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On July 11,
at the UCSD Faculty Club, candidates for San Diego Mayor, Supervisor
Ron Roberts and Judge Dick Murphy, faced off, answering a series
of questions all related to conservation, quality of life and
how our City will deal with forecast population growth.
 As a
result of working with environmentalists during the process,
Judge Dick Murphy adopted the following "10 point Environmental
Vision" as a part of his platform:
Leadership
with 2020 Vision - what Dick Murphy will work toward as part
of his "Environmental Vision" for the City of San Diego
- PRISTINE BEACHES AND BAYS
- Year round water quality monitoring
- Upgraded sewer system
- Stopped contaminated storm drain runoff
- MISSION BAY LEASES - all leases (commercial
and nonprofit) limited to 25% of land and stop commercialization
of parks
- REDUCED TRAFFIC CONGESTION
- Building freeways AND mass transit
- Managing rush hour demand - carpools, telecommute,
stagger
- Controlling growth and development
- CONTROLLED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT - by promoting
land use policies that encourage high density housing and mixed-use
development near transit facilities
- NEIGHBORHOODS WE CAN BE PROUD OF
- Not park deficient
- Landscaped center median on thoroughfares
- Undergrounding of overhead power lines
- MSCP OPEN SPACE - all purchased
- SAN DIEGUITO RIVER VALLEY - preserved as
open space
- WATER RECYCLING - city recycling 45 million
gallons per day from wastewater, and selling all for landscaping
to CALTRANS, golf courses, etc.
- CITY-WIDE CURBSIDE RECYCLING - whether or
not state funding is available
- CITIZEN'S ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMISSION
- to oversee implementation of ese and other environmental issues
There
were are some other issues, not contained in the above list,
which Judge Murphy addressed during the debate. These are, in
many cases, a direct result of his contacts with the environmental
community and things he would address and fight for as the endorsed
candidate of the Sierra Club:
- Support numeric sizing and first-flush filtration/treatment
approaches
- Urban canyon protection and relocation of
pipes whenever possible
- Total city-wide recycling
- Enforce undergrounding agreements - his legal
expertise would be invaluable in making sure this happens.
- Support closure of Sorrento Valley Road next
to Peñasquitos lagoon.
- Strong policy for protection of hillsides
and hilltops - keep in mind he stopped the 200 foot antenna on
top of Cowles Mountain
- Support public purchase of threatened wetlands
if regulatory approach fails
- Work to get rid of incompatible mixed use
zoning in Barrio Logan
- Support for lead abatement program by Housing
Commission and funding for the program
- Support for adding land and watershed/clean
water funding to TransNet sales tax extension
Based
on an extensive process that included interviews, written questionnaires,
a list of more than 20 identified issues in the city, and conversations
with hundreds members of both the Club and the community at large,
the Sierra Club Political Committee voted by a 2/3 margin to
support endorsing Judge Murphy.
In comparison,
Roberts tenure at the County has been checkered by mediocre or
simetimes terrible environmental results. If he is elected Mayor,
we can only expect more status-quo battles where builders and
other interests will trump environmental concerns.
At the
11th hour, Supervisor Roberts, confronted with an endorsement
for his opponent, finally replied to Sierra Club requests for
positions on their issues list identified by Chapter members.
While many of us feel his last minute conversion is strictly
pandering, we do have his signature to support all but two identified
issues: closure of Sorrento Valley Rd. and changing of parking
standards. (Roberts must support finding that 37-square-miles
of parking required to park the next 600,000 cars coming to San
Diego!).
Unfortunately,
the last-minute pandering by Building Industry-endorsed-Roberts
was successful to some degree and the Political Committee recommendation
failed to pass at the Executive Committee of the San Diego Sierra
Club. Political Committee members, as well as others in the Sierra
Club are still working to resolve the remaining issues and concerns
of ExCom members and expect that the item will be on their agenda
again for further consideration before the November election.
In the
meantime, SDET believes that Judge Murphy is the best choice
for standing up to developer interests and moderating both the
ethical problems at City Council along with out-of-control growth.
www.Murphy4Mayor.com
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