The mayor’s Charter Committee is only one example of the continued back-room politics and corporate/developer giveaways that still plague San Diego with such examples as the Regents Road bridge project, the proposed creation of an Independent Rates Oversight Committee, the now-famous Sunroad development, the Navy Broadway Complex, and even allowing companies to skirt the City’s Living Wage Ordinance. These issues will have to be topics for a future Café San Diego post.
What is important is that all San Diegans who care about open, representative government, strong communities and true American values come together to advocate for policies that reflect our passions. PSD believes there is a vibrant and potentially powerful progressive movement in the region. We have seen glimpses of this in the past, coming together on issues like the Living Wage Ordinance and campaigns like Donna Frye.
However, our power is limited as we are often too fractionalized and too parochial to be effective. Our lack of cohesion and leadership must stop or progressives will see a continued erosion of protection for working San Diegans. It is imperative that we start the process now to build a broad-based, cohesive progressive movement in San Diego that works together to protect working families, promote a living wage and affordable housing, advocate for civil liberties and women’s rights, safeguard our environment and push for electoral reform.
We must change our pattern of behaviors. The only way for any progressive organization to be truly progressive (and effective) is for all of us to be thinking of the entire community during our decision-making process, not just our own niche. This is how conservatives have wedged us countless times—pinning us against one another when we should really be collaborating on our progressive efforts. Ben Franklin summed it up best when he said “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.“
As a result, PSD is working in collaboration with countless progressive organizations and individuals to craft a “Progressive Platform” for the San Diego region. We hope that this platform, once completed, will provide a blueprint for a more representative, more equitable and more sustainable San Diego.
I look forward to releasing this platform the next time I host Café San Diego!
— TOMMIE WATSON