Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Former San Diego Mayor Gambled $1 Billion Of Her Jack In The Box Fortune
San Diego's former beloved mayor and the wife of the late Jack In The Box's founder gambled $1 billion of her fortune on video poker over the course of a decade.
Maureen O'Connor, 66, was the mayor of San Diego from 1988 until 1992 and also the wife of the late fast food magnate Robert O. Peterson. From all accounts, she was a popular mayor. Reporters who covered her while she was in office called her a "goody two shoes" and said her only apparent vice during her time in office seemed to be occasionally sneaking away during the day to catch a movie, according to the New York Times.
But things went downhill for O'Connor after the death of her husband in 1994. She developed a gambling habit, and to fuel it, she liquidated her assets, took out second and even third mortgages on her properties and dug herself deep into debt. Her gambling landed her in court when she pilfered $2,088,000 from her late husband's foundation that supported local charities.
Her lawyer blames the epic spree on grief and a brain tumor that she had removed in 2011. He said that her behavior fit the syndrom known as "grief gambling," and the tumor only aggravated it by damaging parts of the brain that control reasoning and judgment. She told ABC 10 in San Diego that after the tumor was removed, she lost the desire to gamble. She says that the tumor made her feel like a different person.
Support for LAist comes from
O'Connor worked out a plea deal with prosecutors that allows her to avoid prison. She agreed to repay the money she took from the foundation and also to undergo treatment for her gambling habit, according to Reuters. If she meets the terms of the deal, the case will be dropped.
Reporters were not allowed into court, but O'Connor told reporters outside: "I will repay the loans. I always meant to."
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy called O'Connor a "selfless public official who contributed much to the well-being of San Diego." But she added: "No figure, regardless of how much good they've done or how much they've given to charity, can escape criminal liability with impunity."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist