FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2022
SAN DIEGO – San Diego County Planning Commissioner Tommy Hough made his financial disclosures for the second half of 2021 in his San Diego City Council District 6 race available at his website today.
The reason for the early disclosure, said Hough, is to ensure that Kent Lee’s campaign also has “sunlight and transparency on all his financials.”
Members of the San Diego County Democratic Party Metro West caucus will meet on Jan. 31st, the same day as the disclosure deadline, to make an endorsement recommendation in the D6 race, in which Hough and Lee are among several candidates running. Hough said caucus members will likely not have a chance to consider his and his opponents’ donor information ahead of the vote unless the information is voluntarily released early.
Commissioner Hough challenged his Democratic rivals in the San Diego D6 race to release their financial statements for the second half of 2021 by Jan. 10th at a D6 forum at the San Diego Downtown Democratic Club last month. Mr. Lee made no comment regarding the challenge at that time.
“Even if Mr. Lee were to make his disclosures available on the morning of Jan. 31st, that’s not enough time for a thorough vetting of his committee’s financial details ahead of that evening’s meeting,” said Hough. “And with Mr. Lee having only registered as a Democrat in 2020, his reluctance to disclose early, especially with a critical Democratic party endorsement recommendation vote falling on the very same day, calls into question who his donors over the last six months may be, and what policies or initiatives they may represent.”
“A candidate’s donor information cannot be a mystery for Democrats seeking to make an endorsement in such an important race,” said Commissioner Hough. “Our neighbors in Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa, Miramar, University City, Sorrento Valley, and southern Scripps Ranch are relying upon this information being made available to party members now, not later, and not when it’s too late for it to be considered or discussed.”
Hough’s financial disclosures are linked as a PDF here.
The Metro West caucus vote on Jan. 31st will occur six weeks ahead of the March 18th candidate filing deadline, and over three months before ballots are issued by mail.
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