By TINA RYNBERG and JEFF BENESCH
When all the ballots were counted in the March primary, Raul Campillo had, somewhat surprisingly, amassed nearly 36% of the total vote, even with two other outstanding Democratic candidates, and a lone Repulican on the ballot.
Campillo would appear to be the favorite in a district that now leans Democratic, especially in an historic presidential election where the incumbent’s job approval is dismal, and by election time, well over 200,000 Americans will have died because of his mismanagement of the federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic. With unemployment at historically high levels, and the economy in a steep nose dive, it doesn’t seem possible that Trump will help any of the down ballot candidates in California with an “R” after their name. His ill-advised attempts to squash by-mail voting seems to be equally unpopular among all constituencies.
The La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club has known Campillo for a long time, since he became a member early on, and spoke frequently to the club long before the election heated up. Campillo is currently San Diego Deputy City Attorney, where he has been a prosecutor and now serves in the nationally-recognized Gun Violence Response Unit.
Campillo was born and raised in San Diego, attending East County public schools Vista Grande Elementary School and Hillsdale Middle School before attending Uni High School in Linda Vista. He is also a double-graduate of Harvard, with a Bachelor‘s and Law degree.
Campillo has been a regular attendee and active member of the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club, and he was endorsed by the club and the San Diego County Democratic Party. He is also endorsed by former District 7 City Council member Marti Emerald, who said «Raul is committed to serving everyone and being in the neighborhoods, in each community, to solve problems. That‘s why he has my full support.»
Campillo has also been endorsed by every city employee association, including the Firefighters, Lifeguards, and Police, as well as the League of Conservation Voters and Sierra Club.
Campillo‘s priorities are making sure that our local economy rebounds from the coronavirus and that local businesses are given the aid and help from the City government to rebuild. He also wants to emphasize keeping housing costs affordable, preserving open space on Cowles Mountain and in Mission Trails Regional Park, expanding public transit options, and fixing the roads that have been long neglected in District 7. Campillo also says that his office and staff will be extra diligent in responding to community concerns, like the speeding that recently led to a disastrous crash in Del Cerro along Madra Avenue.
All in all, from his East County roots to his on-the-ground focus, Campillo represents what‘s sorely needed on council: His life-experiences and professional expertise on community issues, together with the values that emphasize local government‘s strengths.
“I work in the city government and I see what works and what doesn‘t,» he says. «Not every issue is partisan, and not every value is partisan. But when it comes down to it, the best way to lead our city is by governing the way you would want to be governed.»
The La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club meets the first Wednesday of every month. In regular times, our meeting room is the spacious La Mesa Community Center. For the last few months, and for the foreseeable future, we’ll be zooming each month. We just had a wonderful meeting on Aug. 5 about the efforts to pass Proposition 16, the non-partisan effort to bring Affirmative Action back to California colleges and universities. You can catch the entire meeting at lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com.
— Tina Rynberg is president and Jeff Benesch is vice president of programming for the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club.
