Something in the Air?

What is going on in San Diego? Mayor after mayor has resigned amid allegations of scandal. Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham just pleaded guilty to bribery. And today the Union Tribune reports that another congressman, this time a Democrat, has been paying his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars for campaign consulting. With no public records linking Jane Filner to her company, Bob Filner's constituents have no way of knowing that some of his campaign contributions are finding their way into his household's income. Asked to prove the existence of his wife's business, Filner's campaign provided faxed copies of a blank check from an account at SunTrust bank and a sheet of Campaign Resources letterhead with an outdated address and phone number. It goes on: Jane Filner's only client is her husband, and for the past 11 years she has drawn what is essentially an annual salary from his campaign, though the amount varies from year to year. The situation may be perfectly legal, the U-T reports, because it is OK "to pay family members who provide "bona fide services" at fair-market value. Still, election watchdogs question the way the Filners set up their arrangement."