Todd Gloria November Update

Dear Friends,

November is synonymous with Thanksgiving Day. I look forward to sharing a special holiday meal with family and friends and giving thanks for all my blessings.

With Thanksgiving as November’s main event, it’s easy to lose sight of other things I’m thankful for besides food on the fourth Thursday of the month. Here are some other things for which I am truly grateful.

Our veterans whose service and sacrifice is unparalleled. Pictured here is my great grandmother, Dolly Avery, standing between her sons, my great uncle Forest on the left and my grandfather Charles on the right. Both men served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces. My grandfather arrived in San Diego from Oklahoma in 1943. His move from the Midwest made me a native San Diegan. I owe them and all our acting and retired service men and women my thanks for their dedication to our country. So many service members are overseas this Thanksgiving and don’t get to pass the mashed potatoes or carve the turkey with their parents, spouses, children and siblings.

Our first responders, trash collectors, street crews and others making up the City’s 10,000 person workforce who provide vital services we all rely on each day. Their efforts keep our City’s engine running.

My Council colleagues who focus on improving their neighborhoods and look for ways to make San Diego’s economy more robust. They are dedicated public servants who strive every day to make San Diego an even better place to live.

Those who are caregivers to our ill, our elderly and our homeless. By way of example, their service and big hearts remind us to practice patience and empathy toward all our neighbors.

For being born and raised in a city that has such a varied and vibrant cultural identity. This is the town where a Native American, Filipino, Puerto Rican, Dutch son of a maid and a gardener became the Interim Mayor of San Diego. This is the town where I have lumpia and tamales next to the turkey and stuffing on my Thanksgiving plate.

Finally, I am thankful for the ability to serve. I ask for your continued patience and participation as we draw closer to electing a new mayor for San Diego. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Respectfully,
Todd Gloria
Interim Mayor

David Alvarez: San Diego’s Jackie Robinson

By Laura Fink

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the spring of 1947. He faced a nation beleaguered at the conclusion of a war, and one as yet unready to confront the deep racial injustice it lived by.  Few people could have imagined that this unknown rookie would change history. Armed with only his character, integrity and talent, Robinson’s quiet leadership and extraordinary courage moved us forward, and made us a better nation.

It is rare that a leader with these qualities emerges – and rarer still in the political arena. Today, we have such a leader in San Diego mayoral candidate David Alvarez.

Like Jackie, David’s character was forged through adversity.   Both are the youngest of large families that absorbed the bruising impact of working poverty. Jackie was raised by a single mother who cleaned houses for a living; David the son of a fast food worker and a janitor. Both broke the cycle of poverty through education and achievement. Jackie narrowly missed graduation from UCLA, and went on to professional sports. David was the first in his family to graduate from high school and the first to earn a college degree.

Their courage and talent enabled them to defy the odds.

When Jackie donned his uniform and stepped onto Brooklyn’s baseball diamond, he was greeted with unrelenting verbal attacks and physical intimidation. Few people thought he would succeed, fewer still wanted him to.  Yet he played, and played brilliantly – scoring 12 home runs, leading the league in stolen bases, helping his team win the National League pennant and winning Rookie of the Year.

When David first ran for city council, he faced brother of the outgoing incumbent along with his familiar last name. He was up against a political alliance that invested over $100,000 to try to defeat him. Few thought he could win. Many didn’t want him to. Undeterred, David ran anyway – and his campaign was historic. His commitment to neighborhood investment, education and the environment attracted crowds of volunteers and resonated with voters. He won with 57% of the vote, and inspired the highest turnout ever for a council election in his district.

As a Councilmember, David has also lived up to his promise, executing his inclusive vision for the city. He chairs the council’s committee on environmental issues – where he has taken action on climate change, industrial pollution, and renewable energy. He has fought to rebuild our city from the neighborhoods out  – funding over 100 miles of road repair, increasing investment in police and fire protection and keeping libraries open longer. He was “the closer” in budget negotiations that eliminated a $47 million dollar budget gap, while still protecting vital city services. He did all this with full transparency – and engaged his constituents directly by sending his staff to get their input door to door.

If there were a Rookie of the Year award – he’d have earned it.

When Brooklyn took a chance on Jackie Robinson, he took the team to a World Series victory. More importantly, his example had an impact far beyond his play.

David Alvarez is San Diego’s Jackie Robinson – a paragon of character and integrity, whose quiet leadership of deeds rather than words seeks neither credit nor acclaim.  He could be San Diego’s first Latino Mayor – a barrier long overdue to be broken. More than that, his talent and courage have the potential to make him a transcendent leader. San Diego, long weary of political scandal and impropriety needs a leader like David – and he needs your vote.

Laura Fink is the founder of the San Diego-based consulting firm Fink & Hernandez Consulting, LLC, specializing in politics, civic engagement and public policy.  She was the second woman to come forward in the scandal involving former Mayor Bob Filner.  She is not employed by any mayoral candidate or independent expenditure committee.