The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
Sure, the mayoral election is more than a month away but a ballot may hit your mailbox next week.
And early, in-person voting starts Monday.
We put together a quick guide to David Alvarez‘s and Kevin Faulconer‘s positions on top city issues to help you get up to speed as the election approaches.
If you’d like to dive deeper into the issues and the candidates’ perspectives, check out the links below the 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 and Faulconer stand.
Emergency response times: The city’s first responders arrive late to emergency calls an average of more than twice an hour every day but communities within 9 1/2 miles south and east of downtown San Diego are most likely to encounter delayed responses. Ahead of the November primary, we asked the mayoral candidates about their plans to address the discrepancies.
Job-creation strategies: Read the plans Alvarez and Faulconer released before the primary.
Police retention: Here are three Fact Checks we’ve written on the issue here, here and here. Faulconer and Fletcher released a Police Department plan and Alvarez addressed 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. Alvarez is an outspoken backer of the fee hike; Faulconer is one of its chief opponents.
Barrio Logan plan: Here’s our explainer on the Barrio Logan community plan update approved by the City Council in September. Alvarez brokered a compromise that allowed the blueprint to move forward but Faulconer later helped refer it to the ballot. Voters are set to weigh in this summer.
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 later voted to hike the state’s minimum wage in coming years.
Open government: A Council committee unanimously voted to create a policy to make government data more accessible and Alvarez has proposed some other changes to the city charter that would encourage transparency. Faulconer released his own plan in November.
Medical marijuana: The City Council approved a medical marijuana ordinance in 2011 only to rescind it under pressure from 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 February.
New Chargers stadium: The Chargers have long sought a new football stadium without much success. Here’s a video explainer on the stadium push.