Martinez Bounces Back to City Hall as Lobbyist

He stepped up to the microphone wearing a dark suit and a big grin. He brought smiles to the faces of former colleagues when he introduced himself as a voter who was “presently paying a lot of taxes, a lot more than when I was on the council.”

“Higher income now, Mike,” he added in a teasing aside to San Diego Councilman Mike Gotch, who has talked about finding a job in the private sector. “I just thought I’d let you know.”

Yes, it was Uvaldo Martinez.

Barely four months after he left City Hall a convicted felon, Martinez made his first appearance Monday before the full City Council in his new role as a lobbyist.

The former District 8 representative said he came back to fulfill a promise made while on the council to upgrade the service at Torrey Pines Golf Course. His solution: Award a contract to famed professional golfer Lee Trevino and a business partner to operate the pro shop, new driving range and golf cart concession at Torrey Pines for the next 25 years.

“I am . . . not being paid one red cent by this group,” Martinez said. “There are certainly other uses of my time that could generate revenue. But while on the council, I made a commitment to this city . . . to do what we could to get a first-class operator for Torrey Pines.

“And I think, by being here, I’m doing that. Living up to my commitment and still very much believing that the way to go for the City of San Diego is to in fact execute a lease agreement with the Trevino group.”

Martinez, however, did not prevail. Council members voted, 6-1, to give the contract to a partnership that operates golf courses in Utah, Nevada and Wyoming.

The Vincent-McKee partnership will pay the city a one-time, $400,000 fee and at least $200,000 a year from rentals and sales for the life of the lease.

Orrin D. Vincent said he and his partner expect to do nearly 50% more business than Wansa Enterprises, the present operator, after they take over Oct. 1. Vincent said he plans to increase the staff by 36%, including golf teachers on the driving range and employees to clean golfers’ clubs when they come in from play.

He said he expects the new driving range and pro shop to be built in about three years, and said his partnership is also proposing that it take control of collecting greens fees. Over time, he said, the city could enhance revenue at Torrey Pines by charging out-of-town golfers $50 to play.

What to do with the Torrey Pines driving range and pro shop has been a hassle since the council decided that the facilities should be moved to make way for construction of a Sheraton hotel at the site. Wansa Enterprises resisted the move, forcing the city to pay $2 million to break the lease and find a new operator.

Martinez, an avid golfer, wanted Trevino to have that chance.

While on the council, Martinez was known for his his dry presentation and use of governmental jargon during council discussions. Lobbyist Martinez displayed a different style Monday, with hyperbole and a voice raised for emphasis.

Martinez stood at the microphone and derided as a “miracle” Vincent’s promise to increase business 50%. The biggest increase in business the city saw from the driving range and pro shop was 8.2% in 1984, he said.

“It kind of reminds me of the movie ‘Gremlins,’ ” Martinez said about the Vincent estimates. “You know, you sprinkle them with water and they pop out and there’s multiplication of the species.”

He also warned the City Council about a provision in the Vincent-McKee proposal that would require the city to buy back new golf carts and other equipment if the new pro shop operator can’t cut it at Torrey Pines.

Martinez then introduced Trevino, who told council members they should be making more money from Torrey Pines.

“You have probably one of the best locations ever,” Trevino said. “It doesn’t need Lee Trevino. It doesn’t need Jack Nicklaus. It doesn’t need Arnold Palmer.

“It doesn’t need anyone, because the golf course stands on its own merit. It is the most gorgeous place in the world.”

Council members expressed their admiration for Trevino, but voted against him because Vincent and his partner have more experience in operating golf services. Council members encouraged Trevino to come back and design a golf course in San Ysidro.