Grassroots Group Queried San Diego Mayoral and Council Candidates — 4 of 6 Answered — and Here They Are

Neighbors for a Better San Diego

We sent six questions to San Diego’s Mayoral and City Council candidates. Four of the six candidates responded. Their responses are below.

Note: Neither Mayor Todd Gloria nor Councilmember Stephen Whitburn have replied, but if/when they do, we will post their replies.

Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, District 9, declined to answer the questions specifically. He instead sent the following one-sentence reply to our questionnaire:

“I stand by my record of championing tenant protections, investing in more affordable housing, increasing safe and sustainable mobility options, and strengthening the Council’s role in the legislative process.”

Candidate Questions and Answers (Candidate answers are unedited)

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1. State law allows only one Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) per single-family parcel, but San Diego’s Bonus ADU program allows an essentially unlimited number of ADUs. Should San Diego’s code mirror state code?

Larry Turner, Mayoral Candidate: YES

Coleen Cusack, District 3 Candidate: The unlimited, subject only to space, provision, relies on Transit Priority Areas, which areas may or may not be supported by current transit stops but instead future, unfunded plans, and which area may be largely inaccessible by human foot to transit stops. See my answer to #3 below.

Of the 156 ADU’s constructed in North Park only 8 were affordable. I would support a compromise between construction of an unlimited (subject only to space) number of ADUs per parcel versus only a single unit, permitting up to three additional units (space permitting) if at least half of those units are affordable and if one of those affordable units was affordable for very-low or low-income tenants.

Terry Hoskins, District 9 Candidate: Yes. The City’s decision to deviate from state requirements has created an environment where the only winners are developers. They have removed required setbacks for fire and safety, made no provisions for impacts to water, sewer, traffic, or public safety, clouded what was considered to be a transit priority area, exempted DIFs, Regional Transportation Congestion Improvement Program fees, and General Plan Maintenance Fees, which removed funds needed for critical infrastructure that was already deficient, and removed parking regardless of the distance from transit.

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2. Do you support or oppose the City’s policy of waiving many of the Development Impact Fees that pay for public infrastructure, including storm drains, parks, sidewalks, libraries, and police and fire stations?

Larry Turner, Mayoral Candidate: OPPOSE

Coleen Cusack, District 3 Candidate: I am very frustrated by the Mayor and Council handing the city to developers on a silver platter without negotiating for the city reciprocal advantage or an offset to burdens on City infrastructure the Development Impact Fees anticipate. Development without the infrastructure to support it becomes a liability and not a benefit. Development without providing for maintenance of storm drains, sidewalks and streets, and without the provision of park space and its maintenance does not inure to the favor of San Diegans, but to developers. San Diegans deserve better.

Terry Hoskins, District 9 Candidate: No. Exempting developers from DIFs contributes to the deficient current infrastructure that impacts storm drains, flood channels, parks, sidewalks, libraries, and the conditions of police/fire stations.

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3. Do you support or oppose the use of the “Sustainable Development Area” designation to allow construction of multi-unit ADUs located up to one mile from a current or planned future (both funded and unfunded) major transit stop?

Larry Turner, Mayoral Candidate: OPPOSE

Coleen Cusack, District 3 Candidate: One-mile “as the crow flies,” could still mean transit is inaccessible by foot or much farther than one mile for a pedestrian to access. I would support such construction within a half-mile “as the transit users walk,” and only at current transit stops. MTS recently received an influx of funds and scrapped its future transit plans opting instead to pay down its debts. Transit ridership is still down and only 85% of what it had been pre-COVID pandemic. Serious efforts need to first be undertaken to increase ridership by increasing the reach and efficiency of transit.

Terry Hoskins, District 9 Candidate: No. The Sustainable Development Area has been a facade to the concept of complete communities. This designation has destroyed the tapestry of our single-family communities and has been misleading on who will walk one mile for public transit.

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4. Do you support or oppose the expansion of bike lanes on major streets and the “shrinking” of vehicle lanes and curbside parking?

Larry Turner, Mayoral Candidate: OPPOSE

Coleen Cusack, District 3 Candidate: I support a walkable San Diego which means traffic calming measures in our neighborhood and safe passage on our streets for all who seek to travel, whether by vehicle, by bicycle or by foot. The haphazard placement of bicycle lanes throughout the city, however, has pitted residents and business owners against bicyclists and vice versa when the animosity of both should instead be directed at city planners.

We have not yet achieved less reliance on automobiles and most persons with bicycles also have vehicles requiring parking. The combined effect of allowing developers to develop properties without requisite parking then imposes that burden on the city and its infrastructure. The cities reduction of curbside parking has only doubled the frustration of residents and business owners alike. The city needs to involve the residents and business owners into the planning and placement of bicycle lanes instead of the paternalistic approach it has taken.

Terry Hoskins, District 9 Candidate: No. Unused bike lanes have cost the people of San Diego millions of dollars and divided the city into cyclists and non-cyclists. Many bike lanes are not utilized to the extent the City proclaims, creating unwanted congestion of vehicular traffic used for work and necessities and removing much-needed street parking for struggling small businesses.

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5. Should the Mayor be taken out of the process of nominating members to the various boards, whose role is to oversee the Mayor’s administration, including ethics, parks, planning, and historic preservation?

Larry Turner, Mayoral Candidate: YES

Coleen Cusack, District 3 Candidate: Absolutely. The mayor can, and has, circumvented accountability simply by failing to appoint the requisite number of persons to these boards so that the boards lack quorum and are impotent. The choice of those who are nominated has been suspect. The nomination of Bill Gore to the Ethics Commission was a “jump the shark” moment where the Mayor, by appointing the former Sheriff who resigned in disgrace with record number of jail deaths under his tenure, revealed the Mayor’s lack of scruples.

Terry Hoskins, District 9 Candidate: Yes. The issue isn’t whether the Mayor should be removed from nominating members to the various boards that provide oversight for the Mayor’s administration, ethics, parks, planning, and historic preservation but why the Mayor is allowed to select those members to the various boards. This removes any checks and balances needed to ensure this process is legitimate.

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6. Do you support the elimination of the “Strong Mayor” system and a return to the City Manager form of government?

Larry Turner, Mayoral Candidate: YES

Coleen Cusack, District 3 Candidate: Yes. The Strong Mayor system only works when you have a competent and ethical leader in the role. The current mayor has revealed the failings in the Strong Mayor system. Our current “Strong Mayor” has ignored the checks and balances of City Council to approve $155 million in additional funding the mayor was not authorized to approve on its own. Our council has not challenged the mayor on this usurpation, revealing council’s weaknesses in juxtaposition to the power grabbed by an unethical mayor under the “Strong Mayor” system. The best method to avoid unethical power grabs is to elect better leaders but failing that, San Diego needs a system in place that curbs the powers of an unethical and incompetent mayor.

Terry Hoskins, District 9 Candidate: Yes. However, the “Strong Mayor” system of government requires a strong City Council and a strong Council President. There is no oversight or accountability when the Council President is in total lockstep with the Mayor. Additional members of the City Council should be morally strong enough to prevent the Council President from acting as if he were the Mayor. Unfortunately, if the Mayor and Council President are not held accountable for their actions or fiduciary decisions, then the City Government disenfranchises the public.

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Neighbors For A Better San Diego is a local non-profit group of San Diego neighbors, community leaders, and advocates who seek the creation of policies that benefit homeowners, renters, small businesses, and other stakeholders.