Using /tmp for any kind of operations in a service can cause SELinux compatibility problems and open up genuine security holes (see http://danwalsh.livejournal.com/11467.html) pulpdist.core.sync_trees should be updated to accept a configurable temp dir, then the Pulp plugins updated to use the conduit's working directory API to get an appropriate path.
Simpler solution: log data isn't stored on the filesystem while a job is in progress. Instead, it is held in RAM, and passed to Pulp for storage when the job completes (regardless of success or failure). (feedback will also be passed upstream about the desirability of a better mechanism for recording partial log data in the event of failures)