There’s a lot at stake in this election. Despite a Democratic majority, our San Diego City Council is not firmly committed to environmental protection. We saw that when the Council voted to renew the city’s franchise agreement with San Diego Gas and Electric (SDGE). And we’ve seen it repeatedly with approvals of developments that are insufficiently sensitive to environmental concerns and with the weakening of neighborhood safeguards.
Four years ago when I ran for this seat, we lost a very close race to a developer-backed incumbent. It’s no surprise that developers are once again backing my opponent. But four years ago, my opponent was a Republican. This time, I’m running against a “sort of” Democrat. I say “sort of” because he just registered as a Democrat last year in order to run for this race. In contrast, I first registered to vote in 1987 as a Democrat, and I’ve proudly supported Democrats ever since.
To that end I co-founded San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action in 2014, and served as its first president to ensure we Democrats support elected leaders who do more than just “talk the talk,” but actually “walk the walk” in pursuit of sustainability and effective climate action.
As a County Planning Commissioner appointed by Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, I work diligently to curb sprawl, protect and preserve open space, and require development to incorporate environmental safeguards. I’m a veteran of innumerable fights for our environment and to protect our beaches, bays, canyons, and native habitats.
I will proudly bring all these values to bear if I am elected to the San Diego City Council. We need a committed environmentalist in District 6. The stakes are high and the decisions far-reaching. I’m committed to fulfilling our Climate Action Plan, preserving our diverse ecosystems and habitats, providing unleaded fuel at Montgomery Field, supporting ratepayers instead of shareholders, ensuring the successful implementation of Pure Water, expanding rooftop solar, and capturing and treating stormwater so our creeks, beaches, and bays no longer become toxic soups during stormy weather.
Thus far, our campaign has been endorsed by the San Diego Progressive Democratic Club, the Point Loma Ocean Beach Democratic Club, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, Imperial Beach City Councilmember Paloma Aguirre, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, former San Diego City Councilmember Marti Emerald, and a long list of community and environmental leaders. I’m humbled to have each of their endorsements.
This Wednesday, Jan. 19th, our Democrats for Environmental Action club will hold its endorsement meeting in the District 6 race, with credentialing beginning at 6:15 p.m., and the meeting coming to order at 6:30. I respectfully ask for for your support. I would be honored to once again earn the endorsement of San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action.