2022 SD City Council Races: District Two
Is Voting Republican a Mortal Sin?
This year San Diego’s even-numbered district city council races are on the ballot.
The boundaries of District 2 were modified during the start-of-a-decade redistricting process; Pacific Beach was gone and a big chunk of Clairemont took its place. How this will change the voting results remains to be seen; suffice it to say the last decade’s worth of elections are not a guaranteed template.
Some housekeeping matters: The symbol * means a candidate is an incumbent. Internet sources are largely derived from candidates' websites; if I click on a link and it does not work, I won’t list it. I wish I could do more on campaign finance, but the reality is that many of the important expenditures and donations come late in the cycle.
Dr. Jennifer Campbell * Democrat
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 election: Q&A with Jennifer Campbell, candidate for San Diego City Council District 2
Incumbent Council member Dr. Jenn Campbell in District 2 endured the threat of a recall petition which failed to get enough signatures. Still, she managed to capture less than a third of the vote in a six candidate field in the primary.
The hordes of angry homeowners and environmentalists involved in the recall were motivated -we were told– by Campbell’s role in negotiating a deal with the vacation rental industry and her support for ending the 30 foot height limit in the Midway-Pacific Highway area.
Campbell is a Democrat, though I’d hardly call her a progressive advocate. She says all the right things about social/cultural issues, but her efforts on the council are sometimes characterized as obstructionist when it comes to dealing with many of those same issues.
She failed to win a second term as council president last year, losing out to Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who now sets council agendas, doles out committee assignments and runs council meetings.
The disturbing thing I’ve observed with her is a behavioral one, where her actions run up against smart politics.
My favorite example of this was the “press conference” held in Ocean Beach at the height of the pandemic. As a physician, Campbell was entirely right about the wanton masklessness displayed by some people in OB, but entirely wrong for fomenting an angry response when she blamed Donald Trump for such behavior and saying the Sheriff should be arresting people.
The hippie/libertarian types involved in that particular incident loved the drama. Yes, many of them are MAGAts, but she obviously didn’t know or care about those constituents based on the contempt obvious in her body language. If you don’t have a good answer for the audience you’re dealing with (Gov. candidate Beto in Texas does this successfully), then you shouldn't be raising the question.
Contempt, no matter who shows it or why, is not a political tactic that plays well on camera. And KUSI was there to catch it all. And invoking Donald Trump’s name like it’s some sort of a vampire killer isn’t very impressive in a district that’s got a +18% Democratic advantage.
I happen to agree –in a general sense– with the councilwoman on the two most divisive issues, but am aware that many people in D2 voted no on the 30 foot height issue. (I live in D3)
Dr. Jen is preaching to the choir with by prominently displaying her pro-choice credentials on the campaign website.
I suspect, however, that homelessness is the issue of concern to most residents in the area. On this issue she was also preaching to the choir with a word salad in an interview with Union-Tribune editors, repeatedly emphasizing health (i.e. psychiatric/addiction) as a cause. I’ll come back to this later on in this post.
I agree that there is a lot not to like about the incumbent. As is true with the aforementioned controversial issues, the question becomes “Is there an alternative other than just saying No?”
And that brings us to Linda Lukacs, the nominally Republican candidate in this contest.
Linda Lukacs - Republican
Website / Facebook
Media: 2022 election: Q&A with Linda Lukacs, candidate for San Diego City Council District 2
She’s on the general election ballot despite being a political novice thanks to the convergence of the interests of the city’s centrist liberals and chamber of commerce types. Through the Community Voices independent expenditure committee, more than $75,000 was invested in campaign materials to promote Lukacs.
Via the San Diego Reader:
According to a May 22 filing with the county, Community Voices raised $69,000 from the beginning of this year through May 21.
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce PAC came up with $49,000 on May 9, and the Downtown San Diego Partnership PAC gave $20,000 on May 11.
The history of donations to Community Voices in 2020 is revealed in the county filings. Neighbors for Housing Solutions Supporting Todd Gloria for Mayor 2020 gave $31,895 near the end of the year. The San Diego Police Officers Association PAC came up with $49,000.
Conservatives gave money because they saw an opportunity to get a Republican on a general election ballot with at least a small chance of winning. The liberals wanted to make sure that nobody ran from the left against the incumbent. Plus the lefty in that contest –who shall go unnamed because of ‘extremely thin skin syndrome’– has a history of not being a team player.
Now that Lukacs has made it to the general election, whether or not Democrats who are dissatisfied with Campbell will cross party lines is a topic of discussion at the OB Rag, which I feel obligated to point out from the start, has NOT endorsed Lukacs.
(I should also point out that the mythology about city council seats being “non-partisan” continues to hold currency in some quarters. Saying it a million times doesn’t make it true!)
OBRag Writer Judi Curry has taken to candidate Lukacs in a big way, posting three articles (each of the preceding words has a link to one of those articles) advocating for the challenger as the best person for the job. The stories have drawn lots of discussion; good on her and the Rag for hosting it.
I really think the question should be “will Lukacs do anything differently?”
Based on the content of interviews done by Judi Curry, there is every reason to suspect that a new occupant in that seat will be less combative and easier to deal with than the incumbent.
When it comes to substance, however, Lukacs’ comments are more riddled with more holes than Swiss cheese.
Let’s start with homelessness. I see no evidence that any candidate would do anything different than what is being done. It’s a tough issue because no politician is willing to say that our economic or governance systems do NOT have the capacity to right this wrong.
Given all the rhetoric about the mental health and substance abuse problems with the homeless population, you’d never suspect that:
Even Non-homeless people with these issues can’t get access to treatment because our healthcare system –even for those of us lucky enough to have good insurance– doesn’t not have the capacity, the facilities, or (often) effective science-based treatment regimens to treat patients. (Supervisor Fletcher actually gets this)
Government funding for health-related matters in the population comes primarily from federal and state sources, and is funneled through the county. Any response to questions in this area that doesn’t go through the Board of Supervisors as an answer is simply misinformed.
Homelessnesss can be dramatically reduced in two ways: affordable housing (short term, then long term) or an economy that pays people enough to live in the existing housing stock. We have chosen the “we can’t afford any of this option.”
Getting on to other issues, her answers about the height limit in Midway and short term rentals are squishy. I can just about guarantee there’d be no difference in city policies with her on the council. She’ll vote against resolutions on some socially cultural issues, and for most everything the current leadership proposes. She’s one vote. Big whoop.
Her comments about building infrastructure first before deciding on height limits or development are just hilarious. And saying the deal on STVRs is only as good as the enforcement doesn’t answer the larger question. (I’m pretty sure that horse left the barn a long time ago.)
Finally, there’s CRIME. This is the issue Republicans have settled on for 2022; play to people’s fears, claim to have solutions, and blame opponents for things that aren’t true or beyond their control. Oh, and we’re NOT in the throes of a crime wave.
Here’s a hint: when your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Liberal San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin was recalled, and crime went up! County District Attorney Summer Stephan’s search for Antifa doesn’t seem to be having an impact, either.
Yet it’s all Jen Campbell/Todd Gloria/Gavin Newsom/ Joe Biden’s fault that there is litter on Sunset Cliffs and hippies in OB.
There’s a mythology surrounding crime,.i.e., It’s worse than it’s ever been; punishing people is an effective deterrent; more law enforcement makes people safer.
None of the above is absolutely true. Or false, either. There’s nuance involved. Unfortunately nuance doesn’t translate into political slogans, so it’s easier just to keep drumming up fear.
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Incumbent Campbell has a huge funding advantage over challenger Lukacs, and the Democratic get-out-the-vote teams working the second district should drive enough turnout to give their candidate a win.
Campbell is termed-out in 2026, and if this election season has shown us anything, it’s that our political problems go beyond party affiliations or individual office holders.
There is a status quo mentality in place in San Diego. The glue that binds it is real estate.
Unfortunately, much of the opposition to the way things are is based on rumors, innuendo, and a lack of willingness to do the hard work (beyond posting memes on the internet) needed to make a difference.
The time to start the search for a viable candidate is now. A good place to start might be conversations with individuals with a track record of getting things done, even if you have differences with them. (Think councilmembers Montgomery-Stepp or LaCava, for instance)
Oh, and just saying “no” to the status quo is a non-starter. If you want to win, you have to come with realistic solutions, not platitudes.
If I lived in District 2, I’d vote for Campbell. But I’d hold my nose first.
Next up: A Slam-Dunk in SD City Council D4
Click on the underlined titles to see previous voter guides
(More coming soon)
California State Officials
California’s DC Delegation
State Senate races
State Assembly Races
SD County Supervisors
County Sheriff, Assessor, and Treasurer Races
SD Measure B: Cash Meets Trash
SD Measure C: Reach for the Sky! Or Else?
SD Measure D: Righting a Wrong to Build a Future
SD Measure H: It’s for the Children (And Their Parents)
CA Proposition 1: It’s About More Than Abortion
CA Propositions 26 & 27: Betcha Can’t Pick Just One
CA Proposition 28: Arts & Music for a Sane Future
CA Proposition 29: Regulating Dialysis Clinics and the Definition of Insanity
CA Proposition 30: A Poison Pill Concealed by Sweet Promises
CA Proposition 31: Tobacco Company Lawyers Are Scum
SD Democrats’ Scandal Inside a Scandal: Board of Equalization
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Boards of Education Contests:
Analysis by Thomas Ultican
2022 School Board Contests, Part 1
The County Board, San Diego Unified, Sweetwater Union, Poway Unified
2022 School Board Contests, Part 2
Chula Vista, San Marcos, Vista, Grossmont
2022 School Board Contests, Part 3
Oceanside, Escondido, San Dieguito
2022 School Board Contests, Part 4
Coronado, Carlsbad, Escondido Union
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Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com