1. What is your view of how elected leaders won approval of first-ever trash collection fees on more than 200,000 single-family homeowners?
I understand the intent of the trash fee, and it’s clear that the Environmental Services Department needs help. Collection service trucks are constantly breaking down and this usually leads to the trash not being picked up on the regularly scheduled days.
However, accountability and transparency must be front and center when talking about new taxes and fees. The monthly charge of $43.60 that was approved by the city was much higher than the $23 to $29 estimate voters were given before they approved Measure B in 2022.
I, like many residents, understand inflation is real. Paying a little more for quality services to be provided is reasonable. However, I’ve heard complaints from residents regarding the trash fee, wondering why they are being charged close to $44 when they voted for $29.
If voters approved $29, the city needs to find a way for the final number to be $29.
In my opinion, the handling of this fee has widened the gap of trust between City Hall and our communities. San Diego is one of the most expensive cities in the nation, and the city needs to safeguard residents and strive to make San Diego more affordable.
2. What is your view of the imposition of parking fees at Balboa Park and do you think the mayor and council did enough to control costs before taking this step?
The implementation of parking fees at Balboa Park was rushed and it failed in protecting San Diegans. I do not support this fee because to my constituents in District 8, this fee adds to the list of reasons why San Diego is so expensive.
City leadership could have pursued an initiative that imposed a fee on tourists while keeping it free for San Diegans. However, that’s not the direction the city decided to go. Balboa Park should remain free and accessible to all residents, just like every other park.
3. Voters gave landslide approval in 2006 to a “managed competition” process in which some city services can be outsourced and strongly supported pension reforms for most city workers in 2012, but elected leaders have pursued neither policy in recent years. Would you?
I am a huge supporter of cost savings and improved efficiency. When we are dealing with a budget deficit through fiscal year 2030, every option has to be on the table. However, insourcing can save the city money while increasing accountability.
For instance, the city spends millions of dollars a year on street resurfacing, much of it going to outside contractors, even though contractor costs have increased from 47% to 53% over the past five years, according to the city’s Transportation Department.
Additionally, in many cases, public contracting does not always produce true competition, with only a limited number of bidders participating. This can lead to higher costs over time.
In regard to pension reform, it’s clear San Diego’s pension issues are putting a lot of pressure on the city’s ability to deliver basic services. Proposition B in 2012 was the understandable response of voters to the series of irresponsible backroom deals that enhanced pension benefits while at the same time underfunding the system. But it was struck down by the courts because city leaders once again tried to circumvent the process, this time by bypassing legally required labor negotiations. Today, San Diego spends over $490 million a year on pensions and it carries over $3 billion in pension debt.
The lesson of the last 20-plus years couldn’t be any clearer: When city leaders try to cheat the system, whether it is underfunding pensions in 2002 or bypassing meet-and-confer in 2012, San Diegans end up paying more and getting less. Pension sustainability should be pursued the right way, not through backroom deals.
4. What is the single issue you feel deserves more attention?
Affordability. Families in District 8 are being priced out of the communities where they grew up because of rising costs for housing, utilities and basic expenses. San Diego is becoming one of the most expensive cities in the nation, and if we don’t change course soon, this city will be home only for the wealthy.
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