South Bay elected official reveals more about his income after inewsource probe

For the first time in years, a South Bay elected official has reported receiving payments from a low- and moderate-income apartment complex — the same complex that has helped fuel the rise of San Diego County’s labor movement.

Imperial Beach City Councilmember Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez reported on his latest statement of economic interest that he earned more than $100,000 last year as a rehab project manager from an entity called “SDBTC FAMILY HOUSING CORP ONE.”

It’s the name of a nonprofit controlled by a coalition of labor unions that owns an apartment complex known as the National City Park Apartments. An inewsource investigation last year revealed that the coalition, known as the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, has used untaxed rent and laundry payments from the apartments to influence elections across the region — from city councils and school boards to ballot measures that advance labor interests. 

Some of that money even helped Leyba-Gonzalez get elected in Imperial Beach. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Elected officials are required to fill out a form every year that shows their financial interests, such as income and business ties. These filings help members of the public see if an official might have a conflict of interest — for example, making decisions that benefit themselves or their employer. 

But connecting who pays Leyba-Gonzalez for what job hasn’t been easy. 

Records show he started working for the labor coalition in 2020 and is now listed as a business representative and political organizer. But when he started running for his seat on the Imperial Beach City Council that same year, he didn’t list the coalition as an employer. In fact, he didn’t list any sources of income during his first two years in office.

Leyba-Gonzalez served on the council for three years before he filed amendments, showing he had received more than $100,000 from the coalition since taking office. But none of the coalition’s tax filings show him as a paid employee, which would be required if he did in fact receive that much.

In 2022 and 2024, but not in 2023, Leyba-Gonzalez is listed on the National City Park Apartments tax filing as a facilities and rehab manager, collecting more than $100,000 annually. 

In his latest statement of economic interest, filed last month, he separated the two streams of income for the first time. He reported collecting between $10,001 and $100,000 from the coalition, and more than $100,000 from the apartment complex.

As of this week, it appears he has not yet amended previous filings to show his years of service with the apartment complex. That should concern every citizen, said Sean McMorris, the transparency, ethics and accountability program manager at government watchdog group Common Cause California.

Statements of economic interest “exist in order for us to enforce the state’s conflict of interest laws, and plus it’s part of the transparency we demand of our representatives,” McMorris said. “It helps us determine whether they’re primarily working for the public or if they’re working in a self-interested way that could benefit them financially.”

Elected officials are required to amend previous statements once an error is brought to their attention, and not doing so would amount to a violation of the state’s Political Reform Act, McMorris added.

The state’s Fair Political Practices Commission is charged with enforcing that law, but a spokesperson said the agency’s role is limited to offering guidance to an individual or their representative about their obligations under the law. Enforcement of the law appears to be complaint driven, though the FPPC says it also investigates on its own initiative.