A yearslong housing battle between a posh Southern California city and a developer has now dragged state Attorney General Rob Bonta into the fray — over campaign contributions allegedly tied to the developer.
Del Mar City councilmembers voted this month to ask the San Diego County district attorney and US Attorney Adam Gordon to investigate Bonta and businessman Mark Arabo, who sits on the board of the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
The request centers on campaign contributions made by people connected to Arabo and the long-running dispute over a housing development in the coastal city north of San Diego.
A rendering shows the proposed Seaside Ridge development in Del Mar. Seaside Ridge
The vote seemed to have been triggered by a letter submitted by resident Debrah Barnes, Voice of San Diego reported, which highlighted her concern with potential conflicts of interest around Seaside Ridge, a proposed housing project.
The 259-unit project was first proposed in 2022 but continues to be rejected by the city council, even as recently as this May. The city said the application is missing materials, which owner Carol Lazier insists she doesn’t need to file.
Currently, Seaside and Del Mar are in a legal battle over the issue.
The housing dispute has coincided with the state government’s push to speed up the building of affordable housing. Bonta stepped in and told Del Mar last December it had to give Lazier a straightforward process, and then in March claimed that the city was violating state housing law.
The letter by Barnes notes other factors may be in play behind Bonta’s push around the project. Real estate agent Brian Guiltinan, part of Seaside’s team, donated to Bonta’s reelection campaign four times in June 2024, totaling $18,200.
Del Mar City councilmembers voted to ask the county DA and US Attorney Adam Gordon to investigate AG Rob Bonta. Bloomberg via Getty Images
“The issue is not whether misconduct occurred,” Barnes wrote in the letter. “The issue is whether the public can have confidence that decisions regarding Seaside Ridge have been made free of undisclosed influence and without preferential access.”
Arabo’s role in the dispute centers on his opposition to an affordable housing project at the Del Mar Fairgrounds — while simultaneously expressing support for Seaside at board meetings.
City officials pointed out that Arabo, who donated the same amount to Bonta, hired Guiltinan as an agent when purchasing a home in 2024.
Mark Arabo, CEO of Refined Management, sits on the board of the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Linkedin
The fairgrounds project is tied to Seaside because if the affordable housing plan fails to materialize, the city would have to turn to the Seaside project instead
“Simply put, Ms. Lazier’s Seaside Ridge project stands to benefit if affordable housing is not timely developed at the Fairgrounds,” city officials claimed.
The Del Mar site is at the center of a legal controversy after city leaders approve a proposed 259-apartment complex. CBS 8 SAN DIEGO
But Arabo denied the allegations in a letter to the city, saying he was unaware of Guiltinan’s connection to Seaside and never discussed the project privately.
He also said he has “zero interest” in whatever happens to the project.
Attorneys for Seaside Ridge also blasted the letter by Barnes.
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A rendering shows the proposed Seaside Ridge development in Del Mar. Seaside Ridge
“The city’s apparent attempt to improperly use its official authority to threaten the project and state officials based on misconstrued, incomplete and unsubstantiated assertions is nothing less than outrageous,” wrote Brooke Miller, a representative of Seaside Ridge’s legal team.
“The city’s narrative seems to imply that simply having relationships or communicating with public officials is somehow suspicious.”
The California Post reached out to Bonta’s office for comment.
A city official clarified to the Voice of San Diego that it was not accusing anyone of wrongdoing, but simply referring a resident complaint to the proper authority.
It’s unclear if the county DA or US Attorney will pick up the matter. The Post reached out to both offices regarding Del Mar’s request.
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