Faulconer has raised more than $1.5M for his local nonprofit

tion say the purpose of the tax-exempt charity i s “to relieve the city of San Diego of the costs and burden of conducting activities on behalf of the office of the mayor of San Diego.”

The governing documents also say charity assets may be spent on goods and ser vices as varied as furniture for city off ices, polling on public-policy issues and search firms to assist with City Hall staff ing, among other projects.

Faulconer personally raised more than $1.5 million for the charity during his time in the mayor ’s off ice, records show. The money was generally donated through what are called behested payments, or charitable contributions solicited by public officials.

According to public disclosures, Faulconer collected the funds from major San Diego donors with direct business before the city.

Among others, they include the Seidler Co., which is run by a co-owner of the San Diego Padres, the master leaseholder at Petco Park; a family trust administered by developer Thomas Sudberry; and San Diego Gas & Electric, which relies on a city franchise agreement to deliver power within the city.

Before Faulconer left off ice last month, his off ice said the contributions helped suppor t an organization committed to enriching the community.

“Mayor Faulconer is thankful for the donor contributions that have made these community investments possible,” a spokesman told the Union-Tribune i n 2018. “The mayor plans to continue to encourage individuals and companies to support worthy causes that improve our city.”

Faulconer, who this week announced he is setting up an exploratory committee for a potential run for California governor,

credited the achievements of One San Diego.

“Our city succeeds when every neighborhood succeeds and One San Diego worked every day to make that dream a reality,” he said in the charity’s statement. “One San Diego showed that an entire city can come together to make change in a million tiny ways and its impacts will last for lifetimes to come.”

According to its most recent tax filing, One San Diego raised more than $213,000 in 2019. Its annual expenses were just under

$300,000, leaving more than $168,000 in total assets.

The same document shows that grants to community organizations declined from almost $70,000 in 2017 to $12,500 the following year and $57,000 l ast year. At the same time, the chief executive’s salary increased from $60,000 to just under $80,000.

The charity’s board chairman is L ani Lutar, a reg istered l obbyist within the city of San Diego. Former San Diego police chief Shelley Zimmerman, who was appointed by

Faulconer, also ser ves on the board of directors.

DiSarro said all of the leftover assets were spent on charity overhead and the backpack project. Under state and federal tax law, charitable assets are required to remain in the nonprof it sector, meaning they must be distributed to other tax-exempt entities.

According to a UnionTribune analysis of behested payment disclosures, One San Diego collected some $312,000 in donations solicited by Faulconer in 2019 and more than $100,000 in 2020.

In its press release, One San Diego identif ied three local nonprofits that it said would be collecting $5,000 grants.

They include Reality Changers, which works to support f irst-generation college students; Concrete and Canvas, which promotes community through youth ar t and other projects; and the San Diego Police Foundation, which supports law enforcement.