Aguirre and Goldsmith are fighting a campaign based on very different ideas about the role of the city attorney. The latest issue to highlight their different approach is the foreclosure crisis. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.
Campaign disclosure statements for the city attorney’s race show that in the last 3 months, incumbent, democrat Mike Aguirre, has raised $40 thousand , while his challenger, republican Jan Goldmsith has raised almost $235,000.
Goldsmith’s campaign contributions have ballooned since the June primary, when he came out top in a field of candidates trying to unseat Aguirre .
Aguirre appeals to the San Diego voter as representing their interests rather than the interests of power brokers or politicians at city hall.
He chose to file suit against Countrywide – though the city council did not back him. He was the only city attorney among almost a dozen state attorneys general who worked to force the mortgage lender to provide some relief to homeowners on the brink of foreclosure.
Aguirre draws parallels between the foreclosure crisis and the pension deficit
Aguirre : The pension obligation, just like the mortgage debt, is unpayable without creating a local crisis and it is illegal. That’s why as city attorney I have made returning these obligations the centerpiece of my administration
Aguirre says he supports the state attorney general’s settlement with Countrywide But he says it doesn’t go far enough, and he plans to file suit to try to force other lenders to declare a foreclosure moratorium in San Diego.
But Jan Goldsmith says Aguirre’s efforts to held mortgage lenders’ feet to the fire is grandstanding, because it ’s the state attorney general’s job to negotiate such settlements.
Goldsmith: The role of city attorney of San Diego is not to jump in the parade and say, "hey I’m going to be at the head of the parade." While all that’s going on, you have criminal cases that are sitting on a desk because they don’t have deputies to work on ‘em.
Goldsmiths says Aguirre has lost his bid to have pension benefits rolled back. He accuses Aguirre of wasting city taxpayer money to try and take on the mortgage lenders.
Alison St John, KPBS News.
