Liberal billionaire George Soros has pushed $1.5 million into San Diego's district attorney race to support a far-left candidate who spoke on a panel hosted by the liberal billionaire last year at the left's biggest dark money donor conference.
Soros, who has been funding district attorney races across the country in his attempt to reform the criminal justice system, on May 3 deposited $1.5 million into the California Justice & Public Safety PAC. The committee was established to support Geneviéve Jones-Wright, the Democratic candidate and deputy public defender in the county. The PAC is run by Whitney Tymas, a longtime treasurer of Soros PACs.
The PAC disbursed $194,884 on television ads, $100,000 on digital advertising, and $107,575.60 on campaign literature and mailings in recent days, campaign finance records filed in San Diego County show.
Summer Stephan, the current district attorney in San Diego, is highlighting Soros's influence on the race, launching a website to draw attention to Soros's involvement. The website, ThreatToSanDiego, states that "anti-law enforcement $$$ is coming into San Diego."
The site, which features a number of quotes and positions from Jones-Wrights, includes a quote from Soros that he has "always harbored an exaggerated view of self importance" and fancied himself as "some sort of god."
Jason Roe, Stephan's campaign strategist, told the Washington Free Beacon that Jones-Wright "has fully embraced his [Soros's] positions on decriminalizing sex crimes, closing jails and prisons, and eliminating bail" and added that that she is "committed to not enforcing what she calls 'quality of life crimes' like breaking and entering and other things that are not necessarily violent crimes."
Jones-Wright appeared at the Democracy Alliance's investment conference last fall. Cofounded by Soros, the Democracy Alliance is the left's biggest dark money group; the conference took place at the La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., a half-hour from San Diego.
The Free Beacon obtained documents at that conference showing Jones-Wright's participation in a Soros hosted panel titled, "Prosecutor Races – Winning Big in 2018?" on the effort to elect far-left progressive candidates across the country.
Soros has already pushed millions into numerous district attorney races across the country backing far-left candidates.
Soros operates similarly in every city: His PAC treasurer will establish a committee as an avenue for him to pour his money to back his preferred candidate. Once the money is parked in the PAC, independent expenditures are made in support of his candidate and against their opponent. Soros then refunds himself any excess money at the conclusion of the race and the PAC is dissolved.
Soros has quietly notched a number of district attorney victories by putting his preferred candidate at a major money advantage for such a race.
Jones-Wright told the Free Beacon she was "thrilled" to have the support of "one of the most generous and progressive donors in the country."
"People talk a lot about the need to close the gap between the rich and the poor, but George Soros puts his money where his values are," Jones-Wright said, who added the money will help even things in a race she claims has been been "rigged."
"It brings a megaphone to the message of true justice and allow communities that have been marginalized by the status quo to have a shot at representation," she continued. "Criminal justice reform is getting the attention it deserves as a life and death issue for communities."
Jones-Wright did not provide a comment on her participation at the Democracy Alliance gathering.