By Mandy Havlik, Candidate for San Diego City Council District 2
I didn’t decide to run for City Council sitting behind a desk or at a political event. I decided to run after years of standing and advocating with neighbors asking, why is this still not fixed?
After watching people I care about feeling ignored by a system that’s supposed to serve them. And one of those moments that really stayed with me happened at my kids’ school. As a new parent and the elementary school garden coordinator at Ocean Beach Elementary, I started noticing traffic safety issues along Santa Monica and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. Cars moving too fast. Lack of signage. No designated pick and drop off area. Kids walking and biking through an area that didn’t feel designed to protect them and keep them safe.
It wasn’t something difficult. It was about protecting my kids and other children in the neighborhood. So I did what I’ve always done, I spoke up. I went to the school administration, thinking this would be something we could work on together. Protecting children shouldn’t be complicated or controversial. But instead of support, I was met with hesitation. Questions about liability. Deflection. A sense that this wasn’t really the school’s responsibility, that it belonged somewhere else.
And I remember walking away thinking, Why is something that should be so easy… so difficult? That moment stayed with me. Because it wasn’t just about one intersection. It was about a system that too often passes the buck instead of solving the problem. A system where even the most basic, common-sense improvements get stuck in red tape.
So I didn’t stop. I worked with neighbors. I kept pushing. I kept showing up. And over time, I realized something important, if you want to get anything done in this city, you have to be willing to fight for it. That experience didn’t discourage me. It shaped me.
It’s why I’ve spent the last seven years serving this community, elected by my neighbors in Point Loma to represent them on the Peninsula Community Planning Board, where I now serve as First Vice Chair. That work isn’t glamorous. It’s long meetings, tough conversations, and a lot of listening. It’s reviewing projects, asking hard questions, and making sure development actually works for the people who live here. It’s being accountable to the community, not special interests.
I’ve also served as First Vice Chair of the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council, helping protect one of the most beautiful and fragile parts of our coastline. I’ve organized cleanups, worked to preserve access, and fought to make sure these spaces are here for the next generation. And I’ve shown up in the ways that don’t always make headlines, but matter deeply.
Supporting traffic safety improvements like the crosswalk at Chatsworth and Plumosa. Working with schools and families on e-bike safety. Helping bring community projects like the Canon Street Pocket Park to life. This is what showing up looks like.
Not just when it’s easy. Not just when it’s visible. But consistently. And here’s the truth I hear everywhere I go in District 2, People feel ignored. They feel like City Hall isn’t working for them. And honestly, they’re right.
It shouldn’t take years to get basic safety improvements. It shouldn’t feel impossible to get a response. And it shouldn’t feel like decisions are being made without the people who actually live here.
We need a city that works for us. Not one that works around us. That means leadership that listens, that shows up, and that isn’t afraid to stand with the community, even when it’s uncomfortable. Because where we build and how we build matters.
I’m not anti-growth. But I am against growth that ignores reality. Growth without infrastructure, without traffic planning, and without transparency is not progress .It’s more
pressure. And our neighborhoods are feeling it. We owe it to our communities to get this right.
That means investing in roads, traffic safety, parks, and infrastructure before we keep adding more demand. It means being honest about what our neighborhoods can handle. And it means actually listening to the people who live here.
Affordability is another issue I hear about every single day. And it’s not just about housing. It’s your SDG&E bill. Your water bill. Trash ffallees. Parking fees. It feels like every time the city faces a budget challenge, residents are asked to carry the burden. Meanwhile, families, seniors, and working people are struggling to stay in the communities they love.
We need to start looking at smarter ways to fund our city, ways that don’t keep falling back on residents, such as the parking fees at Balboa Park, and the trash fees that weren’t transparent in costs. And we need leaders who are willing to fight for that.
For me, this work is personal. I’m a survivor of child marriage. I know what it feels like to not have a voice. I know what it means to rely on the strength of a community to help you find your way forward. It was my community that lifted me up.
As a kid, my family relied on free school lunches and breakfasts. I didn’t grow up with privilege or a safety net. I grew up seeing what happens when families are struggling, when there’s instability, addiction, mental health challenges, or just not enough support. And I’ll tell you this, those experiences don’t make you less qualified to lead. They give you perspective. They give you empathy. They give you a clear understanding of what’s actually at stake.
We need more leaders who understand what it’s like to navigate a system that doesn’t always work, because they know where it’s broken. And they’re willing to fix it.
That’s the perspective I bring.
I’m not running to be a politician. I’m running to be your neighbor at City Hall. Someone who shows up. Someone who listens. Someone who will fight for you, because I already have.
This campaign is a people-powered movement. It’s neighbors talking to neighbors. It’s people stepping up because they believe we can do better. Because change doesn’t come from City Hall. It comes from all of us.
And I’m ready to carry that into City Hall, with you. I’d be honored to earn your support.
Mandy Havlik
619-723-4526
mandyfordistrict2@gmail.com
The OB Rag has a standing offer for any candidate running in District 2 to publish their 1000-word policy statement.
Even Smear-cow-ski?
The person you’re referring to Chris is not a real candidate, so to answer your question, no.
Mandy Havlik and what she has done for our communities is impressive. Her energy and volunteerism are impressive. Mandy was on the board of the city’s “Tree Watch,” a Community Forestry Advisory Board, with Carolyn Chase, sadly, before the city nixed it. She also helped with the yearly Peninsula Rotary-sponsored run fundraisers. She is active with many other organizations.
Mandy is both smart and caring. She listens to residents and is actively involved in our community. Mandy is the kind of council member we need NOW!
I need to echo Kathy B.’s comments. Mandy is smart, talented, has her heart and sole with the community and the city. There is no one more qualified than Mandy. There is no one who cares more than Mandy!