Other items in today’s column include
*Susan Davis honors Justice Ginsburg in Congressional Record
*Jewish organizations
SAN DIEGO — It wasn’t all that long ago that the City of San Diego had a City Manager form of government.
That meant that the mayor was like a super councilmember, who had a fancy office and got to issue proclamations and receive distinguished visitors on behalf of the city. But when it came to setting policy, he was just one of nine voting members of the council.
At that time, the real executive work was done by the city manager, who was the boss of all the working city departments, whereas the mayor and the rest of the City Council set policy.
Since that time, however, San Diego voters decided to eliminate the city manager form of government and to install in its place the “strong mayor” system. The mayor became the chief executive officer of the city; like the city manager before him he was the boss of all the departments — streets, sewers, parks and recreation, police, fire, etcetera — and he (or she) was granted the power to veto legislation passed by the City Council. To make certain that the City Council had an odd number of members (thus able to achieve a majority), the number of City Council districts was expanded from eight to nine.
So when we choose a mayor today, we must choose someone who not only is good at policy making, but also knows how to be the CEO of a multibillion dollar business that affects every resident of the city. In the wake of the disruption to the economy by the coronavirus pandemic, we need someone who will make certain that our city government is efficiently run and that its services are provided fairly and consistently to all its residents.
That’s why we are endorsing Barbara Bry over her opponent Todd Gloria. Both are Democrats, and both in my personal dealings with them have shown themselves to be gracious, thoughtful, fine human beings. However, Bry has a background as an entrepreneur, having started and run Pro-Flowers among other companies, whereas Gloria’s experience has primarily been as someone who has proposed and voted on legislation. He has been a councilman, an interim acting mayor, and is now a state assemblyman, all worthy accomplishments.
Bry currently is a San Diego City councilwoman, so she has similar experience. What she has, that Gloria doesn’t, is insight, born of business experience, into the economy and how to make it work for San Diego.
While the two have very similar views on many social issues, Bry and Gloria disagree on some business issues. For example, Gloria supported his fellow legislator, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, when she introduced and had passed Assembly Bill 5, which this coming November is the subject of a referendum. That bill, based on concepts of labor-employer relationships predating the gig economy, said companies must treat workers as employees rather than as independent contractors, even if the workers would prefer the latter. The bill hit hard at people who want to supplement their incomes in a variety of ways, including driving for such services as Uber and Lyft. While the bill satisfied labor unions, who, understandably, are always interested in expanding their base, it penalized people who’d prefer to be independent entrepreneurs. Poorly drafted, the bill underwent constant amendment. Whereas Gloria supported it, Bry was opposed to it.
Another issue on which the two candidates disagree is over the rental of the building at 101 Ash Street, for which the City of San Diego has paid millions of dollars in rent but has been unable to move into because of asbestos problems and other construction issues. Bry has said that with her background in business, she would have made certain that the lease agreement was closely read and revised to avoid penalizing city taxpayers. She has faulted Gloria for not practicing similar due diligence when he served as a councilmember and as an acting mayor.
Another reason why I favor Bry, a septagenarian, is that I believe serving as mayor will be her final stop on the political ladder, her political legacy. As I follow the career of Gloria, I see a young man who not long after being elected mayor would be eyeing one statewide office or another to advance his political career. At this point in our city’s history, I think San Diego needs the steady hand of a business-savvy, socially-conscious policy maker and administrator at the helm.
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Susan Davis honors Justice Ginsburg in Congressional Record
Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53) honored Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with the following statement submitted for the Congressional Record.
Today we celebrate Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We remember her groundbreaking work and remarkable legacy. We owe our opportunity to be who we are to what she accomplished.
That’s why we call her the Notorious RBG!
Justice Ginsburg defied expectations. Despite her acumen and proven ability in the law, she was denied jobs for which she was well-qualified. She nonetheless pursued that career at a time when social norms kept women at home and discouraged them from working.
Justice Ginsburg showed up for a generation of women and men. Equality drove her work. Her vision and imagination demanded that she not allow an individual’s dreams be shortchanged by institutional inequality. When people are held back by unjust laws, they cannot flourish and thrive. She felt that in her bones, and she strove to fix it.
As a Jewish woman, I feel a strong sense of identity with her. She was grounded in the teaching of Tikkun Olum – to repair the world and the Torah’s admonition that one doesn’t have to complete the work but cannot desist trying.
Now, there will be not just a void with her passing, but a chasm as our role model – our champion of liberty, equality, and democracy.
So we and future generations must pick up the torch and continue her fight.
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Jewish organizations
Rabbi David Wolpe will be the featured speaker at the Jewish Federation of San Diego’s Men’s Event, to be held this year via Internet connection at 5 p.m., Sunday, November 15. In announcing Wolpe’s participation, the Federation included this biographical statement: “Rabbi Wolpe was named one of the 500 Most Influential People in Los Angeles in 2016 and again in 2017, Most Influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek and one of the 50 Most Influential Jews in the World by The Jerusalem Post, David Wolpe is the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple. Rabbi Wolpe previously taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Hunter College, and UCLA. A columnist for TIME magazine, he has been published and profiled in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post’s “On Faith” website, The Huffington Post, and the New York Jewish Week. He has been featured on The Today Show, Face the Nation, ABC This Morning, and CBS This Morning. In addition, Rabbi Wolpe has appeared prominently in series on PBS, A&E, History Channel, and Discovery Channel. Rabbi Wolpe is the author of eight books, including the national bestseller Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times. His new book is titled David, the Divided Heart. It was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards, and has been optioned for a movie by Warner Bros.” Registration for this event via this website. The Men’s Event co-chairs are Todd Allen, David Bramzon, and Danny Recht.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
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