Part Two of two parts
Part One
By Frank Gormlie
As we delve more now in Part Two into Malin Burnham, "the last Corte Maderan" as Mike Davis calls him, and his possible take-over of San Diego's only daily newspaper, longtime City Heights community activist, Anna Daniels, one of the editors at San Diego Free Press, cautioned:
When the news broke that Malin Burnham was interested in purchasing the U-T San Diego with the intent of turning it into a non-profit, the main and often only description of him was as a San Diego "philanthropist". And it is true--Burnham is known for his extensive philanthropy.
He is also known for his role as a local real estate developer, as chairman of First National Bank at San Diego and as a former Director of San Diego Gas and Electric. It might prove useful in the future to keep these other interests in mind.
Which pretty much sums up Part One for me. As City Hall veteran, Norma Damashek, reminded us:
As you know, Burnham has been a VIP mover and shaker in San Diego for decades. He’s not stingy with his money. Some is philanthropy, some is strictly political.
It's also useful to know that Burnham represents a wing of the local Establishment that has challenged the other, more conservative wing on numerous occasions - with the back and forth between the different factions going for decades.