Voters in South County Tuesday weighed in on local city council races, a key mayoral contest and a crowded statewide race for governor.
At the Otay Mesa/Nestor Branch Library in San Diego’s Council District 8, Patricia Osuna, a house cleaner who lives in the district, showed up at a vote center with her ballot in her hand.
She said national, not local issues swayed her vote.
“Respect for the Constitution,” Osuna said in Spanish, referring to what she described as President Donald Trump’s anti-democratic efforts to seize power. “More attention to the economy because it’s declining. Respect for immigrants.”
Osuna said former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and billionaire Tom Steyer were her two top choices for governor. She declined to say which of the two got her vote.
As for local races, Osuna said she paid little attention. Change at the top mattered more.
“It’s all going in the wrong direction,” she said.
Also voting at the Nestor library was Virginia Zermeno, a 30-year-old law clerk who lives in Otay Mesa. Zermeno said she agonized over Measure A, a San Diego ballot measure that would tax unoccupied second homes.
“I was back and forth trying to see it from both perspectives,” she said of the measure.
Ultimately, Zermeno voted no. The deciding factor? Social media posts by former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey, who is running to represent Point Loma on the San Diego City Council.
Zermeno, a Democrat, said Bailey’s argument that, as she put it, “San Diego needs to focus on getting its finances together first,” swayed her, as did Bailey’s contention that taxing a small number of second homes won’t solve San Diego’s housing crunch.
“I can see how it could be government overreach,” she said.
Zermeno said she chose Becerra for governor and voted for Venus Molina in the race to represent District 8 on the Council.
“I liked that she was local,” Zermeno said of Molina. “She’s a single mother.”
At a vote center inside Chula Vista City Hall, portrait photography studio owner Ian Trotter said running a small business motivated him to choose Republican Steve Hilton for governor and fellow Republican John McCann for Chula Vista mayor.
“We need a change in this state,” said Trotter, referring to Democrats’ current dominance in state government. “[Business regulations] have gotten out of hand. There are new laws and regulations every day…Just let me do business.”
Trotter said he voted for McCann because he is familiar with the veteran city leader and because McCann “is a good guy and truly loves this city.”
Trotter said he feels the City Council in recent years has become too preoccupied with social issues and is neglecting core city needs.
“I’m not thrilled with the sanctuary city stuff,” he said. “I’d rather see them deal with homelessness…Get the city running.”
For Jose Castillo, a retired Catholic priest, two issues – housing and the cost of living – motivated him to support Chula Vista Elementary School District Trustee Francisco Tamayo, McCann’s mayoral race opponent.
Castillo said he felt Tamayo, a Democrat, “wants to provide support to all people. It doesn’t matter what race you are.”
“John McCann is doing…his best,” Castillo said. “But sometimes change is good. There are chances to improve.”
Asked about other local races, Castillo held up a glossy voter guide produced by Local 89 of the Laborers International Union, an influential local labor organization that has poured money into supporting Tamayo’s and other local Democrats’ campaigns.
The voter guide recommended Tamayo for mayor, current Chula Vista City Councilmember Jose Preciado for another term representing his city’s Council District 2 and Becerra for governor.
Castillo said he voted for all three of the recommended candidates.
“It’s good,” he said of the voter guide. “It shows the issues.”
For Claudia Ramos, a real estate agent and city building inspector, scrutinizing candidates’ endorsements was her preferred method of researching campaigns.
“I really liked Xavier Becerra,” she said of her pick for governor. “He has a lot of experience. He knows what’s going on in government. He’s supported by people I agree with.”
Ramos, a Democrat, said housing and immigration were her top two issues.
Becerra, she said, would serve as a counterweight to what she described as Trump’s overly harsh immigration policies.
“I still believe we’re a melting pot,” she said. “I think that’s what makes America great.”
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