SAN DIEGO — News 8 sat down in January 2020 with 7 candidates on the ballot running for San Diego Mayor. We asked each of them the same questions 5 questions around topics that are important to San Diegans (housing, homelessness, infrastructure, climate change, and immigration).
- One of the biggest issues in San Diego is the housing crisis. Whether it is a shortage of inventory or residents being priced out of the market. What is your plan to deal with this issue?
- What do you see as the biggest issue right now with San Diego’s infrastructure? What is your plan to improve the overall quality of San Diego’s infrastructure?
- Climate change is an important issue for many San Diegans. Where can San Diego improve when combatting climate change?
- How will you deal with the differences and the particular needs of San Diegans when it comes to the White House’s policies on immigration and the border?
- Why should San Diegans vote for you?
Here is what they had to say on those topics and also why San Diego should vote for them.
Barbara Bry:
"We have to change this "politics as usual" culture. If we're going to be able to deal with our environment, with homelessness, with housing. And I believe the diversity of my life experiences qualifies me more than any of the other candidates to be our next mayor. "
Jarvis Gandy:
"I want America to know that you cannot have a great economic plan if you don't have fairness. So fairness has to be an equation of fairness in housing. Fairness in job discrimination, you know, and there's can't be no fairness in job discrimination. So my point to saying that we cannot have covert racism, you know, here in the city of San Diego, we have to grow. We have to grow as a city."
Todd Gloria:
"I'm a native San Diegan. I'm a third-generation San Diegan. And that means I know where our community has been. I'm the son of a hotel maid and a gardener, which means I know just how hard it is to make ends meet in this town. But more than anything I have a vision for where I'd like to take our city."
Rich Riel:
"My ideas are timeless. We need to stop the sale of city-owned land to save open space for the San Diegans who are yet to be born. I propose a hiring freeze on all city employees making more than one hundred thousand dollars a year. I propose that all newly hired city employees be enrolled in Social Security. I cannot promise an overnight cure to our problems, but if you believe these ideals will put us on the road to financial stability..."
Scott Sherman:
" I've been there for seven years. I have a history of speaking common sense over the nonsense that we see at City Hall. I want to tackle our housing crisis and not with the politicians who are there now, because that's all they think of is government-subsidized housing. We need to work to let the market deal with things. We need a tough-love approach to homelessness. We need to end the special interest influence at City Hall and just make decisions."
Gita Applebaum Singh:
"I feel I am somebody who is very people-centered. I want to be that mayor that anybody can approach me with a problem. I want to be the voice of San Diego. I am an immigrant with an immigrant story. And I am multicultural, educated to handle immigrants, refugees, every color-treated with this with respect. I feel that I can be somebody like that in San Diego in a leadership position."
Tasha Williamson:
"The reason why you should vote for me is because I am very different from every other career politician. I'm not here to placate and give empty promises. And I can't be bought, borrowed or sold. I'm here because I want to end homelessness. I want to put in infrastructure maintenance. I want to make sure that people are taking care of - over profits. I want to ensure that businesses are thriving."
Watch all of the complete interviews on the YouTube Playlist