For years, only Democrats have sat on the San Diego City Council. In District 2, however, Independent Richard Bailey hopes to change that. Nicole Crosby, the Deputy City Attorney, wants to keep him at bay. But is her association with City Hall an asset or a detriment? She shares her message on Politically Speaking with NBC 7 Political Reporter Joey Safchik. <\/p>\n
A transcript of the conversation is below.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Safchik: The Democratic one party rule on the San Diego City Council is at stake. After years of consensus, if not on all policy, then at least on party preference, an independent candidate has a shot of breaking through in district two. That’s Richard Bailey, but the San Diego Democratic Party has thrown its support behind his opponent, Nicole Crosby, in her bid to hold him at bay. She’s no stranger to City Hall, serving as the deputy city attorney, and she’s with me now. Thank you for being here.<\/p>\n
Crosby: Thanks for having me, Joey.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Take me back to that moment where you decided to run for this office. Why did you make that decision?<\/p>\n
Crosby: As a longtime prosecutor and as the president of the Clairemont Town Council at the time, and my daughter’s PTA, and knowing that as a prosecutor and as a city worker, you know, transparency is very important. We need to focus on evidence based practice and knowing that people are struggling with affordability, they’re struggling with public safety, and they need someone who is not here for a pay to play game. And that is really what drove me to run for this race, because government should work for working people.<\/p>\n
Safchik: If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about district two, what would it be?<\/p>\n
Crosby: All of our infrastructure first. Yep.<\/p>\n
Safchik: You don’t have a magic wand. So what are your concrete policy plans to do that?<\/p>\n
Crosby: Yes, concrete policy plan. So we’re thinking about how we’re going to afford to do that. We need to look at our budget. And yes, there’s a structural budget deficit. But this has been something that has taken decades to come to fruition. We need to first do an overhaul on our purchasing and contracting, see where we’re spending money. I know that there are other cities that actually negotiate contracts for goods, so they get to pay less. I mean, we’re a big city and we buy a lot of goods, and we know that over time, goods have gotten more expensive. So we need to make sure that we are doing the best for our residents. We also need to make sure that our leases are up to market value. So we don’t have, you know, corporate interest, making lots of money on city owned land where we and the residents are not getting any benefit. Also making sure that we are actively and very proactively going for grant funding. I mean, this is hundreds of millions of dollars, not just like 10 or 20,000, and this is major money that can help us start building our infrastructure out, because it might be one time funds, but we’re not be we shouldn’t be building streets every single year.<\/p>\n
Safchik: You recently wrote an op-ed in which you said, \u201ccity leaders [are] pushing half baked solutions to complex issues.\u201d Can you give me an example of that?<\/p>\n
Crosby: Yes. ADUs are one of them. I definitely opposed, not on behalf of the city. The Clairemont Town Council, but also as an individual and as a community member and listening to people. We have a major infrastructure problem. We have a housing problem. And by allowing corporate and small interests to build mega apartment buildings in single family, you know, zoned residences, it doesn’t make sense because there is not actual transportation that gets people there and the infrastructure can’t handle it. You know, the new Clairemont Plan, for example, built in the heart of communities and maintains parking. You can also make sure that there are nicer things and more housing for people, because we want to make sure that kids can stay in our schools and seniors can stay in place. But when you only have really expensive 400 square foot ADUs and not a lot of parking and access to things like just resources. That doesn’t make sense.<\/p>\n
Safchik: So what would you want to do to address the housing crisis? Anything you’re not seeing the City Council do right now.<\/p>\n
Crosby: I think the city council is getting there. I think that we need to be much more proactive. We need\u00a0 to reboot our real estate team. We need to look at the housing commission. We have a number of, you know, assets that are owned by the government. And part of those assets need to be sort of separated from federal regulations because those are very stringent. Living in California costs a lot of money, and there are a lot of people. And if you know, Johnny is living in housing because it’s more affordable, if Johnny gets a dollar more in our, it shouldn’t be taken away. You know, there can be gradual increases to help people get on their feet.<\/p>\n
Safchik: In that same op-ed, you talk about finding efficiencies, the city spending its money wiser rather than making dramatic cuts. How realistic do you think that is?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I think it’s really realistic and I’m really supported, like I’m supported by people who don’t necessarily even talk to each other at city council. And there’s a lot of talk about the strong mayor, but really what we can do and committees or the perfect purpose for this is to bring items to have transparent conversation and really demonstrate the accountability. So one, the community knows what’s going on. Two, The city council is actually apprised of what’s going on, and then we can help dictate the change.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Why don’t you think that’s happening now? Do you have any insight into that from your perch in the city Attorney’s office?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I don’t, but I can tell you that we all need to get along, and we need to make sure that business gets done for San Diegans.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Are there any city programs you think could stand to be cut or trimmed?<\/p>\n
Crosby: Well, I don’t know about programming specifically, but I think I would start at the department level. So looking at our purchasing and contracting or purchasing and contracting needs an overhaul, because if contracts are coming due and we need to do, you know, an extension or renew it, we really need to do our due diligence and homework before it. We shouldn’t be sending something to city council. So I’m going to sit there and read it and not want to approve something if it hasn’t actually been vetted. Right. Have we really worked on getting the best deal for San Diego? So I think that is like the start, but then also auditing everything. Are there\u2019s been cuts to code enforcement, for example, building land use enforcement. And those are the individuals that go out and they make sure communities are safe. And I work with them as a deputy city attorney doing housing protection and protecting people from slumlords. But if we’re cutting that department and they’re also, you know, able to ensure safety in communities, that doesn’t necessarily make sense. So we need to make sure that we’re doing just a wholesale audit of what’s going on.<\/p>\n
Safchik: You oppose contracting with companies like flock. That has been a major storyline in city council this year. Why do you take that position?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I take that position because there’s a longtime prosecutor and someone who has looked out for victims. Government is supposed to be a safe haven, right? It’s supposed to be someone who is neutral, someone who is going to, you know, protect the information that has access to it. Unfortunately, using third party vendors that aggregate private data and have the ability to, you know, sell it, use it, share it in a way that our city doesn’t want, does not make me feel comfortable, and I don’t have confidence in that entity.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Is there anything you know from your job in the City Attorney’s office that the public should know?<\/p>\n
Crosby: No, not with respect to that. But I just think that corroboration is really important and regular police work and making sure that we have officers on the street who are able to actually respond to the calls. Cameras don’t respond to victims. We need to make sure that people in our community have someone to talk to and investigate crimes.<\/p>\n
Safchik: What would you do on the city council to make living in San Diego more affordable?<\/p>\n
Crosby: Really looking at what is making it impossible to find housing. So first, we have short term vacation rentals that are extremely broad and that have relocated thousands of families and children and seniors out of our community. That impacts the money we get from the state and federal government. That impacts the money we spend in making sure the enforcement in our communities is taken care of. And then it sort of just degrades the community in general. So that would be an instant housing stock. I think one thing that we should really look at in a visionary perspective is, you know, retooling of Montgomery Gibbs Airfield because it is almost 500 acres of open space. There have been numerous accidents there. There’s a lot of noise and air pollution and lead that is still part of the operation that I think needs to be more aggressively enforced and evaluated and ultimately be able to reduce those operations, consolidate everything at Brown Airfield as our, you know, binational airfield. And then, you know, look at how we can improve housing there. We can put housing that is for sale, housing that is affordable. We could have new city resources and actually give ourselves time to catch up in other neighborhoods that have low resources and infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Safchik: I have seen you talk about this before, and I’m really curious about the genesis of this idea, because in all the time I’ve been covering City Hall, I’ve never heard anyone talk about this.<\/p>\n
Crosby: So I think it’s really important. I think it goes to being proactive and actually doing real work that can help our community. You know, go into the future, right? So one of the half baked plans is the ADUs. Hodgepodge of ADUs are not what’s going to help, right? Being productive and looking at how Balboa and Genesee is being used. Look at, you know, Clairemont Town Square. You know, there are places with acres of parking that still can be incorporated into new builds. But people want nice things, right? Like development is going to happen. And one of the things I always say is development is inevitable, but it must be intentional. So it means we need to think about how we’re using our space, as opposed to cramming it into neighborhoods where it doesn’t make sense.<\/p>\n
Safchik: On the issue of vacation homes, we have seen the city council got stonewalled here before. The voters did not approve measure A, which was about second homes. What makes you think that the tides are going to turn on this issue?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I think the tides can turn on this issue, because it could be dealt with at city council and bringing\u2013<\/p>\n
Safchik: Not put to the voters?<\/p>\n
Crosby: Not put to the voters. Because when this particular ordinance was crafted, it was just with city council. And there have been modifications and, you know, minimum night stays and different things in order. And other cities across the country and including California in order to, you know, help make the city work for people who actually live here.<\/p>\n
Safchik: So what do you think the city council needs to do that it hasn’t done thus far?<\/p>\n
Crosby: Well, one of the things is we can do a whole home ban. We can also do a minimum night stay. I’m happy and open to conversation, but what is most important is that, you know, there shouldn’t be a for profit scheme in our neighborhoods and corporate entities taking over where families really want to be.<\/p>\n
Safchik: What grade would you give the current city council?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I mean, it’s hard. I mean, it’s hard to say like a grade in particular. But I do think that there needs to be better coordination of communication. I think that’s not just city council, but it’s also the departments and also at the mayor’s office. And people need to have thick skin. And I think years of being a prosecutor and a litigator and being in court, knowing that we’re not here to take things personally, we’re here to do the right thing for people.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Do you think it’s a boon that you already sort of understand the machinations of City Hall in that way?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I think it’s a tremendous asset. You know, working for the city attorney’s office, we’re an independent department, so we’re not part of those policy decisions. However, understanding how it works from the inside and knowing that we can provide a better San Diego for residents is definitely an asset.<\/p>\n
Safchik: People are generally frustrated with the city right now. I hear the term dysfunctional thrown around a lot. Do you think that’s a fair characterization?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I think it’s pretty fair. I think it’s pretty fair because people in our community, one of the things is if you don’t think about the government that it might be doing well and then the job might be getting done. And when people are hearing about it and there’s a lot of negativity, and then it sort of eats people up and we need to do our best as stewards, as fiduciaries for the city to make sure that decisions made make sense, that we are actually talking to people in the community that are planning groups and their ideas. They matter and just not be scared of that. You’ve got to show up for your people.<\/p>\n
Safchik: People might see your endorsements, most of the current council, the San Diego Democratic Party, and think more of the same. How would your voice change the dynamic on this council?<\/p>\n
Crosby: So I wish\u2013 remember, there are people who are supporting me that don’t support each other, and I’m not here to be part of one, you know, solid voting bloc. We are issue oriented, and we’re going to make sure that we are doing the right thing for people. Right? People might be surprised, like, oh, you’re supported by the police and fire and lifeguards. I’m like, yes, because we need to have public safety in our community. But I’m also against Flock. Like we need to think about holistic things. We’re not doing bright lines in the sand about where we are, right? We need to be conscientious of the needs of the city, and that is what matters most.<\/p>\n
Safchik: But then how do you balance all of those interests?<\/p>\n
Crosby: You just truth to power, you know, if you are speaking the truth and you are doing the evidence and you are going out there and getting the information, people, when I talk to them, I tell them how I feel. I’m not here to, you know, paint over a picture, right? We’re here to have real hard conversations and not be scared of that. I talk about confrontation. Confrontation doesn’t have to be negative, but it means that people need to be willing to communicate and just talk through things like good old fashioned communication.<\/p>\n
Safchik: You started this conversation talking about transparency. If you are elected, what can you do to bring trust back to City Hall?<\/p>\n
Yeah. By full audits, looking at our purchasing and contracting, making sure that the revenue that we are owed, we are getting. And that’s just, you know, in terms of leases, in terms of our, you know, penalty funds, whatever it is, make sure that our community knows that’s happening, making sure that know that there are if there are conflicts of interest, that there are good questions being asked, real estate deals need to make sure that they are clean and not repeat mistakes of the past, because there have been decades of, you know, maybe it’s favoritism, maybe it’s mismanagement, maybe it’s a mix of both. But we can’t tolerate that, and we need to go forward with the evidence based and truth to power for our people.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Audits, contract, not necessarily the sexiest, right? How do you convince voters to buy into your message anyhow?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I think it’s when you help people understand how it works because you see a budget and then there’s pluses and minuses, but then it’s all of the sneaky stuff that goes on behind the scenes, like, how do these line items get built? Are they just copy paste from the year before? Are we actually looking into what goes into their budget and then having town halls, having conversations, talking to stakeholders, talking to community groups to make sure that people know that one that I care, and two, that their input matters. Not everybody knows everything, and that’s why we need to have a whole community and input and conversation.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Does party preference matter in a hyperlocal race?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I mean, I don’t know if party preference matters, but I do think it’s important because I’m not a Maga candidate and I’m not ashamed of where I come from. Like I was a delegate to the DNC for the Harris Wallace campaign. And, you know, I’m proud of my values and I’m proud of standing up for people in my community. So I’m a Democrat and I’m not here to hide who I am. And I would be leery of people who are hiding who they are.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Are you calling out your opponent?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I think that he has to maybe come to terms with who he is.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Unprecedented amounts of money were spent on city council races during this primary election. A lot of it, most of it on this race. Why do you think this is so competitive?<\/p>\n
Crosby: I think it’s so competitive because it’s more important than ever that voters are not deceived. It’s also important to know that we are here to rebuild confidence. You know, the city of San Diego has come out of Covid and we’re doing pretty well, right? But we have a lot of work to do to make up for 20, 30 plus years of, you know, a little bit of chaos and putting ourselves on the right track. It’s going to take someone who wants to do that work, and that’s me. And I’m not running for mayor in 2028. I’m not running for any other office in 2028. And people in the community need someone who’s going to stay there and be rooted. I mean, I’ve lived in the community for over ten years. I’m running for this office. I’m here to represent D2. You got it. You know, I’m here to represent the people of district two, and they need that. And communities shouldn’t be overlooked. And they need to make sure that someone is there to be their voice, because that’s the purpose of the council person.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Your opponent has a lot of name recognition. Do you feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle at all?<\/p>\n
Crosby: We are always fighting from the underdog perspective, but I think when people are educated and educate themselves and they recognize who we are, what my values are, what our community’s values are, how. I am not a city hall shill and making sure that people know that I’m going to call a spade a spade.<\/p>\n
Safchik: If people watch this interview and they remember one thing about you, what do you hope it is?<\/p>\n
Crosby: That I’ve lived in our community for over ten years. I’m a deputy city attorney and I am really proud to be a working mom.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Thank you so much for being here.<\/p>\n
Crosby: Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, only Democrats have sat on the San Diego City Council. In District 2, however, Independent Richard…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473719,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[38024,7257,13,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-473718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-decision-2026","tag-politically-speaking","tag-politics","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/473719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}