San Diego City Council District 9: Who Will Replace Georgette?
District 9 knocked it out of the park when they elected Georgette Gomez as their Council rep in 2016. Granted, she had deep roots in the community and undeniable organizing skills from her time with the Environmental Health Coalition, but those sorts of things don’t always translate to effective representation.
Now Gomez is moving on, running hard for retiring Congressmember Susan Davis’ seat, and the sense of loss in many quarters is palpable. Not only was she good at fighting for her constituents, Gomez actually won a bunch of battles on a variety of issues.
Changing policies is kinda like steering an ocean liner, and it will be a couple of years before folks fully realize just how effective their City Councilmember really was.
It’s relatively common for elected city officials to promote ambitious staffers to replace themselves when they leave office, so it’s no big surprise that former Gomez staffer Kelvin Barrios got the nod from his old boss.
Organized labor jumped on his bandwagon, again, not surprising given his background working with LiUNA (Laborers) Local 89. There’s an Independent Expenditure committee actively campaigning, independently, of course, and the power of door-to-door communications these groups often engage in is undeniable.
But Kelvin’s had money problems. At least everybody hopes it’s had, as in past tense.
Late last fall, Barrios coughed up $4000 in fines after the state Fair Political Practices Commission ruled he violated the California Political Reform Act. This ruling came on the heels of an investigation concerning allegations of misspent funds during a school board campaign for which he was a consultant, and from his time as treasurer for the California Young Democrats Latino Caucus.
His excuse to FPPC investigators about reimbursing himself for things he was owed didn’t hold water. They said he cut checks to himself or used a debit card connected to the accounts on personal expenditures, and was unable to provide any documentation showing the payments were associated with official business.
Competing candidate Sean Elo continues to question Barrio’s ethics, both on matters the FPPC has investigated and whether a labor-sponsored Independent Expenditure group has crossed the line into the kind of collaboration that’s maybe not so “independent.”
From Voice of San Diego in early December:
San Diego Community College District Trustee Sean Elo, made a fresh allegation Friday, announcing that he had reported to the FPPC another 29 instances of misspent funds, from 2015 through 2017, totaling $3,600 from the San Diego County Young Democrats, another group for which Barrios was treasurer.
Elo said he sent bank statements to the FPPC detailing what he says were illegal expenditures – which were payments to convenience stores and restaurants and mobile transfers to Barrios’s personal account.
The previous FPPC decision and the additional complaint, Elo argued, “provides evidence that Barrios has repeatedly violated the trust of multiple parties who entrusted him with money.”
Elo will need some mighty big luck to make the coordination with outside groups allegation stick. It’s the way things have been done (wink, wink) around San Diego forever by all sorts of campaigns and interest groups.
Chances are good that Elo and Barrios will face each other in the general election since each of them has name recognition. Elo, by the way, bested former City Councilman David Alvarez oopsSDSU Trustee Richard Barrera in his race for the Community College Board.
The district includes eastern sections of the city, including City Heights, Kensington, Rolando, Talmadge and the San Diego State University area.
Now, on to the nuts and bolts.
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Democrat Kelvin Barrios was a Former Council Rep/Policy Advisor for Georgette Gomez, and currently is Director of Policy for LiUNA (Laborers) Local 89.
Why he’s running:
I am running for San Diego City Council because our neighborhoods don’t need any more politicians who see our community as their next stepping stone. We deserve responsive, accessible leadership that comes from our community.
The Union-Tribune has been interviewing candidates for just about every office in San Diego, and I have found them to be helpful. Unfortunately, their series on D9 candidates hasn’t dropped yet. When it does I’ll come back to this story with a link and a quote that I feel will help in understanding the candidates. Money quote (TBA)
Priorities (Excerpted from website):
Homelessness - As a Volunteer Community Organizer for Homelessness youth outreach, I worked on the ground to provide much needed resources to youth experiencing homelessness. All San Diegans deserve to have access to housing and with my experience and connection to our communities, I have the tools to bring forward real solutions to fix our homelessness problem,
Neighborhood services -As a community advocate for over 15 years, I have had the pleasure of working with city staff from all departments to ensure that my community’s needs are met. From City Planners and Librarians to Police Officers and Firefighters, I have built an extensive network that will allow me to hit the ground running as your Councilmember. Our City employees are the front line of our city government and are the people most will come in contact with when there is an issue in our communities, so we must continue working to recruit and retain a diverse group of city employees that reflect our communities.
Streets and Sidewalks - As Director of Community Outreach Laborers Local 89 and advocate for working families, I worked with contractors on building up their skilled and trained workforce to ensure that the work paid for by our tax payers was of the highest quality. As your Councilmember, I will continue fighting for our communities to ensure that we have the streets and sidewalks that we deserve.
Transportation - For me, working on public transportation is not just about access, but it’s about building a public transportation system that allows our community members to ride with dignity, efficiently and safely.
Housing - Our community needs more housing, but we need to build the kind of housing that fits the needs of our communities. Our working families and community members need to have their voices heard in the planning process. We need to ensure that the decision makers reflect our values and our community.
Organizational Endorsements: San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, LiUNA Local 777, SEIU Local 221, Unite Here Local 30, Operating Engineers Local 12, National Union of Healthcare Workers, San Diego Democrats for Equality, Blue Dream Democrats.
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Democrat Sam Bedwell is an attorney/small businessman who ran for this seat as a write in candidate in the 2016 primary and received zero votes.
Why he’s running
I am running because our neighborhoods and city deserve leadership with values and political will, not more excuses. I am running to take on the serious issues and difficult work that has been neglected in too many of our neighborhoods. City Hall needs to be responsive, productive, and accountable to everyone.
The Union-Tribune has been interviewing candidates for just about every office in San Diego, and I have found them to be helpful. Unfortunately, their series on D9 candidates hasn’t dropped yet. When it does I’ll come back to this story with a link and a quote that I feel will help in understanding the candidates. Money quote (TBA)
Priorities (Excerpted from website):
Housing and Homelessness - While housing and homelessness has been deemed an emergency by past City Councils, no meaningful movement has been made to tackle this growing “emergency”. San Diegans cannot afford the status quo. As your Councilmember, housing will be a top priority for me. Our veterans, families with children, and students should not have to wait any longer for meaningful solutions, and I will not pass this issue off for another year or another council. This moral and economic crisis can be solved sooner with bold ideas and bold and thoughtful leadership.
Small Businesses- I will advance policies that will cut red tape, unnecessary regulations, and barriers to starting and growing businesses. I will work to make our city a ready, willing, and able partner to entrepreneurs and businesses of every size and diversity. I will also work with City departments to improve front desk services to greatly reduce process times and improve the permitting process in significant and measurable ways. As Councilmember, I will incentivize getting small businesses up and running affordably and quickly. The City should work more closely with the County to streamline or eliminate confusing or duplicate regulations where possible.
City Services- I will ensure that our City employees have the tools and incentives to better serve residents and businesses. Engaging with the City should not be intimidating, time consuming, or too costly. I will strive to continuously improve and speed up City services. The delivery of City services should be measured and shared openly so that San Diegans know exactly what to expect and how well customers are being served. Where beneficial, I will expand and encourage the use of “over the counter” and online services that are user-friendly and that will reach more residents, especially those that don’t traditionally use online services.
Public Safety - Community policing, emergency services, and other first responders should reflect the communities they serve and have the proper tools, training, and adequate staffing to serve those communities. I will work towards finally addressing the City's long-standing problem of hiring and retaining police officers and firefighters so that we can maintain safe staffing levels throughout our district.
Environment - Public spaces are crucial to San Diegans' quality of life, especially for our children. The 9th District is woefully short of public spaces including parks. I will work with our communities and respective stakeholders to develop more safe open spaces including parks for young children, teens, and pets as well. I will work to fund and implement environmental plans that will make San Diego a world leader in renewable energy and water while creating new industries and thousands of new high paying jobs that cannot be outsourced.
Infrastructure - Continuing to neglect our infrastructure needs, as City Hall has done for too long, will prove to be costly. Improving our infrastructure will make San Diego an even nicer and safer place to live and it will also make us more competitive for businesses and save the residents money over the long term. I will work closely with communities and planning groups to develop a detailed comprehensive plan and tackle these projects as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Organizational Endorsements: None
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Johnny Lee Dang is a No Party Preference candidate who was motivated to run after attending a City Council meeting and speaking out against a budget increase for tourism marketing, which was approved.
Why he’s running:
“ I don't think we should spend a single dollar more on advertising in this city, not until we get every homeless woman and child in this town into a nice home, given a warm meal to eat and some hot chocolate. I believe that this would be the last peace of advertising that the city will ever need.”
The Union-Tribune has been interviewing candidates for just about every office in San Diego, and I have found them to be helpful. Unfortunately, their series on D9 candidates hasn’t dropped yet. When it does I’ll come back to this story with a link and a quote that I feel will help in understanding the candidates. Money quote (TBA)
Priorities (Excerpted from website)
Peace & Love- I have a good friend, Khalilah, and she performs the dance-of-peace. She is with an organization called Peace, Love and Justice. I informed her that I agree with peace and love, but I don’t think you can have peace, love and justice all at the same time. She said, “No! You can have all three.” I said, “How?” She said, “from within.”
Religious & Ethnic Centre of the City - Johnny wants to revitalize City Heights along Euclid Avenue and make it the religious and ethnic center of the City. A place where tourists who come to San Diego can have a religious or cultural experience, and enjoy ethnic food and goods while they are visiting San Diego. Johnny wants City Heights to be a place where refugees can come, know that they are now safe, and have faith that this is a place where they can rebuild their lives and have a prosperous future.
Energy & Environment - Sunny San Diego should be the solar power capital of the United States. Johnny wants the City of San Diego to buy solar panels for all city residents. If the resident already has solar panels, then the City will provide a sufficient battery to connect to the solar panels. Program participants will be responsible for installation of units provided.
Traffic & Economy - Sitting in traffic is still a frustrating daily experience for many of the region’s residents who must drive a car to get to work or run errands. Improving the highway system will reduce transit times and daily commuter stress. Johnny will instruct SANDAG to prioritize expansion of I-805 from I-54 to I-5; and expansion of I-15 from I-52 to I-8.
Neighborhood Improvements - I suggest we revitalize Market Street and Imperial Avenue and increase lower and medium income housing availability along these two roads. The area is within distance to the trolley stations and major bus lines; and the area is lightly populated.
Homeless Services - Johnny disapproves of the March 2020 ballot measure. Johnny would increase the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) only if it does not allocate the funds to expanding the convention center. Johnny is in favor of bonding the new revenue from the TOT to pay for infrastructure and city services, with $46 million a year allocated to successful working homeless programs.
Organizational Endorsements: None
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Democrat Sean Elo serves as a San Diego Community College Board Trustee. As executive director of Youth Will, he works with young people to help make San Diego a world-class region where children and youth can thrive. He is a RISE Urban Leadership Fellow, along with serving as a board member of multiple nonprofit organizations, including the Regional Task Force on the Homeless and Community HousingWorks.
Why he’s running:
It was this work in City Heights schools that made Sean fall in love with the community. For the first time, he was in a community that resembled his family. Folks with roots all over the world who came here seeking safety and opportunity. Families struggling to get by and neighbors from different cultures working through their differences. Most importantly, Sean saw how beautiful it is when a community overcomes those struggles and differences to come together for their families and communities.
The Union-Tribune has been interviewing candidates for just about every office in San Diego, and I have found them to be helpful. Unfortunately, their series on D9 candidates hasn’t dropped yet. When it does I’ll come back to this story with a link and a quote that I feel will help in understanding the candidates. Money quote (TBA)
Priorities (Excerpted from Website)
Quality Housing For All - End homelessness, Preserve and produce housing we can afford, Protect renters
Safety & Justice For All - Establish trust, Recruit & retain officers and firefighters, Improve response times
Clean & Healthy Neighborhoods For All - Fight climate change, Develop safer streets, Build more parks
Opportunity For All - Support community schools, Create good jobs & protect workers’ rights, Increase access to affordable childcare
Organization Endorsements: Sierra Club, YIMBY Democrats, La Raza Lawyers Association, San Diego Young Democrats, AAPI Democratic Club.
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Small business owner and Republican Andrew Gade owns San Diego Tint, a company that tints car windows. He sounds reasonable for a Republican, but has a snowball’s chance in D9.
Why he’s running:
San Diego needs a leader that can help organize and support the communities most pressing issues with realistic solutions. It is imperative that we put the right people in place to make the decisions that are best for San Diegans! In order to start making progress, we need to take a completely different approach than before. Until money no longer determines political winners and losers, we will always come up short. We deserve long term solutions, not backdoor budget tricks with short sighted leadership. We need a leader who truly understands and represents the needs of our residents; creating balance with a fresh perspective!
The Union-Tribune has been interviewing candidates for just about every office in San Diego, and I have found them to be helpful. Unfortunately, their series on D7 candidates hasn’t dropped yet. When it does I’ll come back to this story with a link and a quote that I feel will help in understanding the candidates. Money quote (TBA)
Priorities (Excerpted from website)
Economic Growth - Resource Utilization Model: City, County, and Private Sector Streamline City Permitting and Decision Making
Infrastructure - Fix Roads, Sewer, Water, and Wastewater, Rebuild Fire Stations and Library’s
Public Safety - Police, Fire, Lifeguards, and Community Engagement, Recruit, Retain, and higher pay for Public Safety workers
Technology - Make San Diego a leader in Information Technologies, AI systems will streamline repetitive tasks and speed up implementation
Transportation - Adaptive Transportation Model: Reducing Traffic and Pollution, Shared use and neighborhood specific needs
City Departments - Eliminating Redundancies and Wasteful overlap, Maintenance Zones: Creating ownership and responsibility
Education - Academic Integration Model: K-12 and Universities, Community Approach: Teachers, Parents, and Students
Housing & Homeless - Mental Health and Addiction programs and treatment, Permanent housing, Outreach programs, Community support
Climate Change - Setting a New Standard: Climate Action Plan, Planning for Temperature Change, Sea level Rise, and Erosion
Organization Endorsements: San Diego Republican Party.
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Democrat Ross Naismith is a bagpipe playing music teacher/non-profit executive who serves on the Community Planning Group Board representing Rolando Village. He is also on the Board of Directors for the United Nations Association of San Diego and was President of the House of Scotland International Cultural Cottage in Balboa Park for 2 years. For almost 5 years he served as President and Pipe Major of the House of Scotland Pipe Band, also of Balboa Park.
Why he’s running
This campaign is about the people of San Diego, the residents of District 9, and improving people's lives.
The Union-Tribune has been interviewing candidates for just about every office in San Diego, and I have found them to be helpful. Unfortunately, their series on D9 candidates hasn’t dropped yet. When it does I’ll come back to this story with a link and a quote that I feel will help in understanding the candidates. Money quote (TBA)
Priorities (Excerpted from website)
Housing - Shelter is a basic necessity of life. We need to make sure that all of our residents are housed and have access to available services.
Homelessness - Homelessness in San Diego is a humanitarian crisis. Ross will work to increase social services and expand mobile clinics.
Community - All communities deserve a seat at the table… Ross wants to amplify collective voices and strengthen yours.
Transportation - Public transportation should be a viable alternative to driving a car.
Organization Endorsements: None
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Democrat Alex Soto is an Unmanned Maritime Systems manager and mixed martial arts competitor.
Why he’s running:
Alex Soto is always looking for ways to improve his community and make a difference. As a resident of Rolando, he challenged city officials to fix one of our historic "cat walks" and held them accountable. The catwalk got renovated and one of the city's neglected issues in our community got checked off.
His proven experience in bringing people together, standing up for our communities, and making things happen makes Alex Soto the candidate to represent our diverse community.
The Union-Tribune has been interviewing candidates for just about every office in San Diego, and I have found them to be helpful. Unfortunately, their series on D9 candidates hasn’t dropped yet. When it does I’ll come back to this story with a link and a quote that I feel will help in understanding the candidates. Money quote (TBA)
Priorities (Excerpted from website)
Homeless Crisis - Streamline homeless services, Homeless youth transitional living, Clean up the mess, Permanent Supportive Housing, Training services street outreach programs, 0% homeless veterans in District 9 by 2022, #768 effort to homeless
Housing Crisis - Lower building cost, Invest in both public and non-profit owned housing, Focus on middle and low income housing with 3+ bedrooms, Help renters out in times of crisis through the homeless prevention programs.
Environment - Preserve environmental, cultural, and historic resources., Preserve the integrated open space system of our natural canyons, park grounds, urban plazas, and landscaped streets, Fire protection and prevention.
Infrastructure - Fix our outdated storm water system, Prioritize on fixing our neighborhood public sidewalks, update our district's street lighting.
Organization Endorsements: None
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PS - I inadvertently left Ross Naismith out of the collage at the top of this story when it was first posted. You might see the old image in Facebook, but it's fixed here.