To kickoff Politifest 2022, we put on a special, first-ever Politifest South: a two-part podcast recorded in front of a live audience at the Emo Brown Foundation focused on the biggest races of South County.
Part One: National City
National City mayoral candidates Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis and City Councilmembers Ron Morrison and Jose Rodriguez covered a buffet of city issues and even whipped out some texts. Though National City is seldom covered on a regional scale, its leaders proved there is no shortage of tension or salient politics — which may be evident by the fact that the city’s incumbent mayor is being challenged by two local leaders, one of whom is a fellow Democrat.
Among the topics discussed were influence of labor in the city, the city manager’s role and influence in relation to the mayor’s office, low rider culture and the loaded concept of city “cleanliness.” Dig in.
Listen Now: National City Mayoral Debate
Listen: Apple | Spotify | Google
Part Two: Chula Vista
Chula Vista mayoral candidates Ammar Campa-Najjar and City Councilmember John McCann put a feisty stamp on the night.
At McCann’s first hint of “going home in Chula Vista,” the audience bubbled. (He hired an investigator to follow Campa-Najjar.) Each candidate’s Chula Vista roots and residence were up for discussion, as you’ll hear. But also on the docket were higher-level issues for the region’s second-largest city: police and firefighter pay and retention; tacos with cops? cops with tacos?; sales taxes and city revenue options; SANDAG’s road use fee.
John is largely responsible for the changing of zoning of commercial and industrial properties to residential which makes us a bedroom community without adequate jobs or sales tax to fix streets, etc.