San Diego City Council Races Raise Hundreds of Thousands

By Alison St John / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published October 24, 2008 at 12:46 PM PDT

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

The latest campaign disclosure statements show most of the 6 candidates running for 3 San Diego city council seats have raised well over 200 thousand dollars each for their campaigns. KPBS reporter

The latest campaign disclosure statements show most of the 6 candidates running for 3 San Diego city council seats have raised well over 200 thousand dollars each for their campaigns.

KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

Become a KPBS sponsor

It’s getting more expensive to compete for a seat on San Diego city council.

In the first district, currently represented by council president Scott Peters, the gap between the candidates’ war chests is the widest. Phil Thalheimer has raised four hundred thousand dollars and loaned himself a million. He’s trying to win the district back for the republicans, and has out spent candidate Sherri Lightener three to one so far.

In district 3, Todd Gloria and Stephen Whitburn are vying to replace Toni Atkins. They have both spent more than 200 thousand, though Gloria has raised less than Whitburn so far.

In the seventh district, accountant April Boling and TV troubleshooter Marti Emerald are locked in a race that could change the balance of power on the council. Both have raised and spent over $200 thousand but Boling’s fundraising is well ahead.

Alison St John, KPBS news.

Alison St John

twitter

Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.