District 3 City Council Candidates-- A Legacy to Uphold
Fourth in a series on City of San Diego political contests on the November, 2020 ballot. I’ll be doing other contests between now and October, when mail-in ballots arrive.
Already covered: San Diego City Council District One, San Diego City Attorney, San Diego Mayoral; previously State Ballot Propositions.
In San Diego City Council District 3, City Councilman Chris Ward is (likely) moving on to Todd Gloria’s Assembly seat.
This move set off a scramble among community activists in a district chock full of politically aware people. In the primary, Stephen Whitburn, the best known and financed candidate prevailed, and Toni Duran, the least financed candidate, also made it to the general election.
In recent decades, District 3 has been a stepping stone for the political careers of ascending LGBTQ activists, including Christine Kehoe, Toni Atkins, and Todd Gloria.
It is the most liberal district in the city of San Diego, with Democrats at 55% of the registered voters. (Republicans are in third place with 13%) And they know how to vote in D3, with an 82.86% turnout in the last presidential election .
Whitburn’s previous experience as a candidate and a high community profile have garnered him some big name endorsements, reading like a who’s who of Democratic party and union stalwarts. Given his big boost from the SDPOA in the primary, it’s doubtful you’ll be seeing more than word salads when it comes to police reform should he be elected.
Duran, on the other hand, has the backing of State Senator Toni Atkins and host of her allies. She’s also well known in the community, with a long tenure as Atkin’s earpiece in all kinds of community meetings.
The consensus among activists I spoke with about the D3 contest was that Whitburn’s advantage in backing by Democratic groups will give him an edge come election day.
I live in D3 and believe Duran would work harder for the area and is generally more forward looking. So, yes, she's got my vote.
After the basic info about the candidates, I’ve included excerpts from the Union-Tribune op-eds done by each candidate on policing in San Diego.
About the Candidates
Toni Duran
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: Born in East LA, moved around the country a lot. Has represented District 3 as a staff member in the State Assembly and Senate for Sen. Toni Atkins.
Education:n/a
Relevant experience: “Having personally struggled with housing insecurity, I have had to move nine times in San Diego in order to find affordable housing.”
A Significant Accomplishment: Nicky Award Winner for multiple years (Woman of the Year 2015 & 2018, and Outstanding Female Personality 2016), and the Inaugural “Gloria Johnson Feminist Leadership Award” in 2017 from the San Diego Democrats for Equality.
Politics in a nutshell: Solid progresive
Issues highlighted on website: Public safety, budget, homelessness, infrastructure, climate change, neighborhood leadership groups.
$$$$
Total small donors reported via Candidate Controlled committee: $72,403.20
A sampling of links concerning Toni Duran
***
Stephen Whitburn
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: Has lived in the district for two decades. Ran and lost against Todd Gloria in 2008 for city council, and Ron Roberts in 2010 for County Supervisor.Currently the Southern California director of a national cancer research nonprofit
Education: Graduated from the University of Wisconsin; Leadership Certificate from the Center for Executive Development at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management.
Relevant experience:.serving on advisory panels for the City and County of San Diego, the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation Board of Directors, the Greater San Diego Business Association Advocacy Committee, President of the San Diego Democratic Club (now San Diego Democrats for Equality), Vice President of the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, and Vice-Chair of the North Park Planning Committee.
A Significant Accomplishment: Served as Executive Director of San Diego Pride
Politics in a nutshell: Liberal
Issues highlighted on website: Homelessness, Housing, Jobs, Environment
$$$$
Total small donors reported via Candidate Controlled committee: $165,723.00
Candidate loaned committee $4000
Received $16,072.56 for primary mailer from SD Police Officers Association
Will benefit from advertising dollars spent via Democratic Party endorsement.
A sampling of links concerning Stephen Whitburn
Stephen Whitburn Plans 2020 Race for District 3 Council Seat; Once Led San Diego Pride
City Council District 3 Candidates Differ In Approaches To Homelessness
Excerpts from Union-Tribune op-eds on police reform by the candidates.
Toni Duran:
We also must demand that our police officers have the absolute highest respect for human life when they are doing their jobs. De-escalation must be favored over the use of force and violence. Intervening to save a life must be favored over standing by and watching a life end. The effects of over-policing are far-reaching and go beyond the individual encounters that can be deadly. According to the Brookings Institute, being harassed by police is linked to psychological distress: “Even vicarious police contact (interactions that occur to others) worsens health, especially when such contact is perceived to be a result of injustice.” Living in a neighborhood where people are exposed to police violence can result in a whole host of health problems.
We have come to this same point at other times in our history, and despite the discrimination and bigotry we saw that was so obvious, we failed to make meaningful progress toward a more just society where Black, Brown and transgender Americans don’t have to be afraid of the very people who are supposed to protect and serve us all. People all over the country continue to come together in peaceful protest because those in power haven’t been listening to the need for change. We must make it clear to the mayor, City Council members, police chief and others in positions of power what we need and expect from our police department.
If elected to serve on San Diego’s City Council, I commit to you that I will face this problem in a straightforward and transparent way, hand-in-hand with every one of our neighborhoods and communities in San Diego. The moment is now and we can’t let it slip away again.
Stephen Whitburn:
The Office on Race and Equity will examine city departments and recommend changing policies that foster racial inequities. It won’t be hard to uncover examples. Let’s take our towing policies. Due to longstanding wage disparities, people of color are disproportionately renters who are more likely to park on the street and have exposure to parking regulations. If you can’t pay off your parking tickets, the city can tow and impound your vehicle. To get your vehicle back, you have to pay not only the fines but also the towing charges and impound fees. Don’t have the money? You forfeit your car. It can be devastating. Several people have described to me the nightmare of permanently losing their car after the city had it towed. The people who shared these experiences with me were all people of color. A policy that disproportionately impacts people of color in such a damaging way is an example of structural racism, even though no one may have intended for the policy to have that consequence.
From parking enforcement to contracting opportunities to the distribution of city services, we must seek to understand how these systems have long disadvantaged people of color and work to reform the practices that lead to unfair outcomes. Changing these systems is notoriously difficult since systems are largely designed to uphold the status quo. Now is our opportunity to use the momentum of this moment to confront the structural racism that leads to these intractable inequities.
I will support funding the new Office on Race and Equity with the resources necessary to facilitate meaningful change. It is hard to imagine a better investment or a bigger opportunity. If the public and press keep up the pressure, the investment could pay off in transformative ways that make San Diego a more equitable city for all.
Up next, More City Council Races.
If everything goes as expected, I’ll cover City Council Districts 5,7,& 9 next week.
Voter Guide – You’ve Voted for President, what’s next?
I’ll be writing about many ballot measures and candidates between now and the end of September. That work will be condensed into a handy-dandy voter guide just in time for your mail-in ballots to arrive. I’m the guy who coordinated San Diego Free Press’s Voter Guides over the past decade, so this won’t be my first effort. Stay tuned.
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