Sanders talks public safety with top officials

By Alison St John / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published November 20, 2005 at 9:00 PM PST

This story was published more than 19 years ago.

San Diego's mayor elect, former police chief Jerry Sanders, chose to make the focus of his first press conference public safety and disaster preparedness. He also showed his support for the city's p

San Diego's mayor elect, former police chief Jerry Sanders, chose to make the focus of his first press conference public safety and disaster preparedness. He also showed his support for the city's public safety chiefs. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

Mayor elect Sanders campaigned on solving the city's financial disaster, but his first public focus as he prepares to take office is the city's preparedness for a different kind of disaster: He got together the police chief Bill Landsdown, fire chief Jeff Bowman and Director of Homeland security Augie Ghio, and promised to listen to their needs.

Sanders: "...and as we move to January 3rd when the mayor in effect becomes the ceo or city manager, I think it's really critical that I've already started working with these individuals and that we have clear lines of communication open in just about every way."

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Sanders said San Diego cant expect 100's more police and fire personnel, but he plans to see the departments get a more realistic budget, including improved equipment.

Sanders has threatened to shake up management at city hall, but appears to have cordial relations with his public safety chiefs. Alison St John, KPBS news.

Alison St John

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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.