Three Latino Democrats battling to replace Emerald

Three Latino Democrats are battling to replace Marti Emerald as the political voice of San Diego’s most ethnically diverse and economically challenged City Council district.

While the race won’t change the council’s ideological balance because District 9’s heavily liberal bent made Republicans reluctant to run even a token candidate, the winner could help shift the council’s focus by choosing to prioritize different issues.

Each of the top three candidates — Ricardo Flores, Georgette Gomez and Sarah Saez — says District 9 and the entire city need better jobs, more affordable housing and a greater focus on neighborhood infrastructure and amenities.

The differences among the three self-described progressives, however nuanced, boil down to how they approach those problems and their individual track records.

No matter who wins, District 9 will be represented by a Latino, which was a goal of the city’s redistricting committee in 2011 when it created the new district.

South of Interstate 8 and mostly east of Interstate 805, District 9 includes City Heights, Kensington, Talmadge, the San Diego State area and a small portion of southeastern San Diego.

According to data from the county registrar of voters, registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans 24,325 to 8,290 as of Jan. 31.

If none of the three candidates get more than 50 percent of the vote in the June 7 primary, the top two finishers will move on to a November runoff.

Flores, Emerald’s chief of staff, became an early favorite in the race by racking up endorsements last year.

In addition to Emerald, who is retiring this year, Flores was endorsed by Council President Sherri Lightner, Councilwoman Myrtle Cole and three city employee unions, including those representing police officers and firefighters.

Gomez, a community leader and associate director at the Environmental Health Coalition, and Saez, a labor activist and program director at United Taxi Workers of San Diego, have since gained momentum with key endorsements of their own.

Gomez was endorsed this week by Councilman David Alvarez, perhaps the city’s most prominent Latino leader, and is also backed by former Councilwoman Donna Frye and the League of Conservation Voters.

Saez got a crucial endorsement from the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, which could mean significant financial support for her campaign, and she’s also backed by several other labor groups.

Flores said this week that the key difference between him and his opponents is his track record of accomplishments as a staffer for Emerald and for Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, before that.

“I’ve been responsible for leading the team that’s actually invested $30 million in District 9,” said Flores, mentioning three new parks, a new fire station and additional streetlights. “At the end of the day the job of a city council member is to deliver results, plain and simple. As the lead staffer, I was responsible for making sure those things actually passed through council.”

Gomez and Saez, however, use that record against him.

Saez said Flores has too many powerful friends to look out for the average citizen.

“I see him more as a City Hall insider where I’ve been alongside workers for the last decade of my life,” she said. “I would say we’re very similar, but different.”

Saez said her support from labor is particularly key in a district where lack of quality jobs is the No. 1 issue.

“I’m very connected to economic justice issues and unions,” she said. “Our labor movement creates good middle-class jobs that lead to self-sustainability.”

Gomez said her goal is fighting special interests with influence at City Hall.

“The downtown insiders have dominated our local policies,” she said. “It’s clear that our City Hall continues to be broken. We need to make sure our council is talking about the issues that really matter to the neighborhoods, such as infrastructure, housing and quality of life.”

Gomez also said her track record of accomplishments compares favorably with Flores. As a community leader for many years, she helped created a local farmer’s market, new rules encouraging urban gardens and safer routes for cyclists and pedestrians.

In addition to his other successes, Flores said he played a key role in deregulating San Diego’s taxi industry last year, an important issue in the district because many cab drivers live there.

Emerald and her staff did spearhead that effort, which has allowed about 200 drivers so far to shift from being employees to self-employed medallion owners.

Saez also played a role in the deregulation as part of the coalition of cab drivers that led the charge.

She said that experience was a good complement to her union work because it helped her understand the concerns of small business owners.

Flores leads Gomez and Saez in fundraising, according to the lastest donation disclosures released last week.

Flores collected $43,000 in the second half of 2015, bringing his campaign total to $106,000. Gomez and Saez both raised $21,000, increasing Gomez’s total to $49,000. Saez hadn’t previously raised anything.

Four other District 9 candidates — Araceli Martinez, Sam Bedwell, Sandra Galindo and Rebecca Paida — haven’t raised any money.

Flores, 38, lives in Kensington with his wife. He was born and raised in District 9.

Gomez, 40, is a native San Diegan who lives in Azalea Park with her partner.

Saez, 35, moved to San Diego from Boston six years ago. She lives and works in City Heights.