The contentious battle between former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and sitting County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer to represent many of the county’s coastal communities is the highest-stakes local race this cycle.
A Lawson-Remer win would ensure a continuing Democratic majority on the Board of Supervisors while a victory for Faulconer would put Republicans back in charge.
Both candidates argue they’re the right leader to improve the county’s response to homelessness.
As our Lisa Halverstadt writes, Faulconer is pledging to shake things up and make the county the regional leader on homelessness that many have long craved. Lawson-Remer, meanwhile, argues that she has made significant progress since she took office in 2021 and that she’s most qualified to keep pushing for change.
The rub: Neither candidate has a record of leadership that proves they can deliver the dramatic shift they are promising, particularly as one of five supervisors rather than as a mayor who can direct staff. Faulconer’s mayoral administration was marred by a series of debacles and an initially sluggish homelessness response. Lawson-Remer, meanwhile, isn’t a well-known leader on homelessness issues and while she’s pushed for change, her work hasn’t quieted criticism of the county’s homelessness track record.
A District 3 Campaign Stunt: Lawson-Remer sought to play up the Union-Tribune editorial board’s recent declaration that it wouldn’t “trust Faulconer to run a lemonade stand” by setting one up outside 101 Ash St. on Wednesday and holding a rally. Lawson-Remer argued that the real estate debacle is evidence that Faulconer is the wrong candidate for supervisor.
Refresher: In 2016, Faulconer directed the city to pursue a lease-to-own deal to acquire the high-rise absent an independent inspection. City employees only briefly worked in 101 Ash before a January 2020 evacuation following asbestos violations. It was later revealed that a real estate broker publicly known as a volunteer city adviser was paid millions of dollars for his work on the lease. Faulconer has said he didn’t know about the payouts and emphasized that he stopped making rent payments months after the evacuation. The building, a major drain on city coffers, has sat empty for years. A 2021 audit panned the Faulconer administration’s handling of the transaction.
Find more election coverage here.
The Learning Curve: School Board Seat Debate
Transparency, grading and school choice. These were just a few of the topics that came up in a school board debate at this year’s Politifest, as our Jakob McWhinney reports.
Only one of five San Diego Unified school board seats are up for grabs this year. Incumbent board member Sabrina Bazzo is running against Crystal Trull in Area A.
Trull said the district’s transparency has been a problem, as well as its roll out of a new style of grading. (Bazzo agreed communication and transparency have been issues.)
Bazzo also floated the idea that the district may currently offer too much choice to students over where they attend school. She said letting students choose out of certain schools can create something of a brain drain.
Check out the video of the full debate here.
Read the full Learning Curve here.
Pols Committed to Big Stormwater Spending If Tax Passes
Mayor Todd Gloria and City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera have both committed to major investments in the city’s deteriorating stormwater infrastructure if a new city tax passes this November.
At Voice of San Diego’s Politifest, Elo-Rivera said passing the tax would be a boon to the city’s unnerving $1.6 billion project backlog. (Check out the video for the full panel discussion here. The panel was about whether governments will be ready for coming climate disasters.)
Our Will Huntsberry asked Elo-Rivera if that was a commitment to spend new money on stormwater needs.
He said that it was, at least from him, speaking as a single councilmember. Elo-Rivera also said Mayor Todd Gloria was also on board.
The mayor’s office confirmed that Gloria is committed to spending potential new tax revenues on stormwater needs.
Earlier this week, the Union-Tribune ran down some of the other priorities councilmembers have cited for the city’s next budget, including arts, roads and expanding the police force.
A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools
If you’re a parent with a ton of questions about San Diego’s school system, we’ve got your back. Our education reporter is hosting a virtual workshop today on our guide to local schools.
You can download our guide here for free. The “A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools” is packed with data and information you need to make the best school choice for your child.
Tonight’s workshop is happening on Zoom at 5:30 p.m. You must RSVP to receive the meeting link. Register here.
In Other News
- Why It Matters: Our Scott Lewis joined KPBS to explain what independent expenditures are and how they impact local races. You can watch the clip here.
- inewsource dug into home prices in one area that has long been thought of as affordable in San Diego. Home prices in Mid-City went up by 384 percent from 2000 to 2022, inewsouce reports.
- Councilmembers in El Cajon want to have a livelier downtown. They are considering lifting a ban that limits where bars can open in the city. (Union-Tribune)
- Grinch move or safety concern? An annual holiday decoration display in an East County neighborhood has become so popular and well-attended that it’s drawing complaints from some about traffic and trash. The Santee City Council is working on rules to address public safety issues related to the event. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt, Will Huntsberry and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.