No one can confirm that Debrah Barnes, the complainant behind Del Mar's criminal referral request, actually exists.
Barnes' letter prompted the Del Mar City Council to seek investigations of California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 22nd District Agricultural Association board member Mark Arabo over alleged conflicts of interest tied to the proposed Seaside Ridge housing project. District Attorney Summer Stephan's office rejected the referral on Oct. 1 and said it could not verify who filed the complaint.
"Despite several efforts, we have not been able to confirm the complaining party's identity or legitimacy as a complainant," Stephan wrote in a letter to the city, according to The Coast News.
Barnes has not surfaced.
Voice of San Diego reporter Tigist Layne also could not verify whether Barnes exists. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the phone number listed in the Barnes letter always goes straight to voicemail and is linked to a Snapchat user with a different name. A Google search connected the number to multiple other names, including a Florida man.
The address Barnes listed was a home off Carmel Valley Road within the Del Mar zip code but technically in San Diego's Council District 1, the Union-Tribune reported. County property records showed the home was sold by its longtime owners on July 14, five days after the city received the letter, with no Debrah Barnes listed among buyers or sellers. A homeowners association manager confirmed Barnes was not listed as an owner.
The council voted 3-0 on Aug. 3 during a special meeting lasting about 10 minutes to refer the matter to Stephan and U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. Councilmember Dan Quirk was absent. The Barnes letter, received July 9, raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest tied to the proposed 259-unit Seaside Ridge project on Del Mar's North Bluff.
Barnes alleged that Arabo had used real estate agent Brian Guiltinan, an adviser and broker for Seaside Ridge, to purchase a home in 2024. The letter also pointed to campaign contributions both Arabo and Guiltinan made to Bonta's re-election campaign.
Arabo denied wrongdoing in a letter to the city, writing that he had no personal or financial interest in Seaside Ridge and did not know Guiltinan was connected to the project at the time of the real estate transaction.
Del Mar City Manager Ashley Jones told Voice of San Diego via email that the city never investigated Barnes' identity. "The city didn't investigate the concerns that were raised or the individual that raised them," Jones said. "Instead, the City Council took action to refer the matter to the appropriate outside agencies for review."
Councilmember Terry Gaasterland told the Union-Tribune the council wanted the concerns "duly considered." Deputy Mayor John Spelich said the vote "speaks for itself." Both said the Barnes letter was their introduction to Debrah Barnes, the Union-Tribune reported, an unusual situation in a small community where many of the same residents regularly bring complaints to City Hall.
22nd DAA Board Chair Sam Nejabat released a statement calling for an independent review of Barnes' identity. "I also believe legitimate questions remain regarding the circumstances surrounding this complaint, including its origins and whether the identity of the purported complainant was independently verified," Nejabat said, according to Voice of San Diego.
Stephan's office also called the referral process unusual. The way the complaint was referred was "very irregular, especially with the media publicity surrounding its submission," Stephan wrote, according to The Coast News. Referrals of this nature have historically been communicated directly to the Public Integrity Unit rather than through public channels, the letter stated.
As we reported Oct. 16, Mayor Tracy Martinez has defended the referral and rejected calls for an apology. The 22nd DAA board has demanded an apology before resuming affordable housing negotiations with the city.
