Tomorrow Is Election Day In San Diego

Late last year Lucas O'Connor brought us up to date on the parameters of the mayoral election in San Diego. As he said, it's one of the last big cities in America that still has a Republican mayor. There was a big gap to close in December and progressive City Councilman David Alvarez seems to have closed it. And Saturday, Alvarez got a big boost when he was endorsed by President Obama: “As a native San Diegan, David Alvarez has been a fierce advocate for his city, and on the Council, has led efforts to build a strong middle class, put neighborhoods first and expand opportunities for kids in and out of school. Today, with the city’s economy and neighborhoods poised to make progress there is no question that David is the right choice to be San Diego’s next mayor and I am excited to support him.”

The latest poll is the closest of all, showing that Alvarez has caught up with his right-wing rival, Kevin Faulconer. With 7% still undecided, the poll released yesterday shows Faulconer with 47% and Alvarez with 46%, a last-minute surge for Alvarez. He leads 2 to 1 among Latino voters, significantly with women voters and leads among voters under 65. Faulconer's entire statistically-insignificant one point advantage is with people over 65 years old.  He's the candidate of old white men, increasingly the last bastion of the Republican Party everywhere.

Alvarez supporter Donna Frye, a former City Council member and unsuccessful candidate for mayor, wrote an OpEd for the Union-Tribune with the 10 reasons voters should pick Alvarez tomorrow.

1. David annoys the U-T San Diego Editorial Board folks-- the same ones who endorsed his opponent and think it would be a cool idea to split California in two and form a 51st state. They especially get riled up when he talks about supporting working-class jobs and providing services that average citizens deserve and expect.

2. David has support and endorsements from people and community organizations I respect and share common values with, including Interim Mayor Todd Gloria, Assemblymember Toni Atkins, former Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Diane Feinstein, and San Diego Unified School District President Kevin Beiser; community leaders Bruce Coons, Mel Katz, Lei-Chala Wilson, Dr. Allen Chan, Dr. Alan Gin and Bishop George McKinney; and organizations including the San Diego League of Conservation Voters, Bike SD and the Environmental Health and Justice Coalition.

3. David’s father lives with him. This is a really good thing because if David ever forgets he is a public servant, his dad will be there to straighten him out.

4. David supports increasing the statewide minimum wage.

5. David is a strong negotiator. During last year’s fight over Tourism Marketing District dollars, David became the mediator between the former mayor and tourism board members and prevented a total breakdown in the compromise talks. He got the best deal for the taxpayers, which included indemnification for the city should the ongoing litigation prove successful. When the matter again came up for a vote, David stood firm against repealing the taxpayer protection provision, while his opponent voted to remove it.

6. David actively supports community planning and believes residents should help decide what is best for their neighborhoods. One example is the Barrio Logan Community Plan. After five years of meetings, a compromise was reached to help protect residents from industrial pollution. It included requiring an approximate nine-block buffer zone between homes and industrial businesses and obtaining approval from the city at a public hearing before expanding or bringing new industrial uses into the buffer zone. David obtained a majority vote for the plan’s approval, despite the “no” vote by his opponent, who is now actively campaigning to overturn the wishes of the community.

7. David opposed the billion-dollar tax financing scheme to expand the downtown Convention Center. The funding comes mostly from increased tourist taxes, but unlike other tourist tax increases, there was no public vote. The voters have a right to decide how their taxes are spent, especially when the billion dollars could be used for streets, sidewalks and basic neighborhood services instead of one more big building downtown.

8. David stands up for what he believes and that is reflected in his votes. He does not put his finger in the wind to see which way it is blowing or try to reinvent himself for political purposes. His core beliefs and values are deeply rooted.

9. David thinks for himself and makes decisions, such as running for mayor, based upon his own best judgment. Unfortunately, his opponent let a small group of people (the local Republican Party chair, developers, the U-T San Diego publisher, and chair of the Lincoln Club) decide in a private meeting whether it was OK for him to run for mayor. He even promised them he wouldn’t run for mayor if they told him not to. Yikes! Real leaders don’t let other people tell them what to do. Thankfully, David doesn’t need a permission slip from the City Hall monitors before making decisions; he has the strength and good sense to make up his own mind.

10. My No. 1 reason for supporting David is because he has the integrity and right experience to lead our city. He values the people who live here and respects our great diversity of interests and other people’s points of view. I trust him to do what is best for the public and serve all of us. I hope you will join me in supporting David Alvarez as our next mayor.