The political gridlock in Washington is surprising from San Diego’s perspective because lately our local politics has been so lacking in partisan stereotypes.
If a national television network mentioned Republicans concerned about climate change and seeking comprehensive immigration reform, or highlighted Democrats supporting higher military spending and incentives for business, viewers would be startled. But that’s exactly what’s happening here. Instead of echoing partisan cliches, San Diego’s elected officials are actually compromising and getting things done.
On the same day as the divisive House of Representatives vote to overturn President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican, called for comprehensive immigration reform during this State of the City speech.
At a time when the Republican majority in Congress is seeking an ironclad border, Faulconer speaks of the San Diego-Baja region as one, and is planning regular meetings with this counterpart in Tijuana.
Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat, has sought to increase the military budget, which has been limited by the automatic sequestration designed to check government spending. He recently helped secure funding for the refueling and overhaul of the nuclear carrier USS George Washington to keep the Navy’s aircraft carrier fleet at 11.
Peters has also strayed from the Democratic mainstream by joining many Republicans in seeking a repeal of the medical device tax in the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. He cited concerns that the tax would stifle innovation in health care.
A year and a half ago, when most Republicans in Congress voted against increasing the national debt limit, Rep. Darell Issa voted to raise it. This helped the United States avert a default, which would have brought the world economy to an abrupt halt and made the Great Depression seem like a happy time.
At the state level, Toni Atkins, a Democrat, has been a strong proponent of tax credits for business under the California Competes program. She has personally championed a bill to make it easier to create dockside seafood markets throughout the state.
With California facing a record-breaking drought, the state Republican Party is calling for more dams to be built. In San Diego, however, the Republican-dominated City Council is quietly investing in large-scale water recycling with a goal of getting a third of our water this way in two decades.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors, officially a non-partisan body but dominated by Republicans, unanimously voted for incentives to encourage all taxicabs serving Lindbergh Field to convert to alternative fuels. “We have an opportunity at our airport to encourage 100 percent conversion of our older polluting taxis to new low-emitting hybrid electric or alternative fuel vehicles,” said Supervisor Greg Cox, the measure’s sponsor.
No to be outdone on the environment, Faulconer pledged in his State of the City speech to make San Diego the “green-energy capital of the world” and create a “sustainable tomorrow” for residents.
To be sure, former Mayor Bob Filner’s tenure did not reflect well on San Diego. But in the nearly two years since his resignation, San Diego politics looks very pragmatic. If the purpose of a local government is to solve problems for all residents of the city, then San Diego appears to doing a very good job.
After the final tally in his close re-election victory in November, Peters summed up the centrist philosophy this way:
“My commitment to San Diego is to continue…working with members of both parties to break the gridlock and get things done for my district and the nation,” he said in his victory statement. “My campaign moved beyond the false choices that dominate the current dialogue in Washington, and answered the voters’ demand for practical, centrist solutions.”
Maybe the “America’s Finest City” slogan should be changed to “America’s Smartest City” — at least when it comes to politics.
Chris Jennewein is editor and publisher of Times of San Diego.
