SAN DIEGO – Sara Jacobs, whom unofficial election returns and her opponent’s concession point toward her being our next congresswoman, says the new Administration and the new Congress should seek immediately to pass legislation that will help all Americans recover from the economic and medical impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a telephone interview on Friday, Jacobs, who led her opponent, San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez by 162,099 votes to 110, 457, suggested that the new administration and Congress utilize the concept of “quick impact projects” to help bring about reconciliation.
“Basically, anytime the U.N. went into a new country, they would do a project that people could immediately see the benefit of—so that they felt like they were immediately benefitted,” said Jacobs, who earlier in her career had worked for the United Nations and UNICEF.
Although neither her election nor that of Joe Biden as President was yet declared officially at the time of our interview, Jacobs felt confident enough in the positive trend of votes for Biden that she added: “I think we should think about things like that so that when the new administration comes in, and the new congress comes in, we can immediately get assistance to families and make sure they see in fact that things are getting better.”
Jacobs said, “I think COVID relief is going to be the most important thing and the first thing we need to do, making sure that we get something passed that helps families and small businesses and also get assistance to those who need it.”
Although she hadn’t yet spoken to Biden since the Nov. 3 election, she said, “Having been a policy staffer on a presidential campaign, I can almost assure you that they are already doing that.” Jacobs in the 2016 election served on the policy staff of former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton.
Jacobs was asked her analysis of the overall election results – with Biden, a Democrat, apparently winning the White House, control of the Senate awaiting the outcome of two runoff elections in Georgia, and Republicans winning some seats but not enough to displace the Democratic party majority.
She responded: “I think that the election showed how divided our country still is. We lost some House incumbents who I was really looking forward to working with. I am hopeful that we will win the Senate but we still have the two races on our hands, and I think that it really shows that now more than ever we need leaders who can unite us and can really focus on the things that will bring us together and make sure that we are getting assistance to those who need it the most.”
She said she considered her campaign a model for being able to reach across the aisle. “I stayed true to what I believe and we were able to get Republican votes and talk to Republicans and find common grounds on such issues as small business assistance and child care and infrastructure,” she said.
The same election returns that showed her defeating Gomez by nearly a 60-40 margin showed fellow Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar trailing Republican Darrell Issa by 121,502 votes to Issa’s 136,337. Jacobs said she was hopeful for Democratic successes in Campa-Najjar’s race as well as in “the many races in California where we still have outstanding ballots to count.”
There have been reports that Jacobs and Campa-Najjar have been dating – in what might be considered a Romeo and Juliet story in that Jacobs in Jewish, while Campa-Najjar is the son of a Mexican Christian mother and a Palestinian Muslim father.
Asked if she could confirm the relationship, Jacobs diplomatically sidestepped the question. “I just really want to focus on the 53rd Congressional District and being the best representative that I can be for them.”
Her former opponent Georgette Gomez, who is also a Democrat, conceded early to Jacobs, prompting Jacobs to comment that she looks forward to working with Gomez on such issues as climate change and environmental justice.
Retiring Congresswoman Susan Davis, a fellow Democrat, and Jacobs held one meeting recently. “She has been very helpful, providing a lot of guidance and I know that we both feel very strongly that it will be important for the district to be well-served,” Jacobs said. “She stands at the ready to offer her help and guidance in the transition process.”
Jacobs has indicated an interest in serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the Labor and Education Committee. Davis currently serves on the Labor and Education committee and the House Armed Services Committee.
What committee and office assignments Jacobs actually will receive will be the subject of discussions next week when the House of Representatives holds an orientation session for newly elected members.
Thus far, Jacobs has not announced who her senior staff members will be, but said she expects to make such an announcement soon.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com