Since I’ve been in office we’ve put dozens of names forward, mostly women and people of color, to ensure our community members are fairly represented on city boards and commissions. We will continue to do so.

The City’s commitment to 100% renewable energy is a goal I have been proud to contribute to. I served on and helped launch San Diego Community Power, a Joint Powers Authority not-for-profit utility, where purchasing clean energy is the priority, and net revenue will be used to lower electricity bills for residents. Emissions from utilities are a major source of greenhouse gas pollution second only to gas vehicle emissions. Residents in the City of San Diego will be enrolled in San Diego Community Power by May of this year, making this a big step forward towards meeting our goal to reduce emissions by 50% by 2035.

However, the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the City’s General Plan for land use needs to be emphasized more to ensure legally required mitigation measures are met to avoid significant environmental impact. 

To effectively further reduce greenhouse gasses, we must focus on our land use patterns which are a leading factor in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) that determine vehicle emissions. I will continue to advocate for the City’s Mobility Choices program, which requires developers to address VMTs through transportation planning fees or providing amenities through mixed-use residential developments. Placing food retail, shuttle services, on-site childcare, office space, rideshare and bikeshare programs in  development will reduce vehicle emissions and are more cost-effective for developers than massive parking garages, lowering the cost of housing.

This is another symptom of San Diego’s history with redlining, loan denial, housing destruction, and other political and policy choices that locked people of color and low income residents out of single family neighborhoods. Adding yet another financial burden to those who have been denied access to single family homes and more wealthy neighborhoods is regressive. However, District Four  is impacted a bit differently than other communities when it comes to the People’s Ordinance. An Independent Budget Analyst report shows we have the highest number of low income or fixed income homeowners, and making a change like this could negatively impact my community, especially our seniors. This is why we must approach every problem with a lens of equity to ensure the solution does not disproportionately impact those we are trying to help.