Original Article Link: Op-Ed: Kevin Faulconer: Addressing our problems requires courage, conviction and action – The Coronado News
Our region is facing some of the most unprecedented challenges that demand our attention and it’s imperative that we confront them with compassion, action and unwavering resolve.
San Diego County is at the crossroads of two pressing crises: homelessness and an environmental crisis, particularly from the sewage flowing from the Tijuana River Valley polluting our pristine beaches.
Contaminated waters
For decades, millions of gallons of sewage, sediment and trash have contaminated our waters off our southernmost beaches, posing a significant threat to public health and environmental integrity. This issue has prompted frustration among residents and visitors alike – and for good reason. It’s an environmental nightmare that deserves our attention.
As Mayor of San Diego, I successfully urged federal leaders in the U.S. and Mexico to take action to protect our region from sewage overflows in the Tijuana River Valley.
We did it in a bipartisan fashion, securing $300 million set aside through the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) coupled with the implementation of new pumps and waste diversion systems.
I invited the EPA to our region to see for themselves just how dire the crisis had become and how polluted our beautiful beaches had become. As a result, they installed infrastructure to help reduce pollution flowing into our beaches.
As supervisor, I will continue working in a bipartisan manner with our local mayors as well as our state and federal delegations to ensure we receive the proper attention and funding to prevent more sewage from flowing onto our beaches.
Addressing homelessness
Our most pressing issue in the San Diego region is homelessness. Since I left office, homelessness throughout San Diego has exploded. Open air drug markets rule our streets with dangerous drugs like fentanyl running rampant. In 2023, homelessness jumped 14% with over 10,000 people living on our streets, according to data from the Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH).
What’s worse, over 500 people died on our streets last year from various causes including drug overdose. Every day that goes by without meaningful action, things get worse.
When I was Mayor, I tackled our homeless crisis with compassion and action. As a result San Diego became the only major city in California where homelessness decreased by double digits, according to the 2020 Point-in-Time (PIT) count results.
We achieved this by opening hundreds of safe beds, establishing shelters with access to mental health services and addiction treatment, and facilitating pathways to long-term housing for men, women, families and veterans in need. We created a new neighborhood policing division dedicated to protecting and improving quality of life on our streets.
We did not allow tent encampments on our sidewalks, prioritizing the cleanliness of our public spaces. Why? Because in San Diego we cared enough about people to not let them die on our streets – that’s clearly not what is happening today with Terra Lawson-Remer, who refuses to treat homelessness as the emergency that it is. How many more homeless people need to die for this to be her top priority?
As supervisor, I’ll treat homelessness as the emergency that it is. I’ll insist on employing policies like right to shelter with an obligation to use it. I’ll work with the Board of Supervisors to lead when it comes to opening new bridge shelters instead of allowing our cities to struggle alone with this problem.
We’ll expand access to mental health services and addiction treatment, implement proven solutions to provide safe shelter and support, and cut through bureaucratic red tape to expedite housing placements to get people off the streets and into a safe place of their own.
The issues we face demand courage, conviction, and action. I have a record addressing them all while bringing positive change and tangible results. Unfortunately, we’re not seeing any of this from our current supervisor, Terra Lawson-Remer. To get to where we need to be, making progress on the pressing issues like the homelessness and the sewage crisis, it’s important we make a change, and it starts this November by retiring Terra Lawson-Remer.
Kevin Faulconer served as the 36th mayor of San Diego, California, from 2014 to 2020. Born in San Jose, California, Faulconer left office in December of 2020 and has continued his never-ending service to San Diego, focusing on helping address the homeless health and safety crisis.
Original Article Link: Op-Ed: Kevin Faulconer: Addressing our problems requires courage, conviction and action – The Coronado News
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