This year’s San Diego mayoral election has turned into a close battle between the incumbent, Todd Gloria, and his challenger, Larry Turner. While most eyes are on the presidential election, residents of San Diego are anticipating who will be the next mayor of America’s Finest City. 

Turner is a born-and-raised San Diegan who served in the Marine Corps for 23 years. After he returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, he came back to San Diego and became a SDPD Community Relations Officer. While working on the streets as an officer, he gained a deep connection to and understanding of the people in the city. He has also been a proud member of the independent party for the entirety of his life and political career. 

“San Diegans are tired of hearing politicians fight amongst each other in our country’s two party system.” Turner said in an interview done by ABC News San Diego. “I am not beholden to a political party. I am a problem-solver. I am part of the San Diego party.”

During Gloria’s tenure, a common pattern from politicians was prevalent: making promises to the people that are not kept. The main issues he targeted were homelessness, gun control, and affordable housing. His plans to tackle these issues are what earned him the title of mayor in the 2020 election. However, there has been little progress in finding solutions to these problems. 

In an interview, Turner said that he will follow through with his plans even if he does not get elected as mayor. This shows that he is not solely making these promises to get the position. He has even started tackling the homeless issue in San Diego by constructing new shelters. 

The growing cost of the San Diego lifestyle has become unaffordable for a lot of people, and many citizens who can’t keep up with the rising costs of living end up on the streets or are forced to relocate. Over 31,000 residents have already been pushed out of San Diego due to the high prices. This was in part due to Gloria’s cancellation of the construction of more than 10,000 low-income houses.  

Turner’s plan to reduce homelessness has already started as he is currently building a shelter for 350 homeless veterans. While the focus of this project is veterans, he also hopes to help the entire homeless population in San Diego. He wants to build more shelters and assist them through their journey of rehabilitation. Since Turner had up-close involvement with the homeless as a relations officer, he has a better  understanding than his opponent of what their situation is like and how to help; he has even developed personal relationships with many of them. 

Turner’s first-hand involvement with the homeless community means he sees them as real people and not a nuisance to the city. Turner acknowledges that while the homeless cannot continue to crowd the streets of the city, they are still human beings and deserve to have a safe environment to live in. 

Turner’s second resolution on the issue of homelessness will not only cut down the number of people on the streets, but will also reduce the amount of taxes people are paying. Instead of investing in shelters, Turner wants to construct houses that people with low income can still afford. His plan not only benefits the people of San Diego, but it helps the homeless rehabilitate and rejoin society. Investing in permanent supportive and affordable housing, will cut taxpayer costs significantly while providing a stable environment for the homeless to access services, find jobs and, once again, become contributing members of the community.

Turner also has plans to strengthen public safety and decrease crime rates. Even though overall crime has decreased in San Diego from 2022 to 2023 by just under 3%, violent crime has increased every year since 2018. Crimes of physical assault, theft, kidnapping, and other offenses have been on the incline. The city of SDPD is currently understaffed and has 184 vacant job positions which makes it very difficult for the officers to respond in a timely manner. 

While Turner’s opponent has no plan to strengthen our police force, Turner will settle for no less than being the safest city possible. Turner’s close connections with the police from serving on the force will come in handy as he will work alongside them to ensure that more officers and dispatchers are hired. This will make response time much faster and more patrol officers on the streets will help protect the citizens of San Diego from unfortunate misdemeanors. 

By voting for Turner we can invoke true change in San Diego. He will strive to keep his promises and fulfill his duties to propel the city of San Diego into the future.