We spent the last few weeks in San Diego’s southeastern neighborhoods ahead of the District 4 City Council special election on March 26. If you missed anything, here’s an easy way to catch up.
Our media partners at NBC 7 San Diego did its San Diego Explained segment on the election Wednesday night.
You can also follow our coverage of the district through some numbers.
• $1.6 billion. Amount district residents spent in 2005 on groceries, restaurants, apparel and other retail items.
• $813.3 million. Amount district residents spent on retail items within the district that year, less than half the total. Residents say they want healthier food options and more locally owned restaurants and businesses.
• 1987. Date development blueprints, known as community plans, were last updated in three out of the four planning areas in the district. Their age makes neighborhood growth and change more difficult.
• 19.8. The percentage of blacks in District 4, which has long been their political stronghold.
• 41.5 and 23.9. The percentages of Hispanics and Asians, respectively, in the district. Their numbers outweigh their political influence.
• $500 million. Cost estimate of development plans by major nonprofit Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. The center wants to bring a Walmart, Walgreens, In-N-Out Burger, other businesses and housing to the district.
• Three. The district had the third lowest overall crime rate of the city’s nine council districts in the last three years.
• 24.6. The percentage of the city’s homicides in the last three years that took place in the district.
We took what we learned about these numbers and other district issues to the candidates.
• Myrtle Cole sees herself as an heir to past district leaders. A shadowy PAC mailer recently made false claims against her, though supporters have put out a misleading campaign flier about her residency.
• Dwayne Crenshaw has made specific promises to voters and laid out plans to achieve them. He celebrates his accomplishments at a local nonprofit, but his time there attracted significant controversy.
• Barry Pollard wants to change how people view District 4. He’s struggled with his business, personal and campaign finances, though he recently corrected his city business license problems.
• Bruce Williams takes a limited-government, tough-on-crime approach. He also recently switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat in a Democrat-heavy district.
• We heard from three other candidates running: Monica Montgomery, Sandy Spackman and Tony Villafranca.
If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote on Tuesday, there will be a runoff by mid-May.
Liam Dillon is a news reporter for Voice of San Diego. He covers how regular people interact with local government. What should he write about next?
Please contact him directly at liam.dillon@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5663.
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