GLORIA: I WANT A ROOF OVER THE HEAD OF EVERY SAN DIEGAN
Q:Combined with f lu season, the pandemic may pose even greater problems for San Diegans this winter. How will you balance public health and the economy if shutdowns are needed?
A:
We have to let data, science and the experience we’ve gleaned from living through this pandemic for seven months guide our decision-making. Lives and livelihoods are at stake. No one wants us to suffer the economic impacts we’re experiencing longer than we have to, but we have to recognize that defeating COVID-19 and returning to some sense of normalcy requires us to follow the guidance set by our public health officials.
First, let’s remember that we don’t have any solution to this pandemic that is proven to save more lives at a lower cost than wearing a mask. We can protect our health and avoid devastating closures if we just adhere to this simple public health guidance.
Second, managing this pandemic until we have a vaccine involves ensuring that we don’t overrun our health care system, and two major illnesses at the same time could do exactly that. We may not have a vaccine for COVID-19, but we do have one for the f lu. Get yours now.
Third, we’ve learned a tremendous amount about COVID-19 since the pandemic started and we can use that information to do a better job of protecting health and business. We have to move quickly on ideas that can help businesses last through these tough times. Giving restaurants the ability to move out onto sidewalks and streets is just one example.
In making decisions about reopening our local economy, we must be mindful that there can be no real recovery without first addressing the needs of children and families. As mayor, I will make sure our efforts to reopen our economy depend first on a safe, timely and equitable return to school and/or child-care provision. This ensures parents can continue to work, seek employment or further their own education.
Q:
How satisfied are you with the progress the city has made on its Climate Action Plan and how will you ensure its legally binding goals are met?
A:
I’m not satisfied. The city is not acting with urgency to implement the plan’s strategies, including 100 percent renewable energy, zero waste, energy-efficient buildings and reducing transportation emissions. The city is falling behind on encouraging alternative transportation modes, expanding our urban tree canopy, and social equity and job creation. The plan is legally binding. It should be a central consideration in virtually every decision the city makes. As mayor, I will push to have all actions before City Council include a section explaining climate impact. I believe we must develop a realistic five-year plan to identify necessary resources and put us back on track to meeting the plan’s targets. The city is facing a massive deficit due to COVID-19, so it will be vital to fully leverage our lead role at San Diego Community Power and SANDAG and aggressively pursue outside funding. Meeting our transportation goals will require a mayor who believes in building a world-class transportation system that will give San Diegans the safe and convenient options they deserve. I do. I will also direct the city to improve tracking and reporting of transportation mode share and other important measures, develop strategies to accelerate building and transportation electrification, and prioritize community-led equity programming. Most importantly, we need to develop stronger regional collaboration on climate. This is not a challenge that one city can tackle alone. I was proud to author the Climate Action Plan as interim mayor. I look forward to being the mayor who fully implements it.
Q:
Neighborhoods south of Interstate 8, including communities of color, don’t always get the funding or consideration wealthier communities to the north get. How will you address that?
A:
We need decision-makers who understand this struggle and won’t shy away from the difficult work of reversing decades of underinvestment in the Black community and communities of color south of Interstate 8. I have spent my entire career fighting to advance equality, inclusion and justice. I am not new to this fight. As mayor, I will make sure we invest in Black communities and communities of color using initiatives like the new Complete Communities initiative. The Complete Communities initiative shifts away from tying development funds to specific neighborhoods and allows for pooling of resources. By taking a holistic, citywide approach, we can get more projects done faster and target investment based on need rather than on the availability of local development impact fees. Opportunities for employment in the city have also been a barrier to growth in communities of color. As mayor, I will work with the Equal Opportunity Contracting department to ensure true local hiring is occurring throughout our neighborhoods in the city. I will work with stakeholders to ensure that our contracting procedures are
in line with best practices for equitable opportunity. The city must help prepare our young people to enter the workforce and eventually become employed. That’s why my administration will partner with school districts and expand initiatives like the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s CONNECT2Careers program to ensure our young people are able to receive pre-employment training — such as resumé building and interview preparation — as well as job and paid internship opportunities.
Q:
How, specifically, will you address the high cost of housing in San Diego? A:
As mayor, I intend to set a robust housing production goal that prioritizes appropriate new housing construction in the right locations. My opponent likes to claim that I support eliminating single-family zoning or have supported legislation to do so. That is patently untrue, and she knows it. In the midst of a severe housing crisis, I don’t believe we should eliminate anything. My vision is not a collection of high-rises next to single-family homes — that’s not smart growth. I believe we solve our housing crisis by encouraging the construction of naturally affordable housing such as accessory dwelling units, duplexes, garden-style apartments and row homes. When combined with investment in transit and multimodal infrastructure, appropriate development will not only reduce the crushing burden of sky-high housing costs, but also improve our neighborhoods, provide mobility options and help us meet our climate action goals. Under my administration, we will continue to update community plans to ensure development is planned appropriately with the full participation of the community. We will identify areas where the city can cut red tape to move projects forward without sacrificing environmental protections or having projects bogged down in city bureaucracy. Further, my administration will establish a Middle-Income Housing Trust Fund, financed by local anchor institutions, to provide capital necessary to build middleincome housing. This will create jobs and better enable local employers to attract and retain workers. As mayor, my objective will be a roof over the head of every San Diegan at a price they can afford.
Q:
What will homelessness in San Diego look like after four years of your administration?
A:
Within my first four years, San Diegans will see a decline in on-street homelessness. We will accomplish this with strong leadership, data-driven decisionmaking and accountability for all stakeholders tasked with helping us solve this program. Organizationally, homeless services will be under the direct purview of the Mayor’s Office, and I will personally ensure we are making progress on this issue by holding those carrying out the work of housing the homeless accountable every single day. San Diego will implement an aggressive housing-first strategy that combines housing with wrap-around services. Importantly, I will insist the county better address the mental health and behavioral health conditions of those living on the street. As mayor, I will work with county officials to match Mental Health Services Act funds to city housing dollars to incentivize the creation of housing first opportunities for the homeless. Lastly, I am confident that in the first four years of my administration, we can have a homeless response system in place that will not only transition those currently unhoused into housing with supportive services, but also to catch anyone who may fall into homelessness on a go forward basis.
Q:
Will — and how will — you accept and evaluate Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s proposal to redevelop the sports arena site? A:
As mayor, I will ensure that whatever gets done on the sports arena property is in the best interest of the city and taxpayers. A primary objective will be to ensure the project contains a sufficient amount of housing affordable to working people. If that’s not possible to do with the team Mayor Faulconer has chosen, then we will find someone else who can get the job done. That said, our first and foremost priority should be to pass Measure E, which will enable the city to have greater f lexibility in determining what ultimately gets done there.