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The District 2 race is predicted to be one of the closest. Anderson, a Republican, will face fellow conservative Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, who garnered 31% of the vote in the primary. Another conservative candidate, Brian Sesko, took 6.8% of the vote and Democratic candidate Kenya Taylor came in third with a surprising finish of 26.7% in the historically deep-red district.
Since the primary resulted in a close race between the professed conservative, winning over votes from Democrats could be a key strategy to winning in November.
HISTORY OF SERVICE
Anderson was born in Detroit but his family moved when he was in junior high school to San Diego, settling in the Casa de Oro area. After graduating from St. Augustine High School, he at tended Grossmont College before transferring to and graduating from Cal Poly Pomona.
After college, Anderson went to work for his brother who had started a direct mail marketing firm whose clients included businesses and politicians.
“Through the course of working for different political campaigns, I was encouraged to run for office,” Anderson said.
His first run for office was in 1998 — a race for State Assembly District 75, which he lost. In 2002, Anderson ran successfully for a seat on the water board, where he served four years, followed by successful campaigns for two terms in the State Assembly then two terms in State Senate.
In 2016, Anderson explored a run against Dianne Jacob for her District 2 seat, but eventually suspended the campaign citing difficulty raising the kind of money he felt he needed to beat the incumbent.
Anderson’s time in the legislature wasn’t without some controversy. In 2018, the Senate reprimanded him after an altercation with a lobbyist who said she was threatened by the senator in a bar.
Despite the pitfalls of public life, Anderson said serving in public office has been an overall rewarding experience.
“You have an opportunity to fix people’s problems — espe cially in the legislature,” he said. “Our focus was constituent services. We did between 20 and 90 cases a week where people would have trouble’s with the DMV or Consumer Affairs or the Franchise Tax Board and we were able to intervene on their behalf and brings things to resolution.”
Anderson said his office was able to do things like cut through red tape for small businesses, like a barber waiting for a license; or help inform constituents of money owed to them by the state (one elderly couple had over $200,000 owed to them); or the time a soldier sent to Iraq worried about the registration of his car he left parked in the street and Sen. Anderson’s office was able to get it registered so it wouldn’t be towed.
“No other job allows you to solve problems like that and that’s why it was so rewarding,” he said.
Anderson credits his success in serving his constituents to two things — an internship program that at times had 50 people working in his office and an open communication policy where he published his personal cell phone number.
“Part of our whole philosophy was that we’re responsible to the constituents, so if you have a question, we need to answer it,” he said.
Anderson’s philosophy also includes bipartisan solutions and he points to the 453 bills he has authored with Democrats during his tenure serving in the state legislature.
“Most people don’t know that,” he said. “I did more bills co-authored with Dems than all the other Republicans put together.”
In 2018, Anderson was recognized for his bipartisanship approach with a Chuck Nichols & Pierre Frazier Bridge Builder Award from the USS Midway Museum’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee during its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Luncheon.
“I’m proud to have received a … Bridge Builder Award. Not many legislators that get type of award, it meant a lot to me,” he said.
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Even with his bipartisan record, Anderson still describes himself as an “uber-conservative.”
“There’s no doubt about it — I am,” he said. “But I also understood that I represent a diversity of people and what I think is right doesn’t always turn out to be right and sometimes you’ve got to be open to better ideas. We are doomed if everyone polarizes up and nobody addresses the issues. On both sides, people are laser-focused on serving their base — that doesn’t serve our community. We have to work across party lines.”
COUNTY ISSUES
Working across party lines may become more important for the District 2 seat after the November election. For many years, Republicans dominated the Board of Supervisors — holding every seat until Democrat Nathan Fletcher’s 2018 victory in District 4. This year, the District 1 seat has already been lost to Republicans and another seat is in jeopardy — Kristin Gaspar’s District 3 seat where two Democratic candidates split 57.2 percent of the primary vote. If District 3 goes blue, the Democrats will have a controlling vote on the board.
Anderson is already looking ahead to what issues he can work on with his potential Democratic colleagues, such as expanding pilot programs that help the mentally ill get treatment.
“On the right, a lot of Republicans hate Nathan Fletcher. But look, Nathan Fletcher is right on mental health. He’s been doing all the right things. I disagree with him on some of his bike lanes, but on this, we’ll partner,” he said.
On transportation, Anderson holds a more traditional conservative approach — that the county should fund roads over green transportation options like bike lanes.
“I’m 60. I’m not going to get on my bike and ride five miles to a doctor’s appointment. I’m not going to take a trolley to a hospital. And to ask seniors to do that is unreasonable,” he said. “So we have to protect the roads to ensure they get the medical care that they need and require.”
SEE ANDERSON, Page 5
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In tackling the coronavirus outbreak, Anderson holds a conservative view that favors fewer restrictions on people and businesses.
“Flattening the curve was to make sure hospitals had respirators. Now closures are to make sure no one catches it. If a bunch of 20 year olds want to go out and catch it, as long as they’re not giving it to grandma, where her life’s in peril, very few 20 year olds are dying from this. It may be a miserable experience for them, but they’re not dying,” he said, adding that the county health department should focus less on the number of infections and more on the number of deaths. “If our new norm is that nobody can get sick, we’re doomed as a society because no business will ever open again and at some point you’re not going to have any toilet paper or food or anything else because all those workers can’t afford to be sick and aren’t going to show up.
“I think we have to fight this with science, but unfortunately too many people are fighting it with political science,” he continued. “I think that we need to have a plan, execute the plan and stick to the plan. You look at the news and it’s all arbitrary. It’s OK to have thousands of people rally for a cause — whether it’s for Trump or it’s for Black
lives — and that’s OK, but if it’s singing at church, ‘Oh no, we can’t do that.”
On the issue of expanding housing in the county, Anderson also takes a conservative approach by favoring cutting red tape and “antiquated” regulations on projects to lower building costs for developers. When it comes to large-scale developments in the unincorporated areas of the county, he said he would look at projects individually and would heavily weight what neighboring communities think of them.
“But I think you need to be thoughtful,” he said. “You can’t say, ‘I want my children to be able to afford to live in San Diego so I don’t have to visit my grandkids in Phoenix.’ You can’t say that and then say we’re never going to build a house.”
Ultimately, Anderson said he prefers to make decisions based on constituent input rather than rules or procedures that in some instances need to be changed by lawmakers.
“My door is always open, it always has been open and constituent services has always been my focus,” he said. “I do think we deserve better from the county. This rubber-stamping of staff is not representation. When you defend staff against the people, you’ve lost your way. I’ve always fought for my constituents.”
—Reach editor Jeff Clemetson at jeff@sdnews.com.
Aug. 14 – Sept. 10, 2020
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
‘Lady of The Lake’ honored with tree planting
By JEFF CLEMETSON | Mission Times Courier
La Mesa resident Gloria Ann “Lori” Ciprian was a nature lover who enjoyed her daily walks around Lake Murray, often stopping to feed the geese that she befriended over the years.
When Ciprian died on June 15 after a yearlong battle with cancer, her human friends knew that the best way to honor her life would be some kind of memorial at Lake Murray. After making inquiries to Mission Trails Regional Park and the San Carlos Recreation Center, it was determined that a tree planted near the baseball fields adjacent to the lake would be the most viable option.
The tree planted in Ciprian’s honor
In a matter of days, Ciprian’s boyfriend Anthony Bail and friend Anna Falco were able to raise the $350 for the tree through donations.
On Aug. 13, the tree was planted at a ceremony attended by friends and family.
“I cannot think of anything more beautiful than a tree. A tree represents beauLori Ciprian was a friend to the geese at ty, elegance, brightness and Lake Murray. (Courtesy photos) a living thing always growing. It represents Lori to the fullnumerous articles for the San est. We chose a light pink crape Diego Reader and small papers. myrtle. Her favorite color was “Lori loved life and Lake Murray pink,” Falco said. “This tree, in and could be seen at the lake daimy heart, will allow me to visit ly,” commented Bailey in a brief her anytime I want and we will obituary he wrote for his girlbe together in spirit.” friend. “She skated, jogged and Ciprian was born in walked the lake talking to friends.
Loraine, Ohio and moved She loved the birds and animals to San Diego in 1984. She at the lake and took care of the attended UCSD on a schol injured ones. We will all miss our arship where she studied beautiful ‘Lady of the Lake.’” theater. Falco has invited members of
When the San Diego the community who knew Ciprian
Convention Center first to share stories or well wishes opened, she worked as a about her by sending them by hostess on the first San Diego email to anaafalco@cox.net.
Spirit Team — chosen out of For information about getting a a group of 2,400 applicants tree dedication in or around San for the position. Carlos parks, contact Kelly Wood
For over 20 years, she at kwood@sandiego.gov. worked as an usher at
Humphrey’s By The Bay —Reach editor Jeff Clemetson at
Concert Series. She wrote jeff@sdnews.com.
The constitutional right we cannot afford to waste
Notes from Toni
By TONI G. ATKINS
Every decade, each person in the United States, young and old, regardless of citizenship, has the Constitutional right to be counted. The Census is the only way for us to determine the true definition of America – whether you live in the largest metropolitan cities or miles down rural routes.
Reminders about taking the 2020 Census are emblazoned on billboards, featured in television commercials, and sprinkled into social media news feeds. It makes sense, given that approximately $1.5 tril lion dollars in federal funding is at stake.
Breaking that down, that means for every person left out of the Census count, California could lose $1,000 per person — per year — for the next 10 years.
That’s a loss of $10,000 per uncounted person until the 2030 Census.
If you have a family of five, your community could lose out on $50,000.
The Census is like planning how much cake to have at a birthday party based on the number of RSVPs. No one wants to miss out on cake because you thought it was OK to just show up unannounced.
The total pool of funding is distributed to communities based on population and head counts. This includes babies, children, teenagers, seniors and non-citizens.
The current COVID-19 health crisis also affords an News briefs CONTINUED FROM Page 1 Reed, Steve Dahms, and Shain Haug. The vacancy arose with the resignation of the fourth Allied Gardens member.
NCPI is formed and recognized by the City Council to make recommendations to the city on land use matters — specifically concerning the preparation of, adoption of, implementation of, or amendment to, the General Plan or a land use plan when a plan relates to the NCPI community of Allied Gardens, Grantville, Del Cerro, and San Carlos.
The NCPI consists of 16 elected members; four each from Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Grantville and San Carlos to represent the Navajo communities.
Planning group members shall be elected by and from all eligible members of the all-too-realistic example of why you need to be counted. We need to ensure that we get our fair share of funding and resources in emergency situations. Funding for a community health clinic in your neighborhood is based on information only you can provide. The data also funds programs and resources like senior services, child health programs, higher education, and job training.
Our population is aging. The first Baby Boomers hit 65 in 2011. That population will continue to grow, and senior services must be properly accounted for. By filling the Census form out, you are de claring, “I am here. I exist.”
More importantly, your answers help fund programs that serve your community and shape your future.
It is important to note that this is not a citizenship survey. Despite the Supreme Court already having blocked the citizenship question from be ing included in the Census, the current administration continues to wrongfully at tempt to circumvent the law and exclude non-citizens in the 2020 Census. Those ef forts are unconscionable and unconstitutional.
Now, more than ever, we need everyone to participate in the 2020 Census so that we can ensure the law, not divisive politics, governs our land. We cannot let people be bullied or made to live in fear. The Constitution is clear – all people must count.
If this current public health and economic crisis has demonstrated anything, it is that vulnerable communities community. To be an eligible community member, an indi vidual must be at least 18 years of age, and shall be affiliated with the community as a property owner, who is an individual identified as the sole or partial owner of record, or their designee, of a real property (either developed or undeveloped), within the community planning area; or resident, who is an individual whose primary address of residence is an address in the community planning area; or local businessperson, who is a local business or not-for-profit owner, operator, or designee at a non-residential real property address in the community planning area; only one representative of a particular establishment may hold a seat on the NCPI at one time. The bylaws require nominees for the Board to have attended at least one meeting in the prior year.
In addition to land use planning, NCPI originates have suffered the most. In addition, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on our public schools and higher education, which means it is even more important to plan for the next 10 years in communities hard hit by this pandemic.
Census workers, called enumerators, will begin going door-to-door to collect Census data. They are not allowed to ask for your social security number, political preference, bank account information, or religious affiliation. It also illegal for the Census Bureau to share your information with law enforcement or any other government agency. And your information cannot be used against you in any way.
So please, consider this my “door-to-door” ask. Have you done a post on Facebook, sent a Tweet or uploaded a picture on Instagram? It’s just as easy to fill out your Census. You can do it online, over the phone or on paper. In fact, you may also be receiving an email, making it even easier to complete.
The next 10 years of funding can be determined in just 10 minutes of your time.
Make sure you are counted. It is your Constitutional right.
Online: 2020Census.gov.
By phone: 844-330-2020.
—Toni G. Atkins is President pro Tempore of the California Senate. Having previously served as Speaker of the California Assembly, she began her tenure in the Senate in 2016. As Senator for District 39, she represents the cities of San Diego, Coronado, Del Mar and Solana Beach. Website of President pro Tempore Toni G.
Atkins: Senate.ca.gov/Atkins. and endorses the local use of Development Impact Funds, the funds that are derived from property developments in the area, for public amenities such as libraries.
The application for membership can be found at bit. ly/3gqq4Aj.
COUNCIL PASSES TINY HOME ORDINANCE
On July 21, the City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the Land Development Code to add Moveable Tiny Houses to the ordinance for Companion Units and Junior Units as a separately regulated use. Movable Tiny Homes provide a lower-cost option that provides flexible housing choices for families, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities to name a few.
News from your County Supervisor
Dianne’s Corner
By DIANNE JACOB
Wildfire warning: In light of COVID-19, the county, Cal Fire, the Red Cross and others are revamping evacuation plans and other emergency protocols to bolster public safety during a major firestorm.
Residents under evacuation orders this year could be housed in a hotel or motel, or at multiple shelters with fewer than 50 people instead of a larger tradi tional shelter. The Red Cross is working with nearly 100 lodging businesses across the county to make rooms available in a crisis, and they have identified over 200 shelter locations to provide these safer options.
We’re entering the riskiest part of the wildfire season while still being in the middle of an unprecedented health crisis. That is forcing us to rethink and retool our disaster-planning efforts.
Small business alert:
Applications are still being ac cepted for the county’s COVID-19 stimulus grant program.
The Board of Supervisors recently voted to establish the $17 million fund, setting aside $3.4 million for private for-profit and non-profit businesses in East County.
Many of our retail shops, restaurants and other businesses are in dire financial straits and need a financial lifeline. The grants will offer relief as we continue battle the virus and work to get our economy on track.
To apply, start here: sandiegocounty.gov/stimulusgrant/. The application deadline is August 15.
Helping seniors: At my urging, the county is moving to expand meal deliveries from local restaurants to seniors and other vulnerable populations.
The Board of Supervisors has agreed to tap into federal CARES Act money to ramp up the deliveries. In recent months, the county has been offering the meals through a program called Great Plates.
These deliveries are not only critical for seniors but are another way we can support restaurants that may be struggling for survival.
In the Zone: Just a reminder that the county’s Cool Zone program is up and running again, but on a limited basis due to COVID-19. For the latest locations and hours, visit CoolZones.org.
—Dianne Jacob represents District 2 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. For questions or comments about your county government, call 619- 531-5522 or email dianne.jacob@sdcounty.ca.gov.
1621 Grand Ave. Suite C San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 270-3103 Fax (858) 713-0095 MissionTimesCourier.com Twitter: @MssnTimesCourier
EDITOR
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College Times edition
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