Elo-Rivera re-election reveals deep San Diego City Council divisions
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Downtown San Diego. Photo: Araya Doheny via Getty Images
San Diego Council President Sean Elo-Rivera will keep his gig for another year, but comments from his council colleagues made public just how much division San Diego's City Council has.
Driving the news: Elo-Rivera won re-election on a 5-4 vote, with Councilmember Monica Montgomery-Steppe casting the deciding vote on her last day before vacating her seat for a position on the county board of supervisors.
- The four councilmembers who opposed Elo-Rivera each voiced a series of complaints about his leadership as president.
What they're saying: Councilmember Jen Campbell said she could not "in good conscience" support him due to his votes against smart streetlights and a ban on homeless encampments, and for removing councilmembers from committees after they voted against his council presidency.
- "Both my district and the city at large deserve leadership that prioritizes fairness, collaboration and the wellbeing of all of our residents," she said.
- "I have been interrupted multiple times in my testimony, aggressively, and I see that not being treated the same with the men on this council," said Councilmember Marni von Wilpert. "There are little girls watching these council meetings, and I've been asked multiple times why women get interrupted more."
- "While you acknowledge that you shut out industry and lobbyists, you fail to acknowledge that you also shut out every one of our constituents," said Councilmember Raul Campillo, objecting to Elo-Rivera's explanation that he proposed last-minute amendments to a package of housing reforms to prevent developers from lobbying against them.
The other side: "I have pushed this council to actually own its authority, and I think what is at the foundation of these issues is that we have some councilmembers who are willing to do that, and we have some who are not," Montgomery Steppe said.
- Councilmember Joe LaCava made the motion for Elo-Rivera's re-election, arguing the council had accomplished a lot in the last two years, even if it was sometimes messy.
What we're watching: Elo-Rivera is due to release committee assignments for the next year at the end of this week, essentially determining which policy areas councilmembers will focus on.