S1: It's time for Midday Edition on Kpbs. Today , we're talking with the candidates seeking San Diego County's District four seat. I'm Jade Hindman. Here's to conversations that keep you informed , inspired and make you think. The ballots for District four are in the mail here from the candidates about why they're running. It really matters to me what happens here. And when I think about the county , the county is really where the rubber meets the road on some of our most pressing challenges. Plus , we'll talk about some of those pressing challenges in District four and how the candidates would solve them. That's ahead on Midday Edition. Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. From housing to homelessness , what are the candidates running for San Diego County's District four seat considering as solutions ? This is Midday Edition connecting our communities through conversation. The race is on for San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Fourth District seat ballots were sent out in the district , which includes parts of central and southeastern San Diego , La mesa , Lemon Grove and Spring Valley. Voters can cast their ballot through August 15th. Also in person , vote centers will actually open their doors on August 5th If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote , the top two candidates will move on to a runoff election in November. So on the show today , we'll hear from three candidates for that seat. The fourth candidate , Republican Paul McQuinn , did notrillionespond to our request for an interview. The first of our candidate conversations is with Democrat Janessa Goldbach. She is a marine veteran and CEO of the nonprofit Vet Voice Foundation. She previously ran for Congress in the 54th Congressional District in 2020. Goldbach is endorsed by local political leaders , including Congress member Scott Peters and State Senate President Pro Tem Tony Atkins. Janessa , welcome.
S2: Thanks so much for having me.
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S2: I grew up here in San Diego County. I was born and raised here. I was stationed here twice as a marine officer , started a business here. It really matters to me what happens here. And when I think about the county , the county is really where the rubber meets the road on some of our most pressing challenges , whether that's the homelessness crisis or the skyrocketing cost of living here in San Diego County. And I want to take the 15 years I have of experience as a policy advocate and put it to work for my hometown.
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S2: And what I hear again and again is a frustration with politics as usual. Politicians keep telling San Diegans that things are going to get better and in fact , they're getting worse. The homelessness crisis is exploding. It's more and more expensive to live here. Our rents are the third highest in the nation. So it's really important to me that we focus on those issues , in particular homelessness , the cost of living and public safety , so that San Diego County is a clean , safe and wonderful place to live , the place that we know it all can be.
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S2: I believe that we can solve challenging problems. It requires prioritization and it requires making sure that we work together as a region to solve problems. I'm proudly endorsed by the majority of our federal delegation and the majority of our state delegation , as well as many local officials from across San Diego County. It's going to require all of us working together. Local government is powerful , but it can't do this alone. And I think that my experience working at the federal , state and local level to make change over the last 15 years of my career will really be an asset in this position.
S1: And what would you do as supervisor to repair the trust with constituents in the wake of previous Commissioner Nathan Fletcher scandal ? It.
S2: Trust in local government is at a historic low. People feel betrayed by what happened. They also feel like they've been told over and over again that things will change and they haven't. So it's more important than ever that we have transparency in government. I've proposed a package of reforms that includes establishing for the first time an independent ethics commission at the county of San Diego to review the behaviors and actions of elected officials and public employees. I think that's really important. I also think it's important that we open up the process of determining who the next Chief administrative officer is at the county to public scrutiny and review. That's something that's never happened before. But in other major positions around the county , like our superintendent for schools , the public has an opportunity to weigh in. And I think given that this historic low , given that we have this historic lack of trust at the county and local government in general , it's important that we have more transparency than ever.
S1: And I want to I want to dig in more to your solutions and how you'd make them materialize. You mentioned homelessness as a top priority.
S2: And right here in San Diego County , we've done that by really zeroing in on veterans and working across every level of government to ensure we have the resources to address this problem. I think we can similarly address other populations that are very vulnerable and a big part of our homelessness population right here in San Diego County. I'll give you an example. We know that 29% of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County are seniors , and most of them are experiencing homelessness for the first time ever. I think that's wrong. It's unconscionable. We should focus laser focus on this population , ensure that seniors who are at risk of losing their housing because of rising rents can stay housed. And the county has a program right now underway , a pilot program to provide subsidies to seniors to help them meet the rising cost of rent. I think that program should be expanded and made permanent. And then we should also work with service providers to ensure that we have appropriate emergency overnight shelters. There are many shelters in San Diego County that will not accept you if you cannot meet your activities of daily life. If you can't use a restroom on your own or you can't reach a top bunk. So we need to provide those emergency shelter options for people who have already made it to the street and connect them with services and get them back into housing as quickly as possible.
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S2: One , the county has an excess of land , and land is one of the biggest hurdles to providing more emergency shelter options. So I think the county should create a priority task force to establish overnight shelters , bringing in things that are don't take years to build but are easily accessible new building technologies like prefabricated tiny homes where we can bring people in , bring them off the street , connect them to services and make sure they get into long term housing. Now , there are a couple of different stages to this. We obviously have a lack of overnight emergency shelter. We need to rapidly expand that in the county can play a big role , as I mentioned , by using its own land and connecting that with service providers. We also need to invest in long term housing solutions. In the last few years , over the course of the pandemic , San Diego County has lost a significant number of board and care facilities where people who need additional case management care and services can can live and get the care that they need. We need to invest in reopening more long term care facilities so that people , whether they're seniors or experiencing mental health crises or have addiction health issues and need treatment , can go and live in a place where they can receive those services over time.
S1: You know , recently we spoke with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria , who pointed some of the blame for the region's ongoing homelessness crisis to other cities in San Diego County. Here's what he had to say last week.
S3: You're welcome to criticize what we're doing , but you have to ask why these other cities are just choosing to ignore this problem. Ignoring it is far worse than starting initiatives that may need some modifications or improvements. At least we're trying to help people. I don't think the same can be said for most other cities in this county.
S1: Strong words there.
S2: I think that's wrong. The county is the largest and best funded entity in the region. It should be leading on the homelessness response. And the mayor of San Diego is right. It is incumbent on the rest of the region to play a role in this. So I'd like to see the county really step forward , use its land to open additional safe camping sites , to open additional safe parking lots , to create emergency shelter options to get the thousands of San Diegans off the streets into emergency shelters so that we can start connecting them to services and get them into long term housing.
S1: Another issue I want to talk about is the deaths in San Diego County jails. They've been among the highest in the state.
S2: Unfortunately , we have one of the highest rates in the state , and that's unconscionable. First and foremost , we need to make sure that we are implementing the the results and recommendations of the state audit that was conducted and ensure that the sheriff and the department is being held accountable for meeting those recommendations quickly and as aggressively as possible. Second , we know that one of the major causes of death in the jails are from people who are experiencing acute psychiatric episodes and not receiving the health care services that they need while they're incarcerated. We need to make sure we have the appropriate medical staff , nurses on hand in the jail so that if someone is in jail , they get that help that they need. And finally , we need to stop treating our jails as our region's largest mental health services provider. That's an absurd reality. People who are experiencing acute psychiatric episodes should be diverted to crisis stabilization units. Unfortunately , our region is extraordinarily short on the number of psychiatric beds that we have. We only have about half of what's necessary. So the county needs to aggressively invest in funding for psychiatric facilities as well as the necessary behavioral health workers to be able to treat this crisis.
S1: And finally , you know , many people have already identified the issues persistent in the county. There have been many solutions that just didn't materialize.
S2: I'm not a career politician. I am a policy advocate who really wants to make a difference for my hometown. All my career folks have told me we can't solve tough problems or we can't do things differently. I don't accept the status quo. When the Marine Corps told me there were jobs that women couldn't hold simply on the basis of gender , I challenged that. I volunteered to go to an all male school and successfully worked as an advocate in a coalition to overcome that policy and open all jobs to anyone qualified to do them. When I think about making change here in San Diego County , I don't think it's a lack of resources. I think it's a lack of political courage. We need to elect people into these positions who are willing to reach across the aisle to get things done , who have the courage to challenge the status quo. And I believe I am that person and I'm ready to hit the ground running.
S1: I've been speaking with Janessa Goldberg , candidate for the District four San Diego County supervisor seat. Janessa , thank you very much for joining us today.
S2: Thanks for having me.
S1: Coming up , our conversation continues with Monica Montgomery on why she's running for San Diego County's District four seat.
S4: I have stayed true to my core values , and that means a lot when we run for office or even seek higher office that the reputation remains.
S1: You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. Welcome back. You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. We continue our candidate conversations for the County Board of Supervisors , District four seat. Up next , we hear from Monica Montgomery Stepp. She currently serves as San Diego City Council president pro Tem , where she represents District four. She's been in that seat since 2018. Montgomery Step is endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party and several local labor unions. Welcome back to Midday Edition.
S4: Thanks for having me.
S1: Glad to have you here. All right.
S4: I think that my track record of serving people and bringing the people's voice to city hall can be seen on a broader scale. It's very important that we continue to center the voice of the people and our residents who live here , who are experiencing housing costs rise and experiencing and seeing our unhoused neighbors on the street and really experiencing the economic situation that we're in right now in the city of San Diego. So I think that it's a prime time to broaden that type of leadership. And I think , you know , I'm ready for it.
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S4: The county really has an infrastructure to deal with homelessness in a holistic way. They have behavioral health services , mental health services , family resources. In addition , they have resources for military and and veterans. They also , you know , have resources for folks that are coming out of our criminal legal system. It really is the place where our most vulnerable people are served. And that will absolutely be my top priority. In addition to housing , we really can't go anywhere without hearing the burden and the strain that housing costs are having on everyday San Diegans. And so there have been solutions put forward. It's particularly for the unincorporated areas in the county , which is where , you know , as a supervisor , I would have the jurisdiction , the land use jurisdiction over. So that certainly will be my top priority. But I will say that when we look at these issues holistically and not work in silos , then that's when we , I believe , can solve the problems. Collaboration is key. And the only person in this race really that hasn't had an opportunity to understand the way that local government works and bringing that experience to this seat is what really is going to make the difference as we tackle some of the crises that we face in our county.
S1: And these are chronic issues that you mentioned.
S4: We have to work to increase the wages in these sectors to have more people enter the industry. We have to streamline how we build housing , certainly. But these are solutions that many , many people can come to the table with. And I just really believe that we have a responsibility to spend taxpayer dollars wisely. We have a responsibility to look at the current systems that we have and make them better so that people do not fall through the cracks. The support , I think , will be there. It's just we have to do the work. This requires more than sort of a shallow approach to the problem. We have to address and acknowledge that there are some deeper issues that impact the entirety of the system that is causing homelessness. And we have to tackle those things one by one.
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S4: So I do have a track record. I have a track record for building out a community governance model that we use to make sure that the policies that we pass have a robust amount of community input. I have a track record of showing where I stand on various issues are interactions with the criminal legal system on housing. On homelessness and how we tackle the issues and the problems by providing more resources to people and making sure that everyone who wants help can certainly receive it. Those are the things that I stand on and I have a track record for it , you know , at the city. I was able to shepherd the council through our budget process. We have a $5.2 billion budget where we decide what resources go where. And that budget process and the decisions that we made were very diverse and reflected the entirety of our communities. And so , you know , this is the type of leadership that I would bring would be strong it be experienced , a proven track record for hearing people , stakeholders across the board. This is what I'm about and I will continue in that leadership style.
S5: What would you.
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S4: One was SEIU Local two , two one is now supporting me. The really the majority of county workers , you know , of course , along with the United Domestic Workers and also I had the National Union of Health Care Workers support me during that race. I bring that race up in this context of building trust with community , because that is the reason why I ran in the first place. I ran in 2018 because there was a need. People did not feel heard , they did not feel seen , and the things that they were experiencing , they felt were not being brought up to the halls of power. This is why I do what I do. I run for the four. I'm running for this seat and I ran for the city council seat to restore that trust in government , because I believe that , you know , people have a right to have their voices heard and folks have really , really good ideas that we should incorporate and move through the bureaucracy so so that we can continue to serve people and we can continue to see the results. And everyone , you know , can have ownership over not only the problems , but the solutions.
S1: As you've mentioned , you've been involved as a leader in San Diego city government for several years now. You were first elected to the city council in 2018.
S4: It's an $8.1 billion budget. It does have different systems that it has jurisdiction over , like Health and Human Services , like the sheriff's department , the jails , behavioral health services , aging and independent services , foster care. And that is much different from the city. You know , where we have police department and fire department and , you know , Parks and Recreation and we make a lot more land use decisions right within the city of San Diego. So it's a much larger and more broad governmental entity that would require leadership , you know , that not as different. My style will be the same , but that is enhanced and that has to evolve with the type of systems that I will essentially be making decisions about. But my community governance model stays the same. My desire to hear from the people as we make these decisions , that stays the same. And so I am looking forward to taking that approach to the county and continuing to to center the voice of the people.
S1: And you mentioned the importance of collaboration earlier.
S4: So I believe we need to acknowledge that because 5 to 7 years ago , that absolutely was not the case. We saw that early on with the hep outbreak and the like. So we are doing a lot more collaboration. But but I think that it can go even further and the collaboration can improve even more , especially around the issues of housing and of of homeless. We need to communicate at the level of elected officials , but we also have to communicate at the staff level. And I would be in a position to facilitate those conversations. Um , I , I know that where some of those gaps exist right now , we have court coming up and it's going to be very important for the county to collaborate with our city attorney's office , for example , in building out the care court. That has to do with conservatorship that , you know , we are now mandated to do based on state law. And so I have experienced and understand the importance and the need for that type of collaboration , not only at the elected official level , but at the staff level. And I would be well equipped to facilitate those conversations.
S1: Deaths in San Diego County jails have been among the highest in the state.
S4: That will always be a large component of my leadership. Accountability is key for law enforcement officials , for elected officials , for and everyone in between. Right. That is just something that we all should hold true to , because accountability is what allows for trust in our system , and it is what allows our system to work. I came out very early saying that , you know , the Board of supervisors needs to have more of a say as to what goes on in the jails. Right. And I know that there are limitations by law. Some of those laws are changing at the state level. I support changing those laws so that the board of supervisors can have more oversight over the jails right now. But there are also issues within the jail of folks being understaffed and not seeing the wage increases that they need to see in order to do their work. And so we have to tackle this issue in a number of different ways. But there is a reason why police officers unions are attacking me right now is because I believe in accountability. And it's important when we talk about the jail deaths , we see the relationship between folks being held accountable and the death rate that we see in our jails , which is one of the highest in the entire state of California.
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S4: There's a I have a proven track record in when you become an elected official , there are many decisions that I have had to make. And throughout these five years , I have stayed true to my core values and that means a lot when we run for office or even seek higher office that the reputation remains. Many of the same people that supported me in 2018 support me now. My core values have not wavered despite me having the power that a city council seat brings. That has to count for something. A proven track record has to count for something. Me being able to still be independent and thoughtful in my choices and not being swayed one way or the other based on my core values , it it means something in this race. The second thing is bureaucracy is tough , even for the smartest of people. And I understand how to move policy through this bureaucracy and to make it work for the people in the in the way that it was intended to. And so I'm really excited about the opportunity that is ahead. And I am hopeful that I will be able to serve this county in that District four supervisor seat.
S1: I've been speaking with Monica Montgomery Stepp , San Diego City Council president , pro tem and candidate for the District four San Diego County Supervisor seat. And thank you so much for joining us today.
S5: Thank you.
S1: Still ahead , District four candidate Amy Reichert explains why she's running for office.
S6: I am the only candidate that is going to take us in a different direction , and I absolutely vow to you that I will lead in a non-partisan way.
S1: You're listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. This is Kpbs Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Amy Reichert is one of the two Republican candidates for the District four seat. She is endorsed by the San Diego County Republican Party and is a leader of reopened San Diego , which opposed San Diego County's Covid 19 response. Reichert previously ran for the District four supervisor seat in 2022. Amy , welcome.
S7: Thank you for having me.
S1: Glad to have you here.
S6: He really was very divisive. There was a lot of name calling of his own constituents , and he really didn't seem like he was paying attention to constituents. And that's when I challenged him last year. But this year we have a completely different opportunity. And I discovered my why. It was during the May 6th. San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting , and the room was packed and there were 100 people there , mostly to speak to the board of Supervisors and and demand that a special election take place rather than an appointment. And I remember during all that commotion and in the chamber , I noticed in the very back row there was a mom sitting there with four kids and I felt drawn to her. So I went over to her and I introduced myself and it turned out she's a single mom and she was about to lose her homeless motel voucher in 19 days. I was a single mom myself in this county raising my kids , and I said , You know what ? I'm so glad I met you. I want to help you. And over the next several days , I discovered how difficult it is to navigate our system the way it is. It is broken , that there are not services readily available to a single mom with four kids who's about to be on the street. So that's what I'm here for. I'm here to serve people and I'm here to help. That's why I want to run.
S1: So what will your highest priorities as county supervisor be if elected ? Homelessness.
S6: Whether I am speaking with someone who is a Democrat , a Republican , no party preference. Everyone is very concerned about the humanitarian crisis that has become something that is alarming to everyone. It's never been this bad and people are dying on our streets. Just last year , 588 people who are unhoused died. That's a six fold increase since 2012. And so I have solutions for the homeless issue and it's really resonating with people. So my background is , is I was a celebrate recovery leader. So I've helped thousands of people who were struggling with severe addictions , homelessness and mental health issues. I myself went through a crisis when I lost my dad , who was only 56 years old , and my newborn daughter just five weeks later. And having gone through a crisis and I know what it's like to battle for your mental health and I'm so glad I was able to get the recovery and treatment that I did. Now , that really is the solid platform that I'm on. I am a big believer in treatment and recovery , and apparently the state of California is not. Let me explain. The state supports an initiative called Housing First. And with Housing First , we've spent about $20 billion and it has helped some people. No doubt we know that a root cause of homelessness is affordable housing and we have to do better for domestic violence victims , veterans , elderly , disabled , our foster care youth who age out of the system and they are unhoused. But we also have another root cause of homelessness , and that is where homelessness , severe mental illness , severe addiction and crime intersect. And that's why I support shelter first with treatment.
S1: I'm curious to know , you've mentioned , you know , mental health issues.
S6: And then I'll move on to some of the other policies I would do. So what we're finding is San Diego County only has 742 psychiatric beds for a population of 3.3 million people. We need to double that according to a local hospital leader. The other thing we don't have is a real time tracking system to know when a psychiatric bed is available. These beds are always teetering at capacity , and even when there are beds available , we just don't have the health care staff. So we do need to address one of the root causes of homelessness , which is having substantial evidence based , science based recovery and treatment for mental illness to address these homeless issues. What we're also seeing , sadly , is how much the encampments in particular are affecting our neighborhoods. And I'm hearing from residents all over the district that they do not feel safe in their own parks and on their own sidewalks , that kids are walking to school and they have to go around feces or urine or even needles. And what we have to say is to our homeless and unhoused brothers and sisters is we love you too much to let you sleep and die on our streets. And so I support the San Diego City Council's recent vote to make certain areas of our county not available for public camping. We need to protect our schools and our parks , and we need to protect our small business people.
S1: And , of course , we know that , you know , there are many things that cause people to experience homelessness. It goes beyond just mental health issues. It's housing. It's a number of issues. And wrap around services are needed.
S6: Yes. To really take on this issue and see results , it must be a regional effort. And although it was controversial , housing , our unhoused brothers and sisters in the San Diego Convention Center during the pandemic , we learned a lot of lessons from that. And the lessons that we learned were we do need a centralized regional response. Recently I attended a meeting and there is a proposed project called Sun Break Ranch and Sun Break Ranch is a proposed triage center for the homeless where people could go and then they would also be able to go to different nonprofit organizations that fit them. We know that people need specific shelter if they have a pet. So we want to be able to help them find a place where they feel safe with their pet , where people are disabled. We want to make sure that that shelter takes care of their needs for domestic violence victims and their children , also veterans and our elderly as well. So I believe that we do need a regional response. And I'm very proud to say that I have the endorsement of two sitting San Diego County Board of Supervisors and five local mayors. And I'm ready to jump in , roll up my sleeves and work regionally with local leaders from across the aisle and together unified. I really do believe that with treatment and recovery , we can make a huge difference.
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S6: And really , that's what a boils down to when people ask me , what is the most neglected area , the most. The one that people aren't really realizing and power. And that's the people I believe The people feel forgotten and they don't trust the people who are in power. If you look at the org chart for the county of San Diego , it is the people that is at the top of the org chart. Then the County Board of Supervisors. What people have really felt in the past couple of years is the Board of Supervisors really has not been listening to them. When people go to the board of supervisors meetings , you have to take the entire day off from work because you have to wait for your agenda item to be called and you only get two minutes. Then when you do address the board of Supervisors , you find that they're not even making eye contact with their own constituents and they're using their phones to text people or to tweet. And so one of the things that I would do is County Board of Supervisors is I would revise the rules and procedures to restore professional conduct among the board of supervisors. And I would prohibit cell phone use during what should be business for the people and to listen to the people.
S1: You co-founded Reopen San Diego , which challenged the city's mask and vaccine mandates and oppose local Covid restrictions. How do you plan to manage the continued risk of Covid 19 in the county ? Yes.
S6: And you know , I have to say , when it's framed like that , that we challenged local Covid restrictions , we actually took on something that I'm very proud of. And in November of 2021 , Mayor Todd Gloria , three weeks before Christmas , plan to fire all city workers and offer them a religious exemption process that's guaranteed under the 1964 Civil Rights Act , Title seven. And what I am so proud about is we were just a small grassroots group , and I co-founded the nonprofit. And what we did was we filed a federal lawsuit that protected city workers because what the city council wound up doing was later passing an ordinance saying that if you didn't get the Covid shot , you couldn't volunteer for the city , you couldn't work for the city , you couldn't sit on a board or commission , you couldn't attend a city council meeting and you couldn't hold elected office. Now , that last one , not being able to hold elected office , that one , I said to my fellow co-founders , that's wildly unconstitutional. So I'm really proud of the fact that we prevailed in federal court. And what I hear from people who have their opinions change over time. I think we all agree that people should not have been fired based upon their Covid shot status moving forward with any future pandemics or Covid. I feel that the county did fail to protect the most vulnerable. The people that didn't know , for example , that the county of San Diego was offering for free and FDA approved a treatment called monoclonal antibodies. And it was available again for free through the county of San Diego through mark centers. And this was a treatment that was even available during Delta , and it had such a high success rate. In fact , Supervisor Jim Desmond said that the monoclonal antibody treatment had a 90% chance of keeping people from dying or going to the hospital. A lot of people , they didn't even know that this early treatment was available for free. This FDA approved a treatment was available through the county of San Diego. So as I have talked with my own chief medical adviser , who is a physician at a major hospital group right here in San Diego , Dr. Mariah Bond , what we both agree is that the early treatments that were , again , available for free from the county of San Diego and FDA approved should have been more widely advertised. So people knew that they could get that. And I think in the future , we can prevent more loss of life from that.
S1: It's been well documented within the medical community that vaccines slow the spread of Covid 19.
S6: And so the CDC updated its guidance in August , saying that the unvaccinated should be treated the same as the vaccinated. Based upon that. So I am in agreement with Dr. Rochelle Walensky , the former CDC director , and I am in agreement with the CDC updated guidance.
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S6: You've heard how in the past few years you're probably thinking to yourself to what has happened to San Diego , just the San Diego that you knew five years ago. You're tired of your loved ones leaving San Diego in search of a better life , better quality of life. And perhaps you yourself are even thinking of leaving our county because of these issues. I am the only candidate that is going to take us in a different direction , and I absolutely vow to you that I will lead in a non-partisan way. We've seen how the County Board of Supervisors over the past couple of decades has become hyper partisan. And I would lead with common sense and compassion. If you'd like more information about my campaign , you can find my platforms and my story at Amy for San Diego. That's Amy for San diego.com.
S1: I've been speaking with Amy Reichert , candidate for San Diego County supervisor for the fourth District. Amy , thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
S6: Thank you.
