Newly re-elected Mayor Esther Sanchez says she loves Oceanside, where she was born and raised. But she worries her city is losing touch with its working class roots.
That’s why she focused her campaign on blocking overdevelopment and ensuring Oceanside remains accessible to “all Osiders.”
Sanchez won re-election by a razor-thin 232 votes. As our North County reporter, Tigist Layne, explains in a profile of Sanchez, that narrow margin reflects deep divisions in the city, and throughout North County, about how to solve the region’s affordable housing crisis.
Sanchez’s opponent, Oceanside Deputy Mayor Ryan Keim, said in his campaign that the solution to the crisis is building more housing. Sanchez said she supports more development – but only if it’s affordable to working class families like the one she grew up in.
“We have a responsibility to address the needs of our residents who are getting priced out,” she told Layne.
Sanchez, who retired from a career as a public defender before running for office, credits her farmworker grandparents and other family members with instilling in her an ethos of community service.
“That’s what you do. You help your community,” she said.
IB Mayor Eyes Higher Office – Just as She Lands Coveted Position on State Coastal Panel
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre seems to be everywhere these days. One minute she’s weighing in on affordable housing at a City Council meeting. The next she’s at the Tijuana Estuary lending support for state legislation to boost sewage treatment funding. Or, wait, there she is in Washington, D.C., lobbying federal officials to fix a broken sewage plant on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Our Sacramento reporter, Deborah Brennan, managed to corral Aguirre long enough to talk with her about the mayor’s recent appointment as vice chair of the powerful California Coastal Commission.
A few days later, Aguirre was on the move again, announcing her bid to replace departing San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas, who abruptly resigned last month for unspecified “safety and security reasons.”
Aguirre’s plans for her Coastal Commission role offer insights into how she’d govern on the closely divided Board of Supervisors. Aguirre told Brennan she sees a need for more urgency and collaboration to tackle San Diego’s biggest problems.
“We have to work together,” Aguirre said.
On the sewage issue, Aguirre has pressed state and federal officials to declare a state of emergency and demanded more funding to fix the problem and better research into health impacts on nearby residents.
“I have a bigger platform and bigger megaphone as vice chair” of the Coastal Commission, Aguirre told Brennan. Now she’s looking to make that platform even bigger.
Read the Sacramento Report here.
VOSD Podcast: San Diego County Is Down Another Supervisor, Again.
On the latest episode, hosts Scott Lewis, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Bella Ross explain what’s at stake now that Supervisor Nora Varags’ seat will open. The county has some BIG issues on its to-do list, and once again the supervisors are split (two Democrats and two Republicans).
Listen to the full episode here or wherever you get your pods.
In Other News
- The county enacted a state law last week that makes it easier to force people with severe addiction challenges into treatment. Our Lisa Halverstadt appeared on KPBS Roundtable on Friday to discuss it. ICYMI, Halverstadt also wrote about local preparations and the state of the treatment system as the county proceeds.
- A panel of economic experts told the Union-Tribune they expect higher unemployment, rising home prices and an unpredictable business environment next year. Major factors that could affect the economy: Possible tariffs, a proposed immigration crackdown and government reforms promised by the incoming Trump administration.
- A study by the nonprofit Urban Institute found that women inmates at the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee face challenges accessing adequate reproductive healthcare at the jail. Women who participated in the study reported long wait times, quality concerns and lack of choice in providers. (KPBS)
- Dense fog caused more than 300 flight delays or cancellations at San Diego International Airport on Friday. The disruption came at the end of a busy holiday travel season that already was upended by weather. Fog delayed nearly 800 flights at the airport during the days leading up to Christmas. Overall, officials predicted a record-breaking 1.3 million people would fly in and out of the airport during the 18-day holiday period. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Jim Hinch and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
How ridiculous. If you suppress the building of new housing, you push up rents for everyone. People keep moving to Oceanside. If you oppose development, you make life much harder for everyone who already lives here.