Nathan Fletcher Steps Off the Political Stage

Last night, Nathan Fletcher announced via social media that he was seeking help for emotional and mental health issues. He’s suspending a campaign for State Senate, and taking a medical leave of absence for the County Board of Supervisors.

The announcement said that he has been suffering from post traumatic stress from combat and childhood trauma that “has been exacerbated by alcohol abuse. With the recommendation of my therapist and the insistence of my wife, this week I will be checking into an extended inpatient treatment center for post traumatic stress, trauma and alcohol abuse,” he said.

As I edited the rest of this post, I realized that it felt a bit like an obituary. So let me say this: he ain’t dead. It’s about a new beginning for Nathan Fletcher and (most importantly) his family. And I wanted to offer my support by sharing my view on how far he’s come so readers might understand his potential for more goodness on the other side of the first stages of his recovery.

***

San Diego has changed for the better politically in the past decade. In so many ways, progress requires many hands working in concert and it can be agonizingly slow.  

County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher was involved in those advances in ways both symbolic and practical,  

First, as an Assemblyman he was willing to break with Republican orthodoxy. He was an unlikely change maker, having started his political career as District Director for crusty and corrupt Congressman Duke Cunningham. 

Fletcher’s experience as a Marine influenced his career in politics. Although the matter was a non-binding resolution, his speech in support of ending “Don’t ask, don’t tell” as a policy amounted to a political turning point in an era where reactionaries had successfully campaigned for a measure banning same sex marriage in California. 

Words that seem ordinary today were impactful, especially coming from a Republican.

• I believe that any American who has these core values — honor, courage, and commitment — and who is willing to give their life for their country should be allowed to serve openly and honorably.

• And for that reason, I rise in support of this resolution.

• I didn’t think the policy of “don’t ask don’t tell” made sense when I served in peacetime, I didn’t think it made sense when I served in combat and I don’t think it makes sense today.

• There is nothing in someone’s sexual orientation that affects their love of country, their patriotism, or their commitment to their fellow service members and our great nation.

This was the beginning of the end for Fletcher as a Republican. In 2011, his candidacy for Mayor of San Diego was snubbed by the local GOP in favor of Carl DeMaio, who built his brand on partisan spite.

Fletcher lost that election, coming in third as a no party preference candidate. Six months after that election he announced his decision via Facebook to become a member of the Democratic Party.  And he got another chance to run for Mayor.

Republican denunciations and smears calling Fletcher a traitor and opportunist had an impact on how he was perceived by the progressive local activists. They didn’t trust him, seeing him as a too-centrist politician capable of flip flopping on major issues. Despite support from big names like then-Gov. Jerry Brown, he came in third in the election to replace the ousted Mayor Bob Filner.

What first impressed me personally about Fletcher was a speech he gave outside the Hillcrest Unitarian Church in support of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) in the runup to one of more cohesive GOP attempts to overturn the law. The words “Healthcare is a human right” roused the crowd, and in my mind established his cred as a Democrat.

In 2018 Fletcher ran for an open seat representing District 4 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Based on voter registration, which included much of the City of San Diego, it seemed probable that termed out GOP moderate Ron Roberts could be replaced by a Democrat. The question was; what could one Democrat do against 4 Republicans and the bureaucracy they created?

The GOP’s brain trust saw that likelihood, and sought to split the Democratic vote in the primary by exploiting the animosity of candidate Lori Saldana towards Fletcher and the local party establishment. Former labor leader Mickey Kasparian, who had his own issues with the local dem party, joined in the fray via independent PAC’s ads trashing Fletcher.

The hope was that a splintered Democratic vote would allow the former District Attorney/GOP candidate Bonnie Dumanis to make it past a top two primary into the general election. Their ploy worked to the extent that Dumanis would be on the November ballot, but the overall primary turnout for the four Democratic candidates at 74% didn’t bode well for defeating Fletcher. 

Come November, he ended up winning by a two to one margin. In 2022 he came close to that margin, defeating a MAGA/No Masker candidate.

The rest, as far as the Board of Supervisors is concerned, is some very encouraging history. 

As the Union-Tribune said in its 2022 endorsement of Fletcher:

• A county board which for years seemed only distantly interested in residents’ needs has been transformed.

Beyond specific actions, like increased support for mental healthcare, getting the county bureaucracy to buy into the existential crisis of climate change, and changing the planning process so that McMansions in exurbs weren’t considered a measure of progress, Fletcher deserves credit for being a leader. 

His leadership as Chairman of Board of Supes was tested during the COVID-19 crisis. As reactionaries around the country sought to exploit valid concerns about public health measures, he stood behind healthcare workers and county executives in tamping down the extremist excesses exploited by naysayers.

Unfortunately, the corrosive rhetoric based on faux science aimed at him took its toll. Some nut took the hint and firebombed his house. The crime is still unsolved, and I can speak from personal experience that this sort of assault on one's home leaves deep scars. (It’s been 50 years since my home in OB was shot up by the Secret Army.)

Now, for the first time in decades, really good Democrats constitute a majority on the Board of Supervisors. Nathan Fletcher was looking forward to a seat in the State Senate as term limits approached; all the right people had pledged their support.

Now, the campaign is off. Like other brave politicians Fletcher has admitted he needs help. His health has got to come first as he begins a new path for the rest of his life. I’m not implying that he doesn’t have a future in politics; the decision is his to make in the context of what’s best for himself, his family, and the people he might wish to serve.

I wish him all the luck in the world. I’ve been sober for nearly two decades by taking things one day at a time. Somehow, I believe he’ll come out of this experience stronger, even if he chooses a path other than politics.

PS– Somebody, somewhere is probably conjuring up a comment about how I wrote this post without mentioning Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher. I don’t doubt that her clout and fundraising ability greased the skids for her husband's ascendance; I also know more than a handful of other worthy activists in and out of elected office that have benefitted from her support.

Like her husband, she’s chosen to do mostly the right things with the opportunities presented to her. It’s Nathan Fletcher who’s made a life changing decision, and I thought focusing on him was where I wanted to go.  

Gretchen Newsom @GretchenNewsom

@SupFletcher It takes true courage to prioritize self-healing. We’ve got your back, @nathanfletcher 💙

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