Mayoral Poll Results Show Change May Be Inevitable
A recent poll by Competitive Edge Research reveals a tightening race for San Diego Mayor. The incumbent Todd Gloria has captured only 40.4 percent of the vote, compared to 31.6 percent for challenger Larry Turner, until recently, an unknown who is gaining notoriety. Additionally, 27.9 percent of respondents remain undecided, suggesting significant potential for Turner’s campaign to gain further support.
Turner, a current San Diego Police community relations officer and former US Marine Corps Lt. Colonel, commented about the poll results. “Our 31 percent is an enthusiastic base. Many of the undecided voters know Todd Gloria but are just starting to learn about me and are eager to hear more,” Turner said
This poll highlights key voter concerns, with 57.4 percent identifying “reducing political corruption” as their top priority and 27.3 percent focusing on “reducing local government spending.” These issues align closely with Turner’s campaign platform, which emphasizes transparency and fiscal responsibility.
“The people of San Diego are clearly tired of corruption and inefficiency in local government. They want a mayor who prioritizes their needs and works to restore trust and accountability,” Turner stated. “It’s time for a change, and I am committed to being that change.”
Recent controversies, such as the 101 Ash Street building debacle and other contentious real estate deals have significantly impacted Gloria’s standing. The poll indicates that 44.1 percent of respondents blame him for these issues.
Turner criticized Gloria’s handling of these matters and stressed the need for ethical leadership. “San Diegans deserve leaders who act in their best interest and uphold integrity in every decision,” he said. “My campaign is about bringing real change and restoring faith in our city government.”
As residents of the City of San Diego face the future of the city, the following continue to be topics of conversation about corruption and misuse of funds:
- $348M to purchase 101 Ash Street and Civic Center Plaza when it would have only cost $184M to continue paying rent on the already negotiated leases with no strategy for how to use these buildings. Budget that was allocated for stormwater maintenance was specifically reallocated to purchase 101 Ash Street, resulting in the devastating flood damage on January 22 that caused the displacement of 1,000 families, many of whom can still not reoccupy their homes.
- $1.1 B for a 35-year lease of Kettner & Vine Street warehouse to place a 1,000-bed homeless shelter with no source of future funding, no homeless strategy, and no community input.
- $0 in proposed revenue from Midway Rising to the City on Sports Arena when the previous successful bidder, who was subsequently canceled by Mayor Gloria, had proposed $5 million per year to the city over 55 years. By way of comparison, the City’s largest lessee is SeaWorld who pays a minimum of $10 million per year.
The current city budget deficit is estimated at $172 million and Todd has used one time revenues to cover expenses for ongoing programs since he came into office, ballooning into the current deficit and no plan for how to pay these expenses going forward – he is entirely banking on a one percent sales tax increase on the November ballot which would bring in an estimated $374 million per year and voters are unlikely to go for it because they don’t trust government with more of their money when they make frivolous decisions like the above that hogtie our finances for decades to come. He is basically asking voters to pay the outrageous credit card debt he has accumulated via wasteful spending.
Gloria also continues to make rather bold statements that he sees no reason to include the community and residents in critical decision making, including the Kettner and Vine Street, 1000-person homeless facility. Obviously, he believes that he should be the only person who determines the fate of the city, one failure at a time.
Category: feature, Historical, Homeless, Housing, Local News
