District 7 City Council Candidates: It’s Time to Vote Blue
Sixth 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, District Three, District Five, San Diego City Attorney, San Diego Mayoral; previously State Ballot Propositions.
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Termed out Republican D7 Councilman Scott Sherman reportedly hated politics. So it kind of surprised people when he announced a primary run for mayor. It was close, but he came in third behind Barbara Bry.
The choice of Sherman for mayor, once you get past his reluctance, was a good one for Republicans. Aside from the name recognition he had after two terms on the council, he’d won election and re-election in a district that was rapidly turning blue.
District 7 used to be solidly Republican but has been a swing district for a while. Sherman won outright in the primaries in 2012 and 2016 (with 60% of the vote). However, the era of winning outright in primaries is history, thanks to 2016’s Measure K.
Democrats now hold a 15 point advantage over Republicans in the district. In 2016, D7 overwhelmingly supported Hilary Clinton for President (56% to 35%), and favored Democrat Gavin Newsom for governor over Republican John Cox, (59% to 41%).
Sherman’s success came in part because of his gruff-but-loveable shade of Republicanism who didn’t skimp on constituent service and opened up Grantville for the kind of dense development YIMBYs only dream of.
In this year’s primary, Democratic candidates won more than 69% of the vote. Some early polling gives Democrat Campillo a double-digit advantage.
But… it’s not a done deal, as Zosa has pulled off impossible victories before. As chairman of the Linda Vista Planning Group, he led the fight to save Skateworld, the city’s last roller skating rink from what seemed to be a done deal (backed by Sherman) to redevelop the site for a big box store.
And, although the Union-Tribune’s endorsements for primary elections do not carry over for general elections, it’s significant that he scored the nod last March over a group of well-qualified candidates.
As things stand right now, D6 Councilman Chris Cate could end up being the sole Republican on the city council, provided Campillo and (D5’s) von Wilpert win.
I can’t say I’d feel sorry for local Republicans, since their guy at the top is so toxic that the rejection of Trump’s incumbency (and what the party has come to stand for) needs to be beyond the shadow of a doubt all the way down the ballot.
Zosa’s failure to connect the homelessness issue with the degradation in value of the minimum wage is, for me, proof that he’s bought into the ethos of profit over social obligation at the heart of the ruination of the GOP brand.
There’s nothing “pro-business” about not paying your employees enough to have a roof over their heads. Also, it appears to me from my research that Zosa doesn’t really get what’s on the horizon with climate change.
And then there’s the matter of Zosa getting booted from Twitter. Despite all the snowflake conservatives whining about discrimination, it’s actually fairly tough to get an account shut down. With the exception of advocating violence against an individual or group, it takes repeated violations of their standards, and lots of complaints. You gotta wonder what happened with Zosa.
Given the nature of the economic and environmental crises facing San Diego in the not-so-distant future, it makes sense to have somebody on the City Council who can demonstrate an understanding of the big picture and have empathy for the very real human issues that are bound to arise.
For this reason (plus, boo! Trump) voting for Raul Campillo is the best choice for District 7.
About the Candidates
Raul Campillo
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: Native born San Diegan. Worked as a volunteer for the Obama campaign. Taught fifth grade at one point. Worked at international law firm O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles. Worked with the Hillary Clinton campaign vetting other candidates..
Education:Graduated from University of San Diego High School in Linda Vista, attended Harvard, University of Nevada, Las Vegas , Harvard Law.
Relevant experience: Currently in the San Diego City Attorney’s office.
A Significant Accomplishment: Brother died from opioid addiction, motivating his desire to work in public service.
Politics in a nutshell: Liberal
Issues highlighted on website: Economic progress, infrastructure, public safety, oversight of promises made regarding new stadium/SDSU West zone
$$$$
Total small donors reported via Candidate Controlled committee: $169,492
As an endorsed candidate of the San Diego County Democratic Party, Campillo will get additional support.
A sampling of links concerning Raul Campillo
Raul Campillo, candidate for San Diego City Council District 7
Democratic Victories Raise Chances Of 8-1 Supermajority On San Diego City Council
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Noli Zosa
Website | Facebook | Twitter* | Endorsements
(Twitter account suspended for violating TOS)
Bio: The son of Filipino immigrants. Student Director of a Legal Resource Center run by USD School of Law to assist low income San Diegans with their housing issues. After graduation, he joined his family's business where he managed a boutique bed and breakfast, wedding facility, and guava tree ranch.
Education: Undergraduate and law school degrees from the University of San Diego.
Relevant experience: Served on 17 city and community boards, commissions, and organizations.
A Significant Accomplishment: Founding partner of the well known local restaurant chain, Dirty Birds
Politics in a nutshell: Republican
Issues highlighted on website: Homelessness, Housing, Economy, Safe Neighborhoods, Infrastructure
$$$$
Total small donors reported via Candidate Controlled committee: $336,723.86 ($2000 loan)
Support from non-candidate controlled entity: $1113.85 San Diego County Gun Owners PAC for social media ads during primary campaign
A sampling of links concerning Noli Zosa
One More City Council Race...
If everything goes as expected, I’ll cover City Council District 9 to finish out the week. Next Up: Big News in Local Congressional Contests
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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