San Diego GOP insiders fear budget bust: Donors shy from Lincoln-Reagan Dinner

Website promotion for San Diego GOP s annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner benefit Image via sandiegorepublicans org Three weeks ago the executive director of the San Diego County Republican Party shared upbeat news about the group s critical annual fund-raiser San Diego GOP budget and selected emails PDF Planning for this year s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner is going incredibly well Jacob Richards communicated Central Committee members via email And we re on pace for a very impactful event Others party members aren t so positive Last Sunday a GOP insider reported Times of San Diego that specific sponsors have not and are unlikely to commit to a table at the mid-June affair also being called President Trump s Golden Age Celebration Dinner No-shows would include the Deputy Sheriffs Association the San Diego Police Officers Association and the San Diego Association of Realtors The insider who required not to be identified reported people who have donated as much as to in past years either have not been contacted or have not pledged General entry tickets go for apiece Probable individual donors and the Realtors organization didn t respond to requests for comment But a source familiar with police groups recounted me they weren t aware of any law enforcement association taking part now that Assemblyman Carl DeMaio has taken over the local party They re having a civil war over there The end The dinner that funds party operations and salaries for a year won t raise its usual to the insider informed me And a San Diego GOP budget obtained by Times of San Diego is counting on bringing in only from an event that historically costs around to stage Also disappointing The featured speaker won t be a governor or U S senator like Ted Cruz Kristi Noem or Rand Paul as in past years Instead the keynoter will be Republican National Committee co-chair KC Crosbie Almost the entire Central Committee had to look up who the speaker was because nobody knows who it is an insider explained me But Whitsell also is touting an appearance by Scott Presler called the gay face of the MAGA movement who takes credit for swinging Pennsylvania to Trump Here in San Diego we will have the opportunity to hear from ScottPresler at the Lincoln Reagan dinner on June Join us to hear from this great patriot Republican Party of San Diego County https t co qCRaLc SYN Paula Whitsell pwhitsell May A powerful start The Lincoln-Reagan Dinner set for June at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina has secured in commitments and already collected according to a May email from executive director Richards That s a powerful start but we re not finished he wrote Only two days earlier May Central Committee member Brad Gerbel of Coronado emailed GOP leaders about the previous night s Executive Committee meeting The Chairwoman Paula Whitsell revealed that the Party has received payment for only four tables at the dinner so far Gerbel wrote However one Caucus Chair mentioned they have approximately in checks at home which once deposited should improve the current numbers To date the Party has made in deposits to the Marriott Gerbel a former second vice chair of the San Diego GOP announced that it was stated that the Party now has a six-figure balance in the bank However no clarification was given regarding how much of that amount consists of Chula Vista Mayor John McCann dollars in the Triumph Fund for his county supervisor campaign Transparency on this point is critical as those funds are not available to cover general operating expenses he wrote Without this disclosure there is a pitfall of misinterpreting the Party s actual financial fitness Gerbel cited other concerns not being discussed including ongoing Republican recall efforts in East County referring to a bid to oust El Cajon Councilman Phil Ortiz a Republican Real party issues Gerbel a financial officer for Coronado-based University Blanket Flag Corp also sent email May titled Addressing Real Party Issues One recurring concern I continue to hear is that the donor group has lost trust in the Party he wrote I have heard this not once but repeatedly throughout this year He noted Accomplishment Fund donors have expressed reluctance to contribute due to concerns about the Party s financial wellbeing Their concerns need to be addressed Another issue major to Gerbel the party s lack of Directors and Officers Insurance San Diego County Republican Party chair Paula Whitsell in January File photo by Ken Stone Times of San Diego In an April email Gerbel wrote Given our current financial state it is unlikely that sufficient funds would be available to protect members in the event of a lawsuit Without D O insurance individual members may face personal liability The next day staffer Richards substantiated via email that that the party s insurance for directors and officers had lapsed We became aware of this issue when we learned that our prior administration had not paid the premium for the initiative he wrote The annual insurance premium of approximately demands due consideration especially given the precarious financial condition in which we uncovered the party when we assumed the leadership in December Richards commented the local party s cash position was and remains well below our longstanding plan target a circumstance we do not expect to remediate until after our Lincoln-Reagan Dinner charity fundraiser But he noted that the party had no D O coverage until Until then it was the prevailing view among leadership that D O insurance was not necessary Be assured that no decision on the matter will be taken without briefing and soliciting the views of the Executive Committee after the Lincoln Reagan dinner Richards wrote No further comments Last Sunday Gerbel verified that he had sent the quoted emails to members of the Central Committee I am disappointed that they were shared with the media he disclosed in response to my email query I am not going to make any further comments According to the GOP s undated party budget s expected income was with total expenses a shortfall of Federal Electoral process Commission records for Jan through April show that the Republican Party of San Diego County had raised and spent Cash on hand in late April In late February chair Whitsell broadcasted Good News that particular modest artifice yielded lower rent at the party s Mission Valley offices at Camino del Rio South Unit Camino Del Rio South As you may know our prior lease was for per month the email stated Our landlord had been insisting on an increase to which was more than we were prepared to pay In response we took a hardline position and made preparations to vacate the premises on March The big clue to the landlord that we were serious came when we started moving our packed boxes off premises to go into storage That did the trick and negotiations resumed As a conclusion Whitsell reported No rent payment will be due for the month of March and thereafter will be a reduction off the old rate In addition to take pressure off our cash flow while we recover from balloting season our actual monthly payments for the remainder of will only be The difference would be deferred until with catch-up payments due in January and February she commented The savings would enable us to come in under budget on that item for the remainder of the year Landlord got the message The note to Central Committee members concluded Much thanks to all of the Members staff and helpers who helped pack and move boxes It wasn t a fire drill the landlord got the message and we were able to do a bit of housecleaning in the process However my insider source communicated me this week that the party was still paying office rent of a month If the Party is indeed paying that the insider reported it is far more than what was disclosed to the Central Committee and exceeds what was approved in the budget and what the Chairwoman disclosed to the Executive Committee Paula Whitsell in her second stint as party chair hasn t responded to my requests for comment Neither has executive director Richards On May when Richards stated Crosbie as speaker a national leader in the conservative movement and a powerful voice for the grassroots his email noted the Lincoln-Reagan Dinner was shaping up to be a very flourishing event Thanks to your patronage he wrote we ve already raised over toward our fundraising goal putting us well on track to surpass last year s numbers and fuel key efforts to win elections across San Diego County He added If you haven t secured your table or ticket now s the time We are selling out fast Thank you for standing with us as we grow the movement and get ready to flip seats in His May email also was encouraging Let s keep up the pace and make this the majority accomplished Lincoln-Reagan Dinner yet he wrote Together we re showing that San Diego is red ready and rising