A B737-700'S L SLAT CONTACTED A LIGHT POLE ON TXWY C1 AS THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO ALLOW ROOM FOR OTHER ACFT TO TAXI TO SAN'S RWY 27.

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PUSHED BACK FROM GATE X. WE HAD BEEN GIVEN A (WINDOW OF TIME) LCL WHEELS UP TIME TO ZZZ1. WE WERE UNABLE TO PUSH EARLIER BECAUSE PAX WERE STILL BOARDING AT SCHEDULED PUSH TIME. WHEN WE CALLED FOR PUSH; GND TOLD US TO HOLD FOR ANOTHER CARRIER ACFT PUSHING BEHIND US. IT WAS THEN APPARENT TO ME THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE OUR WHEELS UP TIME AND ASKED FOR ANOTHER. WE PUSHED ONTO TXWY B ONCE THE OTHER CARRIER WAS CLR. START AND TAXI WERE NORMAL AND WE RECEIVED A NEW WHEELS UP TIME. AS WE TAXIED E ON TXWY B; I SAW A DISABLED OTHER CARRIER ON TXWY B FACING W BTWN TXWY D AND B1. GND TOLD US TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY D. WE WERE THEN INFORMED THAT THE FIRST OTHER CARRIER WAS NOT READY.(THEY WERE ON TXWY B1 BTWN TXWY D AND THE APCH END OF RWY 27.) WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TURN L ON TXWY D; CROSS RWY 27 AND TURN R ON TXWY C. AS WE WERE TAXIING E ON TXWY C; GND INSTRUCTED US TO PULL AS FAR TO THE L ON TXWY C1 AS WE COULD SO THEY COULD TAXI ACFT BESIDE US FOR TKOF ON RWY 27. THE OTHER CARRIER STILL HAD TXWY B1 BLOCKED AND THE DISABLED SECOND OTHER CARRIER'S ACFT HAD TXWY B BLOCKED. I INTENTIONALLY DEVIATED FROM THE TXWY YELLOW LINE TO PROVIDE MORE ROOM FOR ACFT TO TAXI BESIDE ME (W). I SAW A LIGHT POLE ON MY 1 O'CLOCK POS AND POINTED THE NOSE OF THE ACFT TO THE L OF IT AND THEN TURNED THE TILLER TO POS THE WINGTIP OF THE ACFT AS CLOSE TO THE EASTERN FIELD BOUNDARY FENCE AS I COULD TO ALLOW ADEQUATE ROOM FOR ACFT TO TAXI BY ME AND TAKE OFF. I WAS IN NO HURRY SINCE MY WHEELS UP TIME WAS 13-15 MINS LATER. I GOT THE NOSE OF THE ACFT PARALLEL TO THE TAXI LINE AND FELT WHAT I INITIALLY THOUGHT WAS A L BRAKE GRAB SLIGHTLY. I WAS GOING NO MORE THAN 2 KTS. I STOPPED THE ACFT AND LOOKED TO SEE WHERE THE L WINGTIPS WAS IN RELATION TO THE FENCE. THE FENCE WAS SLIGHTLY OUTSIDE (2-3 FT) OF THE WINGTIP WITH SEVERAL FT OF VERT CLRNC. WITH THE PARKING BRAKE SET; I WAS JUST WAITING FOR MY TIME TO TAKE OFF. APPROX 30 SECONDS AFTER SETTING THE PARKING BRAKE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND I ANSWERED THE SVC PHONE. HE INFORMED ME THAT I HAD HIT A LIGHT POLE WITH THE L WINGLET. I LOOKED OUT AT THE WINGLET AND COULD SEE NO DAMAGE. I THEN CALLED OPS; TOLD THEM I HAD HIT A LIGHT POLE AND NEEDED TO RETURN TO A GATE. THEY TOLD ME TO RETURN TO GATE X. I TOLD THEM TO INFORM DISPATCH AND CALL OUT CONTRACT MAINT. I GOT CLRNC FROM GND AND TAXIED TO THE GATE AND SHUT THE ACFT DOWN. WHEN I WENT DOWN THE STAIRS TO THE TARMAC; AN ARPT POLICE CAR AND OFFICER WERE THERE. WE BOTH LOOKED AT THE WINGLET AND COULD SEE NO DAMAGE. WHEN CONTRACT MAINT ARRIVED (LESS THAN 5 MINS) HE SAW DAMAGE ON THE #1 SLAT. THE DENT APPEARED TO BE 3-4 INCHES LONG AND 3/4 INCHES DEEP. THE ENTIRE EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD I SEEN THE POLE I EVENTUALLY HIT. I KNEW THAT CLRNC WAS NO LONGER GUARANTEED WHEN I DEVIATED FROM THE YELLOW LINE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE VIGILANT. IN MY QUEST TO HELP OUT GND; I LET DOWN MY GUARD AT AN INAPPROPRIATE TIME AND THE RESULT WAS I DAMAGED AN ACFT.