It’s Crunch Time for Mayor Todd Gloria

Voter Guide: 2024 San Diego City Elections

The first of two televised debates between incumbent Mayor Todd Gloria and Independent Larry Turner was taped on Tuesday, and we’ll get to see what happened this evening (7pm ABC 10).

Polling released over the past several days shows a tightened contest (37-33%),with the challenger gaining on Gloria from a similar poll in July.

In Union-Tribune coverage of the SurveyUSA poll, the mayor’s campaign manager pointed to a similar survey in 2020 showing him 3 points behind when the final result gave him a 12 point victory.

This election is, I think, different in that Todd Gloria is an incumbent, whose actions have been often criticized. Registered voters in the survey actually Strongly/Somewhat (55%-33%) approved of the mayor’s performance, while citing cost of living/housing and homelessness as the city’s top problems.

Interestingly enough, it also showed broad support (71%-21%) for a proposed homeless facility in a warehouse at Ketner & Vine. It’s too bad they didn’t ask about the space next to the airport/Liberty Station; I bet a solid majority would also support it. 61% support the ban on encampments within the city, though I suspect more nuance on the question would alter the result.

Crime was down on the list of concerns, with 33% saying it was a major problem. 86% said they feel very/somewhat safe about living in San Diego.

More than half (54%) of likely voters knew little/nothing about challenger Larry Turner. Again, I suspect if the people who say they know about the challenger actually understood the implications of what he’s offering the results would be different.

Turner has done a good job of projecting a softer image by speaking in platitudes, and by not being a registered Republican (though his support among groups whose opinions more closely match MAGA talking points is high.) 

The problem, as my colleague Jim Miller noted, is that there's no ‘there’ there when you drill down on policy. His oversimplification on the problem of our unhoused population borders on delusional. It’s also notable that Turner pulled a DeMaio-like stunt of failing to identify who was paying for fliers and was fined $500 recently.

In San Diego, bad behavior by politicians has led to the rise of a sometimes-nihilist opposition, all-too-often feeding social media with vaporous proposals. I think they’re often right in their critiques, but limited in what they can do.  It’s hard, really hard, to rise above being perceived as a gadfly when it’s near impossible to see where the establishment begins and ends on the political scale.

Let me start with the “scandal” of the week, namely the revelation that Mayor Todd Gloria’s parents’ humble origins didn’t remain fixed in place as their son climbed the political ladder.

One, this is old news. And, two, at this point who cares?

I know La PrensaSD, which is peddling this story, is antagonistic to city hall and I generally think that’s a good thing. But the whole idea of disparaging a politician’s family as a tactic is rank amateur stuff.

The contrarian editordude at the OB Rag has all-but-said the word “endorsed” in praising Turner as a “Protest Candidate” for Mayor. I thought we’d learned that lesson with Hillary Clinton.

We can’t just fire the mayor and expect things to change. 

Todd Gloria and City Council member Steven Whitburn have opponents with serious critiques, but all I hear is it’s time for those guys in office to go. And then what? Will Batman save the day? Will the homeless get housing any faster? Will the city’s pot overlords go legit?

The “I’m just an ordinary guy” running for mayor really doesn’t have any plan for the denizens of our streets other than shuffling them off to detention camps in the long run and jail in the short run. And even if he did, he’d have no way to pay for it… unless he bankrupted the city and wiped out all those pesky pensions and neighborhood services…

I realize that “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” is just short of being a socially acceptable attitude these days. The problem here is that more people are finding themselves on the streets every month for the last twenty nine months. 

What you’ll hear with Larry Turner are promises he can’t keep. It’s not any one politician’s fault that homelessness has dramatically increased. San Diego’s structural deficit is the result of decades of game playing, dating back at least to the 1990s when pensions were sacrificed to bring the GOP convention here. And there is no magical solution or panel of experts that can fix the way local governments were shafted with Proposition 13’s protect the rich provisions.

How big a jail do you want to build? Is there really any “somewhere else” to put affordable housing? Is there really anywhere where unchristian neighbors will allow even a temporary shelter?

The answer to those questions is no.

We’re between a rock and a hard place, and Todd Gloria knows it. No matter what he does, short of a miracle, a significant part of the voting population will not approve. Judging by the number of press releases I get, his crew is trying hard to sell his accomplishments.

The Democratic establishment will get behind Todd Gloria as they intensify get out the vote efforts in the coming weeks and I expect he’ll win.

You can count this as a non-endorsement endorsement.

Mayor, City of San Diego - Nonpartisan Election

(Yeah, right. That just means they don't put political parties on the ballot next to candidate names.)

Todd Gloria - Democratic incumbent
Website | Facebook | X itter

Larry Turner - Independent
Website | Facebook | X itter

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City Attorney of San Diego - Nonpartisan election

Our city attorney prosecutes misdemeanors (the county does felonies), provides representation in civil cases, assists in drafting ordinances, and provides legal advice to the mayor and council.

It might be better if this position was filled by a career public servant, not an elected official–that’s just my opinion. As things stand, this is an intensely political position. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith effectively foiled Democratic Mayor Bob Filner’s ambitions even before ol’ Bob became Bob Grabby-Grabby. 

Termed out City Attorney Mara Elliot clearly has her own agenda, which at times has brought her into conflict with Mayor Gloria and the City Council.  Things Elliot didn’t like (like police oversight) got slow walked, and only-God-knows if the Swiss cheese-like ordinance on vacation rentals was deliberate.

Heather Ferbert beat the odds in the March primary by solidly beating Brian Maienschein. He had big endorsements that counted for Democratic candidates, name recognition both as City Council and Assembly member, and a big pot of gold in his coffers. 

UT politics writer Michael Smolens suggested Ferbert’s primary win was connected to her ballot job description, namely “chief deputy city attorney.” Could her win have been symptomatic of anti-Gloria/Council sentiment? 

Maienschein has the endorsement of Mayor Todd Gloria and six of the nine city council members, which tells me that the expectation was for a more harmonious relationship than that in the past. He became the flavor of the moment for Democrats when he dumped the GOP in 2019, and that can cut two ways since revenge is a big part of right wing identity these days.

The two candidates have virtually the same public policy agendas, with Maienschein touting his legislative experience and Ferbert her tenure in the department.

You’ll get a big non-endorsement from me on this one. I’ll see how I’m feeling when I fill out the ballot.

Heather Ferbert -Democrat
Website | Facebook | X itter

Brian Maienschein - Democrat
Website | 

San Diego City Council 2024 Elections

This year the odd-numbered council seats were up for election. Elections for Districts 1,5, and 7 were canceled when nobody filed to oppose the incumbents.

District 3 includes downtown and many of its north and east adjacent neighborhoods. (I live in North Park) The future of these neighborhoods is uppermost in residents’ minds and there is a divergence between keep it as it is and let’s upgrade/densify the area. 

My corner of this world stands adjacent to all the development going on on El Cajon Boulevard, where it’s “build, baby build.” I’ll reserve final judgment on how this turns out, but my initial impression is positive. I’m hoping (and so are many entrepreneurs) that this densification provides the social and economic benefits of living in an area where the population base is sufficient to support a broad range of businesses. 

Incumbent Stephen Whitburn has the look, the supporters, and the bravado of what a successful politician should be. There are people in his district that have priorities that would only serve themselves and their well-to-do counterparts. He’s generally been good on the small stuff (bravo for bike lanes!).

But as a supporter of the “there’s nothing we can do about the unhoused but apply bandages and platitudes” set and the proud author of the city’s anti-camping ordinance, his political horizons are limited by ambition. And his “I-know-nothing” about the corruption of the retail pot business stinks worse than whatever skunk weed the guy upstairs from me smokes on his porch.

In another day and time his overall liberalness might be ok, but the times call for a decisiveness I don’t think he possesses.

Homelessness is a big part of the district’s picture, and this issue is what prompted Colleen Cusack to run for office. She’s represented homeless people that have been the victims of the city’s criminalization policies, and has been persistent in her advocacy for more housing being the only solution. Cusack is not blind to the economic realities driving aspects of the housing shortage, pointing out the short term vacation rentals in San Diego are anything but under control.

The Union-Tribune endorsed her as a capable, informed critic of city policies. She’s not claiming to have any magical powers to solve our urban problems. I feel she could shift our perception of what government should be doing to serve the people. 

Yes, we have differences, but you can count me as an endorser of Colleen Cusack.

San Diego City Council District 3 - Nonpartisan Election

Stephen Whitburn - Incumbent Democrat
Website | Facebook | X itter

Colleen Cusack - Democrat
Website(not functioning) | Facebook | X itter

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District 9 runs right through the middle of the city, encompassing some radically different neighborhoods, from well-to-do Kensington to the sometimes-tough areas of Southcrest and Mountain View.

City Council member Sean Elo-Rivera has become a force to be reckoned with in local politics. As City Council President, he negotiated some progressive actions, and backed away when the odds of short-term success seemed out of reach.

Pushing for direct payment programs to low-income residents not needing wraparound services became important to him as saw the plight of people forced from their homes by the flooding in January. 

He pulled a  proposed stormwater funding measure from the November 2024 ballot after state legislators tightened a measure setting the bar for percentage of votes needed to win infrastructure funding. 

• "The two-thirds voter approval threshold for infrastructure revenue is undemocratic and has stood as an impediment to San Diego making critical improvements. Our coalition saw real hope in the proposal to change the threshold to 55% and were confident voters would strongly support the ballot measure we were advancing.”

Running against him is Republican Terry Hoskins, whose answer when asked for his favorite joke was:

• I do not like comedy, and I don't tell jokes

Ugh. Enough said.

Obviously, Sean Elo-Rivera has my endorsement.

San Diego City Council District 9 - Nonpartisan Election

Sean Elo-Rivera - Democratic incumbent
Website | Facebook | X itter

Terry Hoskins - Republican
Website | Facebook | X itter

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About the Voter Guide.

I’ve been compiling voter guides for San Diegans for over a decade on various platforms. I have a progressive point of view tempered with life experience informing me of what’s possible and what’s bullshit. 

Portions of this guide will be published most weekdays throughout September. I’ll publish a comprehensive guide (with links if you care) on Monday of the week ballots are mailed out. (October 7)

The Democratic supermajority in California has given rise to some mediocre politicians. I won’t recommend Democratic candidates unless I can say I feel more than ‘meh’ about them. 

I can’t recommend Republicans because they’ve chosen to ally themselves with authoritarian, anti-democratic, and theocratic forces. I won’t suggest third parties because they can’t win in today’s system –this is a guide for THIS election. 

While I’d like for everybody to agree with my choices, we all know that won’t happen. As long as you actually vote, I’ll be satisfied.

Previously 
California Ballot Measures Two thru Six
California’s Proposition 32: Something’s Better Than Nothing, I Suppose
CA Proposition 33: Deja Vu All Over Again on Rent Control
Just Say No to CA Propositions 34 & 35
California Proposition 36: A Feel Good Measure for Fear Mongers
Local 2024 Ballot Measures in San Diego
Who Is San Diego Sending to Sacramento This Year?
Who Will Represent Us in Washington DC?
Faulconer Fronts for Developers, Aims for GOP Control

Coming Friday: School Board Contests Throughout the County
(With Thom Ultican)

Check your voter registration at  
https://www.sdvote.com/content/rov/en/voter-info-lookup.html

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Wednesday News to Peruse

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This is the secret system that covers up police misconduct — and ensures problem officers can get hired again by Katey Rusch & Casey Smith at the San Francisco Chronicle (Gift link)

• Ourjanian’s case is just one example within a secret system of legal settlements that has whitewashed the corruption, criminality and other misconduct of law enforcement officers throughout California for decades, an investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle and UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program found.

• At least 163 California police agencies have executed separation agreements concealing misconduct allegations against at least 297 officers and deputies, records obtained by this investigation show. The actual numbers are likely much higher, because one-third of police agencies asked to release the agreements refused*, citing privacy laws.

• Those whose conduct is hidden by these deals — also known as “clean-record agreements” — include a deputy accused of groping a woman held in a county jail, an officer who investigators determined falsified a report to link a man to a crime, and a deputy who was found to have violated department policy when he fatally shot a teenager as he lay wounded.

*SDPD Claims to have no records

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Microsoft tracks Russian election influence campaign shift to undermine Harris via Scripps News

• Russian actors apparently struggled to pivot their operations after President Biden bowed out of the race in July, but Microsoft tracked an uptick in “outlandish fake conspiracy theories” being spread by the Russian actor Storm-1516 by late August. For example, Microsoft points to two inauthentic videos that attack Harris and her campaign, each of which received millions of views online.

• The first false video depicts an attack by alleged Harris supporters on a supposed Trump rally attendee. The second video used an even more sophisticated method to spread a false narrative about Harris: Russians created a fake “local San Francisco media outlet” and laundered the video through that fake publication. The video used an actor to state false claims that Harris paralyzed a girl during a 2011 hit-and-run accident.

• In an accompanying blog post, Clint Watts, the general manager of Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center describes the shift as “aimed at exploiting any perceived vulnerabilities in the new candidates.” He notes that the public should expect Russian actors to continue to use cyber proxies and hacktivist groups to amplify messages in the lead-up to the election, adding they’ll be spreading divisive political content, staged videos, and AI-enhanced propaganda.

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The clothes make the democracy by Lyz at Men Yell At Me

• Guy explains, “I think there is this groundswell of, like, certain men who want to do this very traditional look. But as I often note on my Twitter account, they don’t do it very well because it's actually very hard to do it well now, because the clothiers that traditionally made that look are essentially gone. In order to do the 1950s tailored aesthetic well, you essentially have to be a clotheshorse. And if you're very hung up on gender, I think you probably run into problems with that, because then you also have to be a bit very interested in fashion, essentially.”

• That means the aesthetic of many politicians who try to restrict gender expression was popularized by queer people. 

• And when we talk about men’s fashion, what we are really talking about is masculinity, and power, and how it walks through the world, how it dresses, and how it looks, and how it ties a Windsor knot. And this kind of analysis lays bare the realities of our democracy. And puts male power on the defensive, in a place it’s needed to be all along.