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Brace yourselves.
This week, hosts Scott Lewis, Andrew Keatts and Sara Libby wanted to catch up on what was happening in the San Diego mayor’s race. And down the rabbit hole they went.
Assemblyman Todd Gloria announced this week a new endorsement by Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction. That brought up yet another opportunity to remind folks: The mayor does not play a direct role in local schools. Gloria clarified he wants to work on initiatives such as youth master plans and “tackling disconnected youth with @sdworkforce” (Workforce Partnership). This of course prompted a discussion about how little authority the mayor has over education.
Gloria’s opponent, City Councilwoman Barbara Bry, meanwhile, has incorporated some new language into her campaign: The masses, she said, are craving “competent managerial experience.”
She also brought in another voice to make the case for her candidacy.
Bry’s husband, Neil Senturia, wrote a letter to potential supporters this week asking for financial contributions to the Bry campaign, citing her relentlessness and Senturia’s own authority on leadership, having taught “rational man behavior” at universities.
That email reminded us about an earlier project of Senturia’s. Enter: VCs in a Van.
It’s a web series about venture capitalists visiting entrepreneurs, in a van.
Encinitas Mayor on SANDAG
Catherine Blakespear, mayor of Encinitas and vice chair of SANDAG, joined Lewis on the podcast for a wide-ranging interview that covered transportation, vacation rentals and housing.
Blakespear initially caught our attention this week with her recent mayoral newsletter outlining SANDAG’s obligations to the region, its previous plan and new regional plan, which aims to employ the “Five Big Moves” to serve the county’s needs while complying with state mandates.
So Blakespear and Lewis dug in on transit — how this new plan could change the region by employing more transit — and who in the county opposes that method of transportation for practical or political purposes.
Here’s an exchange from the interview:
Lewis: “Do you suspect that she [County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar] has decided and, and her allies have decided, that the attack on transit is actually now more politically valuable than any sort of compromise and strategic partnership would be? ‘We can just hit that now real hard and gain a political advantage.’ Have they gone there yet do you think?”
Blakespear: “I think that’s absolutely what’s happening.”
The interview with Blakespear starts at 29:30. You can also watch the full interview here.
Ladybugs and Beach Wrestling
At the start of the show, Lewis impulsively brought up “ladybugs!” If you’re unfamiliar, here’s a tweet to catch you up on what’s going on there.
The crew also had to do a post-mortem on the unrealized dream of the World Beach Games in San Diego. The games were slated for October. But San Diego just couldn’t pull it off. Oh what might have been.
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