Grading the San Diego City Council Candidates for the District 2 Primary Contest
The editors at the Union-Tribune sent a ten question survey to all six candidates running for the District Two City Council seat. I actually read the answers. Twice.
Let me start off by commending the local daily for doing this kind of reporting. They’ve come a long way since Darth Manchester. While I don’t always agree with the editorial board’s take on things, I do respect their efforts to engage with the community.
A very brief description of the ten questions would be
Climate Action Plan progress?
Disparity of funding for neighborhoods?
How to boost housing affordability and construction?
Ensure first-time homebuyers and residents have a chance to afford a home?
Plan to address homelessness at the beginning of your four-year term and what will it look like in four years, plus what will homelessness in San Diego look like at the end of your term?
What’s your plan for infrastructure?
Dealing with crime and its root causes in San Diego
What do you think of the SDPD?
What would you do with a $100 million windfall for the city?
What’s another priority for you?
The questions and answers in full can be found at this link.
I know from experience that the problem with a written survey is the answers will have been sanitized to reflect whatever campaign consultants think is right. In short, a lot of words and not much content. The better the consultant, the more swishy the answers will be…
I understood, given the pandemic, that this method of inquiry was advisable. I also knew not to expect much.
So what I did was very subjectively grade their answers, taking into account political reality, empathy, specificity, and vision. (I’m a tough grader, so people shouldn’t take this personally when it comes to their candidates.)
Each potential grade had three numbers (minus, middle, plus) starting with 1,2,3 for F and ending with 13, 14, 15 for A. The 1 for F minus is effectively a participation trophy. I added all the numbers up, and then divided the total by ten and translated that number back into a letter.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, and include available contact information.
The commentary at the top of each listing is mine.
District 2 includes neighborhoods with differing challenges and opportunities: Point Loma, Midway, Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Linda Vista, and Clairemont.
City Council races are officially non-partisan, and that means exactly nothing when it comes to campaigning. The top two vote-getters will advance to the November 8 general election.
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Dr. Jenn Campbell
Official Council District Page
Campaign Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Organizational Endorsements: San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, Clairemont Democratic Club San Diego Democrats for Equality San Diego Municipal Employees Association, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, LGBTQ Victory Fund, Equality California, and San Diego County Young Democrats
Campbell failed to win a primary endorsement from the County Democratic Party, which is rare for an incumbent. Opponents Lori Saldaña and Joel Day both claimed credit.
I would not read too much into the lack of an endorsement. Team Todd (Gloria) and lots of other political heavyweights are behind Campbell if for no other reason than she’s a known commodity.
A recall effort last year aimed at incumbent Campbell failed to gather enough signatures to force an election.
Some residents were angered over her support of Measure E, which eliminated building height requirements for the Midway District, a necessary step in opening the door for proposed redevelopment of an area best described as commercial squalor.
Other residents were unhappy with her proposed compromises on short-term vacation rentals, a locally unregulated industry that wreaked havoc with rental housing supply and allowed bad actors to engage in practices detrimental to the community.
And others simply were put off by the Council member’s demeanor, which they characterized as gruff and unapproachable.
The fact is her opposition lacked the resources to mobilize the people they thought would support the cause. Or –maybe– there just weren’t enough people with strong disagreements with their council person.
It didn’t help their cause with more educated voters that some of what the pro-recall people were campaigning on was either exaggerated (skyscraper condos were coming to Ocean Beach!!!) or politically impractical (eliminating short term rentals).
Don’t get me wrong here; Dr. Campbell is not my favorite council member. She’s also not Satan reincarnated. What we’re talking about here is nuance, and I think the city council can do better.
The failure of her colleagues to support a second term as president of the City Council was justified. Her political persona didn’t match up with the kind of elbows she threw behind the scenes. I wish I could go into detail here, but other council members have been remarkably tight lipped about this behavior.
There are rumors about how much influence the campaign had on the final redistricting map for D2, but none of the people who claim to have inside knowledge have been brave enough to step forward. And I doubt it’s worth more than a slap on the wrist.
It’s a mistake to underestimate Campbell’s potential to garner votes in this campaign. Expect an Independent Expenditure Committee (which she will, of course, have no influence on) and an onslaught of official campaign advertising as election day nears.
Overall Rating C Minus
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Joel Day
Campaign Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Organizational Endorsements: League of Conservation Voters, Climate Defenders Action Fund, United Domestic Workers of America, American Federation of Teachers University Council, Pacific Beach Democratic Club, Martin Luther King Democrats, San Diego Progressive Democratic Club, YIMBY Democrats, Rancho de los Penasquitos Democrats, San Diego Downtown Democratic Club
Day is the wonk candidate for D2. He teaches public policy at UCSD and has made some remarkably cogent arguments for his vision of how things should work, keeping in mind the grander scheme of things in the political universe.
As Executive Director of the City of San Diego's Human Relations Commission and International Affairs Board during the Faulconer administration, Day got a close up look at how things work. He advised the Mayor and City Council on issues of human rights, inclusion, and global engagement
So you can look at him as 1) a politically progressive technocrat who gained experience at city hall, or, 2) a tool of a do-nothing Republican administration looking to cash in, or, 3) one of the better people working at City Hall who did their best under (sometimes) trying circumstances. .
Day’s understanding of and specifics about how to address the city’s housing crisis as expressed in the UT interviews were the best of the lot. He uses two of my favorite words on the subject on his website: social housing. (It ain’t what you probably think it is.)
He has pledged not to accept Police union endorsements.
The question in this contest is whether Day can make it past the primary with another candidate in the race (Saldana) who’s running to the left of the incumbent.
Overall rating: C Plus
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Mandy Havlik
Campaign Website | Facebook | Instagram
Organizational endorsements: None
Havlik is a community volunteer who is an elected member of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, serving as chair or co-chair of the Park, Transportation, and Environmental Committees.
As a member of the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council and the Kate’s Trees organization, she calls herself a land-use advocate and the only viable coastal candidate in the contest.
Her political activism grew out of opposing Campbell’s stance on the 30-foot height limit and short-term vacation rentals. She was an outspoken supporter of the recall attempt.
Although the word is not used in any of Havlik’s campaign literature, she’s got NIMBYism written all over her political stances.
I get it that many people don’t agree with steps being taken locally and in Sacramento to increase the housing supply and certainly don’t think that building more housing willy-nilly will solve anything beyond providing more options for people who really don’t need them.
I just don’t see any answers based in reality coming out of the NIMBY camp. Call me a corporate suck-up if you must, but studies and platitudes don’t put roofs over people’s heads.
Running for office means building alliances with organizations capable of contributing time and financing to a campaign. And I just don’t see that happening for Mandy Havlik.
Overall rating: D
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Dr. Linda Lukacs
Lukacs is a dentist, and has at various times in her life been a registered nurse, realtor, educator and businesswoman. Her leadership experiences include Trustee to the California Dental Association, and Past President of San Diego County Dental Society,
She is the endorsed candidate for the Republican Party in this contest.
That’s it folks. That’s all we know about her. No record of community involvement, volunteerism, nothing. I just hope those gnarly PB Republicans who commented on her social media are just randos.
Overall rating: D Minus
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Lori Saldaña
Campaign Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Organizational Endorsements: San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action, Run Women Run, and Progressive Democrats of America
Saldaña represented most of this district as an Assembly member from 2004 to 2010. While in the legislature she was Speaker Pro Tem, Chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, Chair of the bipartisan Women’s Legislative Caucus along with Elections & Redistricting and Veterans and Military Affairs.
She was ranked as one of the most liberal members of the Assembly in 2009 by Capitol Weekly. Her legacy in terms of legislation showed a dedication to environmental issues, reforming the ballot initiative process, and funding for affordable senior housing.
She recently retired from teaching Business and Information Technology for the San Diego Community College District.
Saldaña has the most campaign experience among the candidates for this seat. In addition to successful races for two terms in Sacramento, she ran and lost races for the 52nd Congressional District seat in 2012, San Diego Mayor in 2014, and County Board of Supervisors in 2018.
No profile of this candidate would be complete without a mention of her –how does one say this politely?-- passion. She’s made more than a few enemies among people who could be supporters, reacts strongly to perceived criticism, and has followers willing to get down and dirty on her behalf. (Trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of this, and probably will be again for daring to say anything. Whatever.)
The recent paperwork filing for an Independent Expenditure Committee to oppose her candidacy led to announcements on social media about voter suppression and plenty of speculation about which “bros” were in on the deal.
The offending IE paperwork filer, a staffer for Councilman Raul Campillo, created a similar IE committee in opposition to Wendy Wheatcroft’s council campaign in 2020 and ended up doing nothing with it.
Saldaña has at least a theoretical advantage in this contest in terms of name recognition, and I’ll bet the Campbell campaign and/or its supporters would rather face a lesser known candidate in November. THAT’s where any negative advertising will come from.
In terms of my scoring system, Saldaña carried the day. My questions are about her ability to work with others (County Supes handle most of the humancare money) in getting the job done.
Overall rating: B+
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Daniel Smiechowski
Campaign Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Daniel is a landlord/real estate salesperson who runs for office in just about every election. He is a bitter man, with a suitcase full of grievances he’s only too willing to share.
From the Union-Tribune
Smiechowski declined to take our survey. Below are his initial response and the questions we sent him.
“As you know, getting elected to City Council is primarily for political prostitutes. My opponents have no respect for eastern European names, and this is a fact. Please stop your crocodile tears for the Poles and Ukraine. San Diego will not elect an unpronounceable Polish name to Council, and you know it. My participation in your dog and pony show only validates the falsity and immorality of your phony view of equality. My participation in your charade amplifies the false untruthful reality that the system is rigged and prostituted. You certainly know that nobody will ever vote for a name like Smiechowski. I better stop before I get profane. I’m pissed.”
Overall rating: Less than Zero
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Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com