Written by T. Logan Dayne
Last week, two pressing issues were laid before San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. The first dealt with the controversial mask mandates for school children and the second was in regard to the police shortage in San Diego.
The mental health of many students has been declining over the past couple of years. Increase rates of suicide and depression along with a litany of other health problems are plaguing the youth. Studies have shown a strong link between the mandate policies and these mental health issues. Although the Mayor does have influence, not direct authority, on San Diego school policies, Mayor Gloria passed on responsibility to the State of California. In regards to the mandates, Gloria stated, “…the city is abiding by that, I expect the school district to do the same.” Ending the discussion on this point with the message that people should go and get vaccinated.
The Mayor also had to face the problem that the San Diego Police Department is facing a staffing shortage. The shortage is attributed in part to the vaccine mandate for city workers. Republican City Councilman Chris Cate highlighted the shortages and the effects they are having on public safety, “In this last month SDPD failed to meet beat staffing in the Northeastern division 70% of the time” Cate also said he met with San Diego Chief of Police David Nisleit over the staffing issue.
Mayor Gloria did not assure San Diegans they would be safe with a low staffed police department. Instead denying it was the mandates that caused the staffing shortage, rather, it was testing positive for COVID-19 and being forced to quarantine. He ended his briefing urging everyone to “get vaccinated and get boosted.” Saying that the city needed the numbers of vaccinated to be better in order to “put [the pandemic] behind us,” although delivering no goals to reach that would cause the mandates would be alleviated.
Photo Cred: Rich Pedroncelli/AP
