By Michael Smolens / San Diego Union-Tribune /July 30, 2023
A political heat dome is hovering over Mayor Todd Gloria on a couple of fronts. The mayor is supporting smart streetlights, with cameras and license plate reading technology, but has faced the ire of some privacy advocates, who point to his earlier comments about reining in use of surveillance tools.
Similarly, Gloria has been hounded about his approach to homelessness since almost the beginning of his administration two and a half years ago. As a candidate, he talked about more compassionate efforts toward people living on the street, and castigated his predecessor, Kevin Faulconer, for “criminalizing” homelessness by stepping up enforcement.
Gloria has continued that enforcement approach, which involves citations and sometimes arrests, even as he has increased homeless outreach teams, bolstered services for people without a home, and added shelter beds. All the while, the city and its housing commission have been pursuing more permanent housing for people staying in shelters or living on the street. Yet on a monthly basis, more people fall into homelessness than gain housing.
While the rap on Gloria may sound similar in these two areas, they are not parallel. Gloria hasn’t opposed surveillance technology, but his earlier tone may have suggested he was more concerned about its use than he is now.
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