San Diego County Supervisors District : A Definition Of Insanity
Now serving a seventh consecutive term, termed out Supervisor Diane Jacob has held elective office longer than anyone in San Diego County government history.
As the Republican Party has moved to the right over the past three decades, Jacob has remained as a reminder of what her party used to stand for well-managed government, stewardship of the environment, and enough empathy to see beyond the profit motive.
Running to replace her in the most conservative of the supes districts are Poway Mayor Steve Vaus and former State Senator Joel Anderson, who Id describe as Republican and Republican neanderthal.
Both the No Party Preference and the Democratic candidates for the position were eliminated in the primary.
Should Anderson win, Id describe his tenure as a repeat of the worst weve seen on the County Board of Supervisors for the past 25 years. If Vaus wins, we can think about him every time we have another monster heat wave caused in large part by our addiction to automobiles.
Incumbent Jacob thinks Vaus is the better choice. Im not sure better is the word I would use. Less dangerous, maybe. Call me crazy, but Im thinking doing the same thing over again with different faces is not a good idea.
Politician Vaus made it onto the national radar as the face of his community in the wake of the 2019 shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue. He came across as a mayor who deeply cared about his constituents.
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Republicans Win North County Mayoral Races
In four closely watched mayoral races in North County Escondido, Encinitas, Vista and Poway one city saw an upset.
In Poway, longtime City Councilman and Mayor Don Higginson lost to Steve Vaus, a Grammy award-winning singer elected to the City Council just two years ago. Both men are Republicans, but Vaus had the party endorsement, raised more money and promised a new approach for the city.
In Escondido, Republican Mayor Sam Abed defeated his challenger, Democratic City Councilwoman Olga Diaz, who had hoped to become the first Latina elected mayor in the city. Diaz ran on a platform of making the city more inclusive for its Latino residents, who now make up more than 50 percent of the population.
Encinitas is the only city in North County with more registered Democratic than Republican voters. The city has faced controversies recently over issues of growth and development, as well as city spending.
Residents decided to elect a mayor for the first time this year, rather than have the City Council appoint one of their members. Voters chose Kristin Gaspar, a Republican with a business background and a more pro-development approach than her slow-growth Democratic challengers.
In Vista, Republican Judy Ritter, a longtime councilwoman and mayor, fought off a challenge by Democrat Cody Campbell, a first term councilman.
San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond and Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall were unchallenged. San Marcos even canceled its mayoral race for lack of opposition.
Moments From An Environmental Mayoral Debate
Its debate season. Every community and special interest group in the city will have one or more debates nay, forums for races up and down the ballot.
It drives politicos nuts, but its just how we do things.
Tuesday the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club hosted a mayoral forum on environmental issues.
Community activist Tasha Williamson wasnt there, but Councilwoman Barbara Bry and Assemblyman Todd Gloria squared off on a range of environmental issues.
Here are three moments that stood out.
Retrofitting Buildings
Moderator Matt Strabone asked whether the candidates would commit to forcing all new buildings to reach zero emissions, including a requirement that they not include gas hookups.
Gloria, who elevated an early draft of the Climate Action Plan that was later adopted by the City Council when he was interim mayor, pointed out that his version of the plan included a requirement for old buildings to be retrofitted whenever they were sold.
New construction, thats a far easier conversation, but I was willing to have a different conversation, he said. When I proposed the draft climate action plan, we talked about energy retrofits in existing buildings. That wasnt necessarily well received in every corner, but I think this group of voters here tonight are looking for a true environmental champion.
Fixing Park Deficiencies in Low-Income Neighborhoods
So now Im leading an effort to make sure that spending across the city is equal, she said.
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Whiter And Older But Somehow Less Republican The Gop Is Losing Its Grip On Two North County Strongholds
- Republicans have lost voter registration advantages in two North County state Assembly districts.
- Democrats are newly competitive in both Assembly District 76 and 77. Both are currently represented by Republicans.
- The reason for the significant shift in voter registration is unclear, and Census data show that theories about a younger, more diverse population are incorrect.
Republicans have lost major voter registration advantages in two suburban Assembly seats in North County, making Democrats newly competitive in those districts.Democrats have had a voter registration advantage across San Diego County since 2012, and four of the seven Assembly Districts have steadily become more blue ever since then. But the shift has now reached a point where Democratic and Republican voter registration in two once-conservative North County seats the 76th and 77th are within a whisker, giving Democrats a chance to bolster their majority in the 80-member Assembly.
Its unclear why the districts have shifted. Campaigns suggested that its because they have become younger and more diverse, two factors that tend to favor Democrats. Census data, however, show that both the median age and percentage of the population 65 and over has actually increased and, in one of the districts, the percentage of white residents has grown as well.
Voters in the 77th want a government that provides the basics, said John Mullin, deputy mayor of Poway and a Republican.
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San Diego City Attorney
Incumbent is being challenged by public advocacy lawyer Cory Briggs, who accuses the incumbent of incompetence and has proposed eliminating the office to save money. Briggs has made a name for himself with a series of high-profile lawsuits against public agencies. Elliott, a former deputy city attorney, emphasizes her efforts to combat domestic violence and sex trafficking, but has been accused of lack of oversight in the purchases of 101 Ash Street and new streetlights with video cameras for police surveillance. Elliott has widespread official support, from the local Democratic Party to the police union and the Chamber of Commerce, while Briggs is running as an outsider, promising a taxpayers-first approach to the office.
Poway Mayor Hopes To Stay Local
Vaus, who has been mayor of Poway since 2014, also has deep ties to the district and took a unique path to public office.
A 27-year resident of Poway alongside his wife, Corrie, Vaus was first elected to public office in 2012 when he served on the Poway City Council.
Two years later he successfully ran for mayor, a post he was re-elected to in November 2018. He was praised for his leadership in the aftermath of the Poway synagogue shooting last year.
He also currently serves as chairman of the San Diego Association of Governments, the entity at the center of debate over the future of transportation in the region.
Prior to his time in public office, Vaus was already fairly well known though.
The son of a minister, Vaus had an accomplished career as a recording artist and owner of a production company. His niche was country music and childrens songs, and he won a Grammy in 2010 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. He also earned multiple Emmy awards, along with his wife, in 2007.
In an interview Monday, Vaus said his top priorities if elected would be public safety, homelessness and mental health a topic he said is personal because his sister suffered from schizophrenia and was once homeless.
A tent or a tarp isnt a home and should never be a home, Vaus said.
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Find Out What’s Happening In Ramonawith Free Real
District 2’s termed-out Dianne Jacob, also a Republican, joined the Board of Supervisors in 1993. The district is home to the cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Poway and Santee and the San Diego communities of Allied Gardens, College Area, Del Cerro, Grantville, Navajo, Rolando and San Carlos.
It also covers East County’s unincorporated communities of Alpine, Campo, Julian, Ramona, Rancho San Diego and Spring Valley. Anderson represented the East County in the Assembly from 2007 to 2009, and in the state Senate from 2010 to 2018.
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There are 20.4 million registered voters in the state, an increase of 3.1 million since the last presidential election in 2016. In fact, 80 percent of eligible Californians are registered to vote, the highest heading into a presidential primary in California in the past 68 years.
A total of 1,826,138 people are registered to vote in San Diego County, according to the latest voter registration numbers from Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office. That’s nearly 82 percent of eligible voters.
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From Assembly And Senate To County Supervisor
Anderson, a longtime Alpine resident alongside his wife Kate, is a well known commodity in East County.
He was first elected to the state Assembly in 2006, representing a district that included much of District 2.
Four years later, he made the jump to the state Senate representing an even larger portion of the eastern San Diego area.
During his tenure in the Legislature Anderson stayed largely true to the Republican brand. He was known for his social and fiscal conservatism and advocacy for small businesses and taxpayers.
He often received an A grade from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association as well as high marks from the California Chamber of Commerce and the American Conservative Union Foundation, receiving the Award for Conservative Excellence from the ACUF in 2016.
Now Anderson has continued that focus and is talking about quality of life issues as he runs for county supervisor.
Im 60, and all of my friends are having to leave the state to visit their kids and their grandkids, Anderson said by phone. We have failed to provide the same opportunities in East County that I grew up with.
If elected, Anderson said hell focus on expanding housing attainability, reducing homelessness, increasing career opportunities in the district and bolstering mental health services. He praised some of the county mental health initiatives launched by Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.
He suggested partnering with the regions biotech companies to develop satellite offices in the area.
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In other close East County races, Dustin Trotter eked out a five-vote victory over Samm Hurst in the race Santee City Council District 4 and Greg Shibley bested April Leon by seven votes to win a seat on the Lemon Grove school board.
The official final results posted by the Registrar of Voters showed a countywide turnout of 83.5%.
Final presidential results in San Diego County showed Joe Biden beating Donald Trump by 364,000 votes 60.2% to 37.5%
In the San Diego mayors race, Todd Gloria defeated fellow Democrat Barbara Bry by nearly 74,000 votes 56% to 44%.
In competitive races for Congress, Sara Jacobs defeated fellow Democrat Georgett Gomez 59.5%to 40.50% in the 53rd District to replace Rep. Susan Davis, and Republican Darrell Issa returned to the House with a 53.7% to 46.3% victory over Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar in the 50th District formerly represented by Duncan L. Hunter and son Duncan D. Hunter for decades.
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In Poway And Pittsburgh Mayors Join Fight Against Hate After Synagogue Attacks
Mayor Steve Vaus counts his days from April 27, 2019, when a gunman burst into a Chabad synagogue, killing one congregant, injuring three others and shattering the Norman Rockwell vibe of the small, Southern California town of Poway.
When something like this happens so close to home, its seared in your memory, Vaus told me on what he noted was Day No. 642.
Exactly six months before the Poway attack, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto was awakened by a call that an active shooter was inside the Tree of Life Synagogue in the citys Squirrel Hill neighborhood. He immediately hung up the phone and prayed. It hit very, very close, he said. I knew almost half of the families.
These two mayors have seen firsthand the danger of an ancient hatred lying in wait. Amid a precipitous rise in hate incidents across the country, they want others to be mindful of the peril.
When we see the real effects of antisemitism, we have to speak out and we have to be able to say this is a way that divides our community against itself, Peduto said. We need to be able to explain not only why it is wrong, but how we will do anything that is necessary to make sure that it does not exist.
Ahead of the Poway shootings second anniversary, nearly 600 American city leaders, Vaus and Peduto included, have signed the Mayors United Against Antisemitism statement, an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Jewish Committee.
Pronunciation Of The Name
The English pronunciation of the name of the city has varied. A 1953 article in the of the asserts that the pronunciation was established following the 1850 incorporation of the city and that since the 1880s the pronunciation emerged out of a trend in California to give places Spanish, or Spanish-sounding, names and pronunciations. In 1908, librarian , who argued for the pronunciation with , reported that there were at least 12 pronunciation variants. In the early 1900s, the advocated for pronouncing it Loce AHNG-hayl-ais , approximating Spanish , by printing the under its masthead for several years. This did not find favor.
Since the 1930s, has been most common. In 1934, the decreed that this pronunciation be used. This was also endorsed in 1952 by a “jury” appointed by Mayor to devise an official pronunciation.
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Endorsements Fundraising And A Race To The Middle
The race thus far has been competitive.
Vaus has an edge in fundraising but his and Andersons campaigns have nearly the same amount of cash available, $159,965 and $139,926, respectively.
Endorsements have favored Vaus, with support from Supervisors Jacob, Greg Cox, Kristin Gaspar and Jim Desmond, as well as county Sheriff Bill Gore and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
Anderson has received support from former Gov. Pete Wilson, former Rep. Duncan Hunter Sr. and state Sens. Patricia Bates and Brian Jones, as well as the local Republican Party.
However, Anderson was the top vote-getter during the primary, earning 35.4 percent of the vote, followed by Vaus who captured 31 percent. Kenya Taylor, the lone Democrat in the primary race, captured 26.7 percent of the vote.
With Taylor out of the race, Luna said, the question may be which Republican her supporters and other Democrats flock to. There are 140,783 registered Republicans in the district, 131,781 Democrats and 91,184 independents.
As evidence of his bipartisanship, Anderson has touted bills he worked on with Democrats in the Legislature as well as the fact that for four years he did not caucus with Republicans.
Anderson referred to a homelessness bill he worked on with Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose.
Meanwhile Vaus has sought to position himself as a man in the middle.
I always like to make sure every side of every argument gets a fair hearing, and I listen a far lot more than I talk, Vaus said.
Movies And The Performing Arts
The city’s has become recognized as the center of the and the Los Angeles area is also associated as being the center of the . The city is home to major film studios as well as major record labels. Los Angeles plays host to the annual , the , the as well as many other entertainment industry awards shows. Los Angeles is the site of the , the oldest in the United States.
The performing arts play a major role in Los Angeles’s cultural identity. According to the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, “there are more than 1,100 annual theatrical productions and 21 openings every week.” The is “one of the three largest performing arts centers in the nation”, with more than 1.3 million visitors per year. The , centerpiece of the Music Center, is home to the prestigious . Notable organizations such as , the , and the are also resident companies of the Music Center. Talent is locally cultivated at premier institutions such as the and the .
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Vaus Leading Anderson In Race For Supervisor District 2 Seat
Poway Mayor Steve Vaus maintained a narrow lead Thursday over former State Sen. Joel Anderson in the race to replace Dianne Jacob on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
East Countys District 2 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will finally see a change in authority.
Former Supervisor Dianne Jacob termed out after 28 years on the board.
Former State Sen. Joel Anderson rose to the lead in the primary election with almost 7,500 more votes than his opponent, Poway Mayor Steve Vaus. Theyre both Republicans, running in a historically red district. What sets them apart, they say, is their performance record as public servants.
I think the distinctions between myself and my opponent could be summed up with three things: track record, temperament and trust, said Vaus. As far as track record, I’m the only candidate with executive experience running a jurisdiction and I think I have been pretty successful.
Vaus points to his county-wide bipartisan endorsements, including from outgoing Supervisor Jacob, who after 28 years on the board of supervisors has termed out. Vauss priorities include public safety, infrastructure, and protecting and expanding open space.
Anderson is officially endorsed by the San Diego County Republican Party. His priorities include road improvements, career opportunities, and housing attainability.
