Vivian Moreno Wants More Housing, Transit Options In District 8

>>> Four of the nine seats on San Diego city Council are up for grabs this year. Only one does not have an incumbent running. District 8. Councilman David avarice the Democrat has turned out. The district is geographically split split including hotel Mesa in San Ysidro along the boarder. Reno is a staffer for Alvarez and is one of three leading candidates seeking to replace them. All Democrats. She spoke with midday edition producer Michael Lipkin. >> What are your top priorities for district 8 ? >> the top priority is infrastructure. I think a Street in district 8 should look the same as La Jolla there should be no difference. I am also going to be focusing on parks, sidewalks, streetlights, as well as Libraries. We had the last industrial land in the city of San Diego old-time Mesa. That is an economic engine a future economic engine I will be focused on as well. And more Housing. >>> You want more Housing done in the old-time Mesa ? Spew not necessarily in the old-time Mesa but the future housing should be along the trolley line. Traffic oriented districts, more density. We have actually just fulfilled our community plan updates for San Ysidro identified the areas of the transit corridor's as well as southeastern community plan update. >>> Alvarez who you seek to replace has been the long no vote on a couple of homelessness initiatives. He voted against setting up tents, a storage facility in Sherman Heights among others. How would you have voted? >> I would have voted no. >>> On both? >> Absolutely. I think that the city needs to take a look at having the whole city take on the burden of homelessness. We cannot just have one district take the brunt of it. I think every single district should have a piece of that responsibility. As you have seen, the vast majority of that topic has laid on the backs of district 8 residence. I also do not think that I think permanent solution Housing is the answer for homeless population. I do not think that tents, the amount that we were paying per individual in a tent is absorbent. It was $1800 a month. You can rent an apartment for one bedroom 4500. -- For $1500. If you do the math it does not make sense. >>> Was Solutions would you have pushed for during the hepatitis crisis that prompted the shelter tents. >> I think what prompted the shelter tenses the County has $40 million edition -- sitting on. The problem is is that we have the homeless living on sidewalks and on Caltrans on ramps. In reality, these individual should have been housed five or 10 years ago. >>> Alvarez did team up with Sherman a Republican on the Council last year to come up with a detailed set of initiatives to reduce housing costs. What ideas do you have to tackle housing affordability. >> That was a great collaboration with Scott Sherman that we have great respect and admiration for. I think the solution should be all across the board the responsibility of the council. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or Republican. A few things I would have looked deeper into his transit oriented districts. I think that also we need to get together with development services Department, in the city of San Diego which is where these permits are being processed. I think we need to look at ways of incentivizing city employees to make sure that we get more units in San Diego. I think having a number is also something, a tangible goal that we need to strive for. How many units do we need to build to keep up with the demand of residents coming into the city of San Diego with our population growing. What that number is off the top of my head, I don't know. There are plenty of studies. I know that point Loma Nazarene did a study. I think we need to look at finite numbers and help us achieving those goals. >>> You have a plan to regulate short-term vacation rentals ? >> as of now, no. I have not met with either side. Once I become a Councilmember, I am happy to sit down with both sides and I am happy to address that issue. >>> How would you improve transit or biking options in your district? >> In my district, one of the things, when measure a was being proposed that I opposed completely, was a purple line. A purple line was thrown at us as a way to make us vote for measure eight. We do need to look at another trolley line. We need to look at the frequency of that trolley. Also we need to look at more bus routes, more frequency of those bus routes. >>> You have been working with Alvarez for seven years ? >> Yes. >>> What criticisms you have of his work? >> The Councilmember is very nice. He is a very nice human being. I think sometimes that has been -- that would be my criticism of him. >>> He is too nice at times ? >> yes. I think people taken for granted. Some of his colleagues taken for granted. People in our industry taken for granted as well. >> Looking at your stances on issues, would you see the most disagreement between you and your opponents in this race ? >> rent control, housing, I'm the only person who opposes rent control. I'm the only person who is pro-housing development. If you look at a EHC video, we were at a forum. They asked if we would be willing -- if we were to oppose market rate housing in district 8. I said I am not going to oppose any housing in district 8. >>> Why do you oppose rent control . >> does not work. Try to rent an apartment in San Francisco or New York City. They have rent control. It does not work. I went through a list are housing training. Much like a lot of members in the Council, just decide a person Georgia Gomez, rent control does not work. >>> That was district 8 candidate Vivian Marino speaking with producer Michael Lipkin. We will hear from the other two leading candidates over the next week. >>> Our candidate interviews continue with the Republican challenger with the 50th Congressional District. The district comprised as much of San Diego East County from Fallbrook and Escondido to Lakeside and Hummel. It stretches into to macula in Riverside County. Republican shamus Syed is campaigning to unseat Congressman Duncan Hunter. Syed is a newcomer to politics and a businessman who owns the company interpreters Unlimited. Shamus Syed welcome to the program. First off, what are your qualifications for this congressional seat? Why are you running? >> I am a local San Diego and -- San Diegan I have been here for 40 years. I run one the largest four-legged providers in the country. We need an outsider. Washington is broken. My experiences to create jobs. I know how to sign a check as well as the back. My primary platform is small business. What small business can do for the district is amazing considering that small businesses make up 80% of all businesses and three quarters of the workforce are still employed by small businesses. To answer your question. Why is the ability to give back to those employing the district. That is where my qualifications lie. I pay over 500 San Diegan Cinema. I run several offices and almost 40 employees throughout the country. I know what it means. I know what it takes to run a country. -- Company. The negotiation factors that go into getting our objectives met as well as understanding what it takes for people to manage their families. >>> Congress has not yet passed a replacement for Dhaka -- DACA. Would you support a clean bill that was provided path for citizenship for people brought to the United States illegally as children ? >> in short, yes. It is not fair. Our goal is not to send people home. These are individuals that had no choice at all. I can appreciate what they are trying to do. They are trying to get back to the community. Through education, entrepreneurship, when you look at the largest recipients of DACA are those from the Hispanic community. That demographic respectfully comprises by far the largest number of entrepreneurs in the country. When you look at what they can do, give him a chance. They will do more for us than we realize. We want to keep that expertise, that drives, passion here. And they are going about it and an admirable way. >>> If you're elected, what is your position on funding for the border wall promoted by president donald trump? >> As a business owner, we think every day on how to do more with less. Do we need something to secure our borders? Absolutely. We want to be cautious with the taxpayer resources. 30+ billion dollars is a lot of resources. I am not opposed to the wall by any means. I simply begged the question, is that the best expenditure. San Diego is a home to amazing countries with amazing technologies some of which we've never seen. We could take a small amount of fat and put it right back into the city. We could create a solution that could possibly be much more effective than the wall. >>> Republicans in Congress last year amounted a big campaign to repeal the ACA. Would you join in efforts to repeal Obama care if you're elected or would you be open to fixing the ACA? >> I have to give credit to the previous administration. The first stab at fixing the problem. In my case, and as many small business owners, it created a whole another problem. Providing healthcare is a good thing. It penalized us to a degree. Big government regulation is not the answer. There are 101 solutions whether it's allowing us access plans that are not accessible in California. We are Lock into a handful of carriers right here in California. We could save a significant amount. I feel that giving small businesses the responsibility of issuing healthcare and providing us some degree of a tax break to do so, I think in my opinion is the answer. Again, we do need the federal government's help in doing so. >>> Would you support creating additional regulations on gun ownership? By that, I mean national regulations on gun ownership? Speak into laws that are in place need to be enforced to start off with. I can give you example after example. Parkland shooter 39 tips to the FBI. Some could argue is a failure to law enforcement. There needs to be an improved relationship between the law-enforcement agencies. Think of pre-9/11 and post-9/11 and the relationships at the federal level. And the communication that occurred. It took 9/11 to happen. We are already by far have way more examples than quite frankly we want. It's not so much as adding a lot or -- a law or enforcing the laws we have in place or allowing the line agencies to better communicate. Parkland was a good example. >>> Let me get specific. Would you support universal background checks or raising the age to persist purchase a gun to 21. Are those pieces of gun legislation that you would look at or support? >> Universal background checks are a step in a right direction. >>> You said you consider yourself a fiscal conservative but a social moderate. Which issues would you say demonstrate your moderate viewpoints. >> DACA is an example. Not so much the black and white of DACA, but the human approach. We all have a heart. We are all human. Those social issues, where I am very moderately placed is those that surround those of basic humanity whether it is some could argue whether it is that of the LGBTQ community or the right to choose, or immigration. We have to keep in mind that we are all human. We all have a heart. We have to look at things from that place first before we act. >>> You are trying to appeal to Republican voters in one of the most conservative districts in California. How are you working to get your moderate views to resonate with those voters. >> Bye meeting with him. Showing that though I am a Republican and running as a Republican in a Republican district, we are people first. We may not see eye to eye on everything. But my commitment is to represent the district 1st. And to do the right thing. Do the human thing. My views only go so far. But my job, the job I'm hoping to earn in the U.S. House of Representatives is to represent the district. And representing the district really only takes two things. Both of your ears to listen to the district and what they want. >>> Republican already represents the fifth district. You are challenging Republican incumbent Duncan Hunter. Why shouldn't Duncan Hunter continue visiting the district ? >> first and foremost tremendous respect for the Hunter family senior and junior that have been running the district for the past four decades. Trump got elected because he is different. When you had the same individual in the same seat with the same name for the better part of four decades, you are begging for a change. We are all begging for a change. Things are different. We are not the same place we were a few years ago on so many levels. I am a San Diego resident for the better part of four decades. Equally important, I have a father -- I am a father of two children, married for 11 years, small business owner, I have a different perspective. I have a different way of getting things done. All in line with my core values as a fiscal conservative. We have a different way of trying to achieve the same objective. We can all agree that Washington is broken. It's taking a long time to get objectives met. >>> I have been speaking with shamus Syed a Republican running for Congress in the 50th district. Thank you so much shamus Syed. >>> You can hear all of our June 5 primary coverage at KPBS.org/election.