Items in today’s column:
*San Diego Mayoral Poll: Gloria 31%, Bry 15%, Williamson 8%, Undecided 46%
*Time again for Jewish high school juniors to apply for Bronfman Fellowship
*Poway of Chabad victims, survivors, and heroes to be honored at StandWithUS dinner
San Diego Mayoral poll: Gloria 31%, Bry 15%, Williamson 8%, Undecided 46%
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Union-Tribune and KGTV-Channel 10 News released on Saturday, Sept. 7, what might be considered a “baseline” poll for San Diego’s mayoral primary election, which will be conducted on March 3, 2020.
The telephonic and electronic poll conducted by SurveyUSA sampled 550 voters between the dates of Tuesday, September 3, and Thursday, September 5, asking: “If the primary election for mayor of the city of San Diego were held today, and these three candidates, were the only names on the ballot, who would you vote for?
According to the Union-Tribune, 15 percent of the voters (or approximately 83 people) chose San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry; 31 percent (or approximately 171 people) chose California Assemblyman Todd Gloria; 8 percent (or approximately 44 people) chose community activist Tasha Williamson. In the sample, undecided voters accounted for 46 percent of the total (or approximately 253 persons.)
Because the primary election is nearly six months away, and political commercials have not yet begun to air, these figures are likely to change as the March 3 contest draws closer.
The poll also found that as of today affordable housing and homelessness are foremost issues on the voters’ minds (28 percent and 25 percent respectively), with road conditions at 18 percent, climate change at 10 percent, and the proposed expansion of the convention center at 6 percent.
Pollsters typically use cross-tabulations to dig deeper than the raw numbers in an effort to understand candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. For example, among voters who described themselves as very conservative, Bry received 25 percent support while Gloria received 12 percent. On the other end of the spectrum, “very liberal” voters preferred Gloria by a margin of 40 percent to Williamson’s 8 percent to Bry’s 4 percent.
The San Diego Union-Tribune did not include in its reporting a breakdown by the gender of voters, but did report on ethnic preferences. It reported that among white people Gloria led 32 percent to 15 percent for Bry; Latinos 33 percent for Gloria, 11 percent for Bry. However, among Asians, which is part of Gloria’s mixed ethnic background (Filipino, Native American, and Latino), Bry led slightly 23 percent to Gloria’s 22 percent. The newspaper said the sample did not include enough African-Americans to make a statistical difference, and the Union-Tribune did not mention any breakdown of voter preferences by religion (Bry is Jewish), or sexual orientation (Gloria is a gay man).
Gloria, Bry and Williamson all are Democrats. Among voters with declared party registrations, Gloria was favored by Democrats 44 percent to 14 percent for Bry. Among Republicans, Gloria led Bry 19 percent to 17 percent. The incumbent mayor, Kevin Faulconer, is a Republican, and the poll found voters evenly divided over the quality of the job he is doing. Faulconer was approved by 35 percent of the voters, disapproved by another 35 percent, with 30 percent saying they were not certain.
A runoff election in the mayoral election is scheduled for November 2020, on the same ballot on which voters will choose who shall be President of the United States.
*
Time again for Jewish high school juniors to apply for Bronfman Fellowship
The deadline is December 1 for applications for the 2020 Bronfman Fellowship, which sends 26 teenagers per year to Israel on a five-week summer trip between the Fellows’ junior and senior year in high school The Israel trip kicks off a year-long study program with religious and political leaders and Jewish intellectuals.
Among San Diegans who previously were selected for the honor were Daniel Penner, who was part of the 2009 cohort, Kevin Yedid Botton, in 2010, and Mauricio Wulfovich, in 2015. This summer, Wulfovich, who is a student at Stanford University, served as a counselor to the high school students who were chosen.
The applications for the 2020 Fellowship may be obtained online at Bronfman.org. The Fellowship is a pluralistic program for Jews of all backgrounds, and prior Jewish education is not required, according to its administrators.
“We thoughtfully select promising Jewish people with diverse backgrounds and identities who demonstrate the ability to be cultural creators, deep thinkers, moral voices, and community builders,” the Bronfman Fellowship states in a news release. “By exploring the plurality of Jewish life, and by creating a rich tapestry of Jewish ideas, we build a community rooted in meaningful relationships and an expanded sense of possibility.”
*
Poway of Chabad victims, survivors, and heroes to be honored at StandWithUS dinner
At its gala dinner Oct. 27, StandWithUs plans to honor the victims, survivors and heroes of the April 27 gunman’s assault on Chabad of Poway.
Killed in the attack was Lori Gilbert Kaye, 60, who reportedly stepped into the line of fire between the shooter (who now awaits trial) and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was wounded in the attack, losing his right index finger. Shrapnel wounds also were suffered by Noya Dahan, then 8, and her uncle Almog Peretz, who was visiting from Sderot, Israel.
Kaye is survived by her husband, Dr. Howard Kaye, who tried to revive her after the shooting, and a daughter, Hannah Kaye.
Oscar Stewart, an Army veteran, charged the shooter whose gun jammed during the attack. The gunman got away in his car and off duty Border Patrol Agent Jonathan Morales — who was at Chabad to explore his Jewish roots — gave chase, firing his weapon at the suspect’s car. Soon thereafter, the suspect John Earnest, called police and said he wanted to turn himself in.
The 8th annual “Leaders of Tomorrow” Gala Dinner at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina will feature a speech by radio show host Larry Elder and entertainment by Hagit Yaso, who was the Season 9 winner of Israeli Idol television show.
The dinner chairs are Yamia Benhaim, Jaime Feder, and Natalie Josephson.
*
Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com