KPBS Midday Edition

City Council's lone Republican reflects on 8 years in office

By M.G. Perez / Education Reporter, Harrison Patiño / Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published December 6, 2022 at 10:59 AM PST

This story was published more than 2 years ago.

San Diego City Councilman Chris Cate smiles during a council meeting, Dec. 12, 2016.

As the San Diego City Council prepares to swear in its members next week, it will also bid farewell to one notable representative.

Councilmember Chris Cate has represented the city’s 6th district for eight years, and since 2020 has been the sole Republican on the city council.

Termed out, Cate will be replaced on the Council by Democrat Kent Lee.

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The change will solidify a 9-0 Democratic majority on the council for the first time in it's history.

The change to the council's political makeup has led to concerns over political blind spots, including from the councilmember himself.

"I think one of the things that I have some trepidation and concern about is really having diverse viewpoints on the council, because there is now a monolithic block of partisanship on the council," Cate said.

Cate's departure comes at a time where the political landscape of San Diego looks much different than when he took office in 2014.

He joined Midday Edition on Tuesday with more on his time in office.

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KPBS Midday Edition Politics, Democracy and Elections News

M.G. Perez

As education reporter, M.G. Perez covered stories on education in the San Diego region, from Pre-K to college and beyond. In addition to a background in journalism, M.G. spent seven years as a teacher with San Diego Unified School District, in classrooms supporting students with mild to severe special needs. Prior to becoming a teacher, M.G.’s extensive career in broadcast journalism included general assignment reporting at KFMB-TV in San Diego, KPRC-TV in Houston, KGO-TV in San Francisco, and WNBC-TV in New York.

What stories are we missing when it comes to education in San Diego County?

Harrison Patiño

Harrison Patiño is a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition". His primary roles include story development, and is involved in the audio production and coordination of interview subjects. Prior to joining KPBS, Harrison held various positions at Hawaii Public Radio within its news and music departments. While pursuing a double major in journalism and classics at The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Harrison worked at the school's student-run radio station, KTUH. After graduating, Harrison served as a community advisor for the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Student Media Board.

See stories by Harrison Patiño

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