Two weeks ago, Congressman Bob Filner refused to weigh on a proposal by Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs to reshape the core of Balboa Park. We asked the four major mayoral candidates to explain their positions. Only Filner declined.
“Frankly, I think it’s an insult to ask us for ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and then four sentences,” Filner wrote. “These are complicated issues and deserve more than these kinds of answers that you’re asking for.”
But in this Q&A with San Diego News Room published Wednesday, Filner got six sentences to explain his thoughts on Balboa Park. He said:
Well, I support getting the cars out of Balboa Park. I think the City Council voted to study [Jacobs’] plan and to have an environmental opinion, and I’d like to see what happens when they study that. I was on the Council starting in ’87, and I represented Balboa Park. And I had a plan to get the cars out of Balboa Park then. It was based on a tram system that would take people from outlying parking lots into the park. I’d like to see that revived just to see how that looks in relationship to building a $40 million structure.
Filner also got a few sentences on a wide range of other topics, too, including city pensions, school reform, the Chargers’ stadium bid and redevelopment. You can read the full interview here.
Disclosure: Jacobs is a major supporter of voiceofsandiego.org.
Keegan Kyle is a news reporter for voiceofsandiego.org. He writes about public safety and handles the Fact Check Blog. What should he write about next?
Please contact him directly at keegan.kyle@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5668. You can also find him on Twitter (@keegankyle) and Facebook.
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