The Other Cardenas in Politics
- Media
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Two years ago, a powerful Democratic political consultant named Jesus Cardenas abruptly vanished from public life.
He pleaded guilty to two felony fraud counts, shuttered his political consulting business and became a pariah among the Democratic power brokers who once clamored for his services.
Now his name is surfacing again.
Starting late last year, a prominent labor union made a series of payments totalling $18,000 to a digital marketing firm that operates out of Cardenas’ Chula Vista house and lists as its CEO as Cardenas’ wife, Jessica Garcia.
The payments were for a variety of political and marketing services, including creating a social media and text messaging strategy for the unsuccessful San Diego City Council campaign of Josh Coyne.
Cardenas acknowledged that the marketing company, Morena Media, operates out of his home and is run by his wife.
But he denied that he is staging a political comeback or acting as a shadow operator of the company. He said the company is his wife’s alone.
“My conviction had nothing to do with political work and I’m extremely sorry for what I did,” he said. “I don’t have a formal role in the Democratic Party.”
Morning Report | July 23, 2026 | Voice of San Diego
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