SAN DIEGO – County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer was re-elected as vice chair of the County Board of Supervisors, which once again will be chaired by Supervisor Nora Vargas. There’s an interesting split among three Democrats and two Republicans on the technically non-partisan Board of Supervisor. The Democrats are all women – Vargas, Lawson-Remer, and Monica Montgomery-Steppe – while the Republicans are both men: Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond.
Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer hopes to flip the partisan count, running in the March 5 primary election against Lawson-Remer in the 3rd Supervisorial District. On Tuesday, Jan. 9, Faulconer, a Republican, announced that he has raised more than $525,000 from more than 600 donors since his July 2023 entry into the race. Endorsers include the Associated General Contractors of San Diego, the Building Industry Association San Diego Restaurant Association, Lincoln Club Business League, and the San Diego Working Waterfront.
He accused Lawson-Remer of sitting “idly doing nothing as homelessness continues to skyrocket under her watch.” He said as mayor he had taken “aggressive action to clean up our streets and reduce homelessness.”
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Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) toured the border area last week, reporting in her newsletter: “Border Patrol and CBP agree that cruel and inhumane solutions, like restricting asylum, aren’t a solution – what we really need is comprehensive and inclusive immigration reform to address the asylum case backlog, hire more immigration judges and asylum case officers, and fund programs like the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) that support border communities.”
Jacobs said she is focused on “making sure San Diego and other border communities have the resources necessary to keep our country safe while treating those who come to our country with dignity and respect.”
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She doesn’t live in San Diego County, but pretty close to it in Orange County next door. Joanna Weiss, a Democrat, is running for the seat that Democratic U.S. Rep. Katie Porter is giving up to run in California’s heavily contested race for a U.S. Senate seat. Weiss, who has been endorsed by Congresswoman Jacobs, reports that a recent poll has her and Republican Scott Baugh running neck-and-neck, “which means the outcome in CA-47 (Costa Mesa area) very well could tip the scales when it comes to who controls the House majority.” In the Senate race, meanwhile, Porter faces opposition from House Democrats Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, and from Republican Steve Garvey, who played professional baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.
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In a year in review compilation, San Diego City Councilman Raul A. Campillo (7th District) said one of the key events in his district was a September 7 “Hate Stops Here” rally in which “in the wake of several rounds of antisemitic flyering incidents in Del Cerro and other communities, I invited Jewish community leaders, anti-hate activists, and first responders to join me in calling for harsher penalties for hateful flyering.”
He added: “Let me be clear: hate is absolutely unacceptable in San Diego. In response to the multiple antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ-hate-flyering incidents that have occurred in District 7, I am working on a new law that will increase the penalty for littering that threatens , harasses, and instigates violence. In collaboration with civil rights leaders, I’m also bringing forth a policy to improve our city’s hate incident and hate crime reporting system that will connect people targeted for hate with legal resources and community support.”
“Look for more updates in early 2024,” Campillo added. “I am committed to making San Diego a safer and more inclusive place for all; I refuse to sit back and do nothing to stop the hate we’re seeing.”
Campillo also noted that various Jewish organization were among awardees of City Council Community Projects, Programs and Services grants “for community, social, environmental, cultural, and recreational needs that serve a lawful, public purpose.” The grants included $5,000 to Jewish Family Service of San Diego, and $1,500 to the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus.
He voted to honor Holocaust Survivor Rose Schindler, now deceased, as the 2023 City of San Diego Women of distinction; and celebrated San Diego Hebrew Day School’s 60th anniversary in May with a proclamation.
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SDJW staff report