Election Day is almost here.
If you already voted, great. If you haven’t, and need to cram, we’ve got you.
Our reporters dug into the races and ballot measures with the most at stake over the last few weeks. Will county control return to Republicans? What would that mean for the region’s housing and climate goals? Can 10 cities and the county convince voters to increase sales taxes?
There’s a lot at stake. You can read all our election stories on our stakes page.
Here are some you don’t want to miss.
So many sales taxes: Our social media star Bella Ross explains in a new video and post why there are so many damn sales taxes on this year’s ballot. Ten cities are making the case to voters that they need to increase sales taxes. The county is also making the case for a county-wide sales tax increase. Will it work? Read more here.
The climate guy: Some political mailers are painting supervisor candidate Kevin Faulconer as the guy who “led the region’s FIRST Climate Action Plan.” The former mayor of San Diego did, and he got a lot of recognition for it. But our environment reporter points out that his latest statements as a supe candidate don’t jibe with the policies he supported as mayor. Read the full story here.
A lot of money down south: A Chula Vista City Council race is getting a lot of attention and dollars. Our Jim Hinch reports that labor groups and real estate interests have raise and spent more money than the candidates running for office — Cesar Fernandez and Rudy Ramirez. Read more here.
Grab some cafecito. Here are stories you need to read before the election.
Who Dis? Texts from Campaigns
Two weeks ago, my fiancé asked me: Why is Todd Gloria texting me?
The mayor wasn’t. The text came from the San Diego County Democratic Party. The message? “Re-elect Todd Gloria as your mayor and he will continue to make San Diego a city that works for all of us.”
The new robocall: Voters may have noticed that they are getting a lot of text messages from political campaigns ahead of Election Day. What’s up with that?
Voice contributor Mason Herron explains in a new story that texting voters is a powerful and cheap way to get their messages out.
He writes, “Mailers, TV ads and Instagram videos leave lasting impressions, create visibility, and build name recognition — goals every campaign has. Yet these tools come at a steep price. Television commercials can easily cost six figures, and mailers or digital ads cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars depending on the district.
Text messaging, on the other hand, allows campaigns to reach voters directly at a fraction of the cost, often just a few cents per message.”
You can read more about why and how political campaigns are texting you here.
Have you received some? Send me a note at andrea.lopez@voiceofsandiego.org.
More Chisme to Start Your Week
- Our old pal Andy Keatts joined us in the podcast studio for a recording of the elections draft. We picked the races we’re following and we explained why they are interesting. You can listen to the show here.
- Tigist Layne explains why residents in Poway are fired up about a fitness center and why they will get to decide its fate on Tuesday. Read the full story here.
- Two bills that aimed to rein in AI tech failed. Our Deborah Brennan explains why in the latest Sacramento Report.
- Messy school boards: Jakob McWhinney checked in on two school district board races that are heating up. One board race could decided a superintendent‘s future at the district. The other is asking voters to decided if they want to re-elect a trustee who has been a polarizing figure on the board, or kick him to the curb.