about who, if anyone, paid Nora Vargas LLC.
- E-23895 is a MathPolitics extraction from the California Secretary of State Cal-Access bulk export (2026-03-20 snapshot); individual donations are also held in the database as connection rows C-178673 through C-178704 DB.
Reference key
- E-561 iNewsource, "Nora Vargas started consulting firm before leaving office," 2025-02-12. https://inewsource.org/2025/02/12/san-diego-official-nora-vargas-consulting-firm-quit/
- E-894 iNewsource, "Contractors are big supporters of San Diego sales tax measure," 2024-10-07. https://inewsource.org/2024/10/07/san-diego-county-sales-tax-measure-campaign-spending/
- E-23882 Ballotpedia, "San Diego County, California, Measure G, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Safety Projects Sales Tax Measure (November 2024)." https://ballotpedia.org/San_Diego_County,_California,_Measure_G,_Infrastructure,_Transportation,_and_Safety_Projects_Sales_Tax_Measure_(November_2024)
- E-23886 SANDAG Office of the Independent Performance Auditor (Mary Khoshmashrab), "Contracts & Procurement Audit Part 1," 2022-10-14. https://www.sandag.org/-/media/SANDAG/Documents/PDF/about/office-of-the-independent-performance-auditor/reports-and-documents/audit-report-contracts-and-procurement-part-one.pdf
- E-23887 The Coast News, "SANDAG auditor finds $290M in questionable contracts," 2022-10-15. https://thecoastnews.com/sandag-auditor-finds-290m-in-questionable-contracts/
- E-23888 SANDAG Office of the Independent Performance Auditor (Courtney Ruby statement on the $28M Deloitte/A-to-Be SR-125 sole-source contract), 2024-10-07. https://www.sandag.org/about/-/media/2136B5CE2304462F85433D1842528BFE.ashx
- E-23889 FEC API (api.open.fec.gov), HNTB Holdings PAC (FEC C00386029) schedule_b disbursements. https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/schedules/schedule_b/?committee_id=C00386029
- E-23890 iNewsource, "SANDAG Board UNANIMOUSLY awards AECOM $50M Otay Mesa Port contract," 2025-10-30. https://inewsource.org/2025/10/30/san-diego-county-infrastructure-project-contract-otay-mesa-port/
- E-23891 SANDAG, "New leadership elected to SANDAG" (Heebner Chair, LaCava 1st VC, Minto 2nd VC), 2025-01-10. https://www.sandag.org/news/news-release-new-leadership-elected-to-sandag-2025-01-10
- E-23893 KPBS, "Measure G failure shows urban-suburban divide over funding for public transit," 2024-11-19. https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2024/11/19/measure-g-failure-shows-urban-suburban-divide-over-funding-for-public-transit
- E-23894 Stop the SANDAG Tax campaign website (No on Measure G top contributors). https://www.nonewtaxessd.com
- E-23895 CA Secretary of State Cal-Access bulk export (2026-03-20 snapshot), MathPolitics RCPT_CD vendor → SANDAG board-member crosswalk. https://campaignfinance.cdn.sos.ca.gov/dbwebexport.zip#round2-2026-04-22
- E-23896 CA Secretary of State Cal-Access, "Stop the SANDAG Tax — No on Measure G 2024 committee" (filer 1469305), 2024-05-08. https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1469305&session=2023
- DB MathPolitics database connection/evidence IDs as cited (board-membership connections C-178673, C-178674; donation connections C-178675 through C-178704). → view in evidence search
Report #68 · The Trolley Question (part 2) · condensed AI fact sheet. Chronological; every claim cited; inferences flagged. Source: full report the-trolley-question-part-2.
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