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City Attorney Candidates Face Off

San Diego city attorney Mike Aguirre and his challenger, Jan Goldsmith, sparred today at a forum convened by the Rotary Club of San Diego. KPBS reporter Alison St John was there.

City Attorney Candidates Face Off

 (Photo: Mike Aguirre (R) and Jan Goldsmith (L) participate in a City Attorney debate at the Rotary Club. Alison St John/KPBS )

San Diego city attorney Mike Aguirre and his challenger, Jan Goldsmith, sparred today at a forum convened by the Rotary Club of San Diego. KPBS reporter Alison St John was there.

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The forum was less contentious than previous face-offs between the candidates for city attorney, but each candidate clearly represents a different choice for San Diego.

Aguirre positions himself as a servant of the people rather than the government, a city attorney who is keeping an eye on the powers -that -be at city hall. 

Aguirre:  We have a corruption problem in San Diego, and I don’t go out and just call everybody corrupt but that I did try to do is go out and shake things up because we don’t want that.

Goldsmith says, if the city attorney doesn’t represent city government, it’s like running a multi-million dollar corporation without legal representation. He attacks Aguirre’s style. 

Goldsmith: It’s good to shake things up I agree with that, but the city attorney is supposed to be the adult in the room to give guidance to keep a cool head .
 

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The latest campaign finance disclosures show Goldsmith has raised nearly six times as much as Aguirre since the June primary.

Alison St John, KPBS News.

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