DISTRICT 2 Candidates debate Oct. 1

and Sacramento, being challenged by an insurgent candidate from their same party,” Luna said.

“Ideologically it is not a big battle ... but you see a Republican Party in District 2 trying to find a voice that can resonate before it gets on the chopping block of the purple wave,” he said, referring to growing Democratic voter influence.

From Assembly and Senate to county supervisor

Anderson, a longtime Alpine resident alongside his wife, Kate, is a well-known commodity in East County.

He was first elected to the state Assembly in 2006, representing a district that included much of District 2.

Four years later, he made the jump to the state Senate, representing an even larger portion of the eastern San Diego area.

During his tenure in the Legislature, Anderson stayed largely true to the Republican brand. He was known for his social and fiscal conservatism and advocacy for small businesses and taxpayers.

He often received an “A” grade from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association as well as high marks from the California Chamber of Commerce and the American Conservative Union Foundation, receiving the Award for Conservative Excellence from the ACUF in 2016.

Now Anderson has continued that focus and is talking about quality of life issues as he runs for county supervisor.

“I’m 60, and all of my friends are having to leave the state to visit their kids and their grandkids,” Anderson said by phone. “We have failed to provide the same opportunities in East County that I grew up with.”

If elected, Anderson said he’ll focus on expanding housing attainability, reducing homelessness, increasing career opportunities in the district and bolstering mental health services. He praised some of the county mental health initiatives launched by Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.

Anderson also said the county should push to help develop career opportunities in East County, pointing to 70 acres of undeveloped land next to Gillespie Field in El Cajon.

“If it (the land) were developed it would pay the highest taxes, which would help fund public safety, roads and infrastructure,” Anderson said. “Every job created at Gillespie is a car off the freeway.”

He suggested partnering with the region’s biotech companies to develop satellite offices in the area.

Poway mayor hopes to stay local

Vaus, who has been mayor of Poway since 2014, also has deep ties to the district and took a unique path to public office.

A 27-year resident of Poway alongside his wife, Corrie, Vaus was first elected to public office in 2012 when he served on the Poway City Council.

Two years later he successfully ran for mayor, a post he was re-elected to in November 2018. He was praised for his leadership in the aftermath of the Poway synagogue shooting last year.

He also currently serves as chairman of the San Diego Association of Governments, the entity at the center of debate over the future of transportation in the region.

Prior to his time in public office, Vaus was already fairly well known.

The son of a minister, Vaus had an accomplished career as a recording artist and owner of a production company. His niche was country music and children’s songs, and he won a Grammy in 2010 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. He also earned multiple Emmy awards, along with his wife, in 2007.

In an interview Monday, Vaus said his top priorities if elected would be public safety, homelessness and mental health — a topic he said is personal because his sister suffered from schizophrenia and was once homeless.

“A tent or a tarp isn’t a home and should never be a home,” Vaus said.

“We’ve got to have a safety net there for folks like my sister. For me the housing has to come with mental health and addiction treatment services. We have to treat the entirety of a person’s needs and, if we do that, we can make a difference.”

Vaus suggested the county look into buying and repurposing more motels and industrial properties for housing. He said the old assessor building in El Cajon could be a great space to repurpose for senior or shortterm housing.

Endorsements, fundraising and a race to the middle

The race thus far has been competitive.

Vaus has an edge in fundraising but his and Anderson’s campaigns have nearly the same amount of cash available, $159,965 and $139,926, respectively.

Endorsements have favored Vaus, with support from Supervisors Jacob, Greg Cox, Kristin Gaspar and Jim Desmond, as well as county Sheriff Bill Gore and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

Anderson has received support from former Gov. Pete Wilson, former Rep. Duncan Hunter Sr. and state Sens. Patricia Bates and Brian Jones, as well as the local Republican Party.

However, Anderson was the top vote-getter during the primary, earning 35.4 percent of the vote, followed by Vaus who captured 31 percent. Kenya Taylor, the lone Democrat in the primary race, captured 26.7 percent of the vote.

With Taylor out of the race, Luna said, the question may be which Republican her supporters and other Democrats flock to. There are 140,783 registered Republicans in the district, 131,781 Democrats and 91,184 independents.

As evidence of his bipartisanship, Anderson has touted bills he worked on with Democrats in the Legislature as well as the fact that for four years he did not caucus with Republicans.

Anderson referred to a homelessness bill he worked on with Sen. Jim Beall, Dsan Jose.

“I had arguably one of the most conservative votes in the legislature, and I could have sat there and said ‘nope, nope, nope’ and nothing would be solved,” Anderson said. “Instead I reached across the aisle and said, ‘If you care about mental health and you care about the homeless, let’s do a pilot program … and get something done.’”

Anderson’s reputation among progressive groups may hurt his pitch, however. While in the state Senate, Anderson received a “0” rating from the Sierra Club in 2018 and poor ratings from Equality California, Planned Parenthood, Health Access California and labor groups.

Meanwhile Vaus has sought to position himself as a man in the middle.

He did not aggressively pursue the local Republican Party’s endorsement and has even received backing from the county’s major labor union, SEIU Local 221, and from such notable Democrats as Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas.

“I always like to make sure every side of every argument gets a fair hearing, and I listen a far lot more than I talk,” Vaus said.

“This is a nonpartisan office. … I’m not the Republican candidate. I’m happy to be the guy in the middle because that’s the way I believe I can most effectively serve my constituents.”

Anderson and Vaus will square off in a debate at Voice of San Diego’s “Politifest 2020” on Oct. 1.

charles.clark @sduniontribune.com