The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
The special mayoral election is fast approaching and if you’re like many folks, you’ve got a lot to catch up on before you cast your vote.
We’re making things a little easier for you. We’ve listed some of the top issues facing the city and tracked the top four mayoral candidates’ positions on them.
If you’d like to dive deeper into the issues and the candidates’ perspectives, check out the links below our handy issues chart.
Street and Sidewalk Repairs and the Infrastructure Mega Bond: Here’s a primer on the city’s needs, and the story behind the big bond, plus our posts on where Alvarez, Faulconer and Fletcher stand.
Emergency Response Times: The city’s first responders arrive late to emergency calls an average of twice a day but communities within 9 1/2 miles south and east of downtown San Diego are most likely to see delayed responses. We asked the three top mayoral contenders about their plans to address the discrepancies.
Job Creation Strategies: Read the plans Alvarez, Faulconer and Fletcher released ahead of the election.
Police Retention: Here are three fact checks we’ve written on the issue here, here and here. Faulconer and Fletcher released Police Department plans, and Alvarez mentioned police retention issues in his mayoral blueprint.
Affordable Housing: Here’s a primer on the affordable-housing fee increase recently approved by the City Council.
Barrio Logan Plan: Here’s our explainer on the Barrio Logan community plan approved by the City Council in September. Business leaders in the area oppose the community blueprint and aim to refer it to the ballot.
Outsourcing/Competitive Bidding for City Services: In 2006, voters gave city officials the option to outsource some city services and it’ll be up to the next mayor to decide whether to proceed with that approach.
Prevailing/Minimum Wage Hikes: In July, the City Council approved a prevailing wage ordinance that means generally higher wages for most city construction contract workers. State legislators also recently voted to hike the state’s minimum wage in coming years.
Open Government: City Councilman Mark Kersey pushed a draft open data policy in September. That’s now on hold and Faulconer and Alvarez have suggested other approaches too.
Medical Marijuana: The City Council approved a medical marijuana ordinance in 2011 only to be rescinded by medical marijuana advocates who thought it was too restrictive. Confusion has largely reigned since. The City Council is set to review a new ordinance in January.
New Chargers Stadium: The Chargers have long sought a new football stadium without much success. Here’s a video explainer on the stadium push.