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By Jonathan Goetz
Photos by Miriam Raftery: Steve Vaus and Joel Anderson
March 4, 2020 (San Diego's East County) – Two Republicans will face off against each other in the 2nd Supervisorial District, after Democrat Kenya Taylor failed to make the run-off.
Former State Senator Joel Anderson says fixing roads and providing attainable housing for the next generation are his top priorities. He touts his legislative experience working across the aisle on many bills and says he’ll lobby Sacramento for more funds for the region.
Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, who is also president of SANDAG, wants to focus on public safety, infrastructure, building housing and preserving open spaces, touting his record in Poway of having more open space than any other city in the county. He urges voters to look at his record in Poway, which ranks high in public safety, open spaces, and meeting housing needs.
Vaus has been endorsed by Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Kristin Gaspar. Gaspar posted on his Facebook page, “We are all proud of you!”
La Mesa Councilmember Kristine Alessio also voiced support for Vaus making the run-off, stating, “Onward and upward.”
La Mesa Councilman Bill Baber told ECM, "I'm proud of Joel Anderson. Joel Anderson has built a grassroots East County campaign and it paid off.”
El Cajon Councilman Phil Ortiz felt similar. “I'm happy that voters are interested in Joel, still in service east county, and he's moving onto the general election.”
Mayor Vaus, in an interview with KUSI, said, “We're going to continue showing my track record to the County.” He claims that receiving 65% of the vote in his run for Poway Mayor, shows he has support from “all ends of the spectrum,” and that constituents find him easily accessible.
When asked about the criticism Vaus has received from Anderson on his handling of the recent boil-water order in Poway, Vaus replied, “if you Google both of our names, put in Steve Vaus scandal, you'll find nothing. You Google Joel Anderson scandal and you'll find plenty of stuff.
According to at least one local Republican elected official who didn't want to go on record, Anderson simply has too much “baggage.” Anderson was censured by the Legislature in his final term for reportedly threatening to “bitch slap” a woman lobbyist at a Sacramento restaurant. A decade ago, he was also fined $20,000 by the Fair Political Practices Commission for accepting campaign contributions over legal limits and returned $100,000 in donations.
Anderson, who served on Padre Water before the Legislature, positions himself as a taxpayer’s advocate. He says he’s running because San Diego deserves more from county government. He cites a homeless issue “running amok,” decries a shift in transportation funds from roads to trolleys and bike lanes, and wants to be sure families and young people can afford housing here. “Supervisors spend zero to no time in Sacramento lobbying for a bigger slice of the pie,” he says, pledging to change that.
Vaus has been Poway mayor since 2014 and SANDAG chair since late 2018. He’s also a Grammy-award winning musician and owns a music production company. He likens being supervisor to being “East County’s mayor.” He says Poway’s track record is a “great blueprint” for East County as the “safest city in the county, ranked number one to raise a family.” He says Poway’s conservative approach fiscally has enabled it to have the best roads, pay its pension obligations, protect private property rights and start revitalization with new attractive, affordable housing and more open spaces than other cities. A s mayor he published his cell phone number to be accessible to constituents.
Anderson recalls the hepatitis outbreak locally that began among the homeless. “People died and it took them weeks before they made any kind of movement,” he says of the Supervisors. “We need government to be more responsive.” He notes there are many reasons for homelessness, including “families who were living from paycheck to paycheck because the cost of living is so high, rent is so high that if they were sick for a few days they may have ben kicked out of their apartment…then we have mental health, a big portion.” He wants organizations doing “incredible work” to get more support to help get jobs for people and unify families. He calls for “benchmarking” to see what programs work and “encourage people to donate to them.”
Vaus says the Supreme Court action in Martin v. Boise was a “paradigm shift for dealing with folks who on the street.” That ruling made it illegal to arrest homeless people for sleeping in public places if there are no shelter beds. “Residents have a right to clean and safe streets, neighborhoods and parks,” he says. “We have a moral obligation though to provide for those that are less fortunate and are going trough tough times.” He recalls his sister who at 21 with mental illness had no safety net and was homeless. He praised Supervisors’ recent action in approving funds for shelter vouchers and looking for shelter locations. He also supports a mental health hub in Mission Valley. “I think we’re taking critical steps in the right direction. I just want to see this continue and expand. A lot of people are in desperate need of help,” he adds.
We asked Anderson and Vaus their views on addressing climate change, industrial-scale energy projects in rural areas, impacts on residents, and loss of property values.
Anderson says, “No one’s ever accused me of being a huge environmentalist, but I think they’ll be shocked to learn that I have an electric car,” But he opposes a new requirement for solar on every new home, which he calls “stupid and a waste of money” adding it will drive up housing costs. As for concerns of residents contending with noise, infrasound, blade flicker and flashing lights from wind turbines, he says, “It doesn’t make sense to have wind turbines where there’s no wind… It’s a different debate if people decide they don’t want to see a green economy.”
Vaus notes that Apple, Google and Hewlett Packard started out with “tinkerers” in garages; he is optimistic that tinkerers of America will come up with better solutions than wind energy. He says he is optimistic about solar, but has concerns that “low-frequency rumbling” of wind turbines “certainly is going to disrupt the quiet enjoyment of someone’s property.” He indicated he may support a health study on impacts of existing local wind turbines on residents’ health but wants to first see if a similar study has been done elsewhere.
ECM asked candidates their views on concerns of residents over proposed sand mines at Conttonwood Golf in Rancho San Diego and in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley.
Anderson says, “We have to have an environmental study saying that’s going to be safe.” As for the communities near the proposed mines, he adds, “We need hard proof that it really won’t impact the because after the project starts, it’s really hard to control.” He said he hadn’t looked closely at either project but promised if elected to “give it my undivided attention because these two communities deserve the very best in strong representation.”
Vaus says he has not met with anyone on either the Cottonwood or Lakeside sand mines proposed, and can’t take a position on specific projects he may be asked to vote on. But he says, “I have great concerns, because I’m an equestrian. I love horseback riding. I love to be out in open space, so I have real concerns about Lakeside in El Monte Valley.”
Anderson wants county government to be more responsive to crises such as a recent hepatitis outbreak. He wants mental health treatment to be a priority, noting that mental health is a big portion of the homeless problems and that sometimes, “people haven’t had access to a drug necessary to stabilize their condition or they just haven’t had the ability to get that mental health that they need.” He says police officers sometimes drop off people in mental distress who are released 24 hours later due to lack of beds. He wants to see more beds in mental health hospitals. “This is not a partisan issue; this is a human rights issue,” he says, adding he looks forward to working with Supervisor Nathan Fletcher on mental health issue.
Vaus says his top priority within the health and human services budget would be mental health. “This is personal to me,” he says, noting that his sister suffers from mental heath issues and has been homeless. “Absolutely, this is number one. There’s so much more that we can do” he adds, “because mental health and homelessness are inextricably linked together.
Vaus has also long been a supporter of children’s health, raising over a million dollars trough the years for Rady Children’s Hospital through the Carols for Candlelight program that he founded and runs through his production company. “My younger sister ws born with some challenges and we knew that she would not se her first birthday, but se spent her one and only Christmas on earth (at Children’s),” he says, adding that he started the concerts to give back the loving care that his sister received.
Anderson's campaign has raised questions about this charitable endeavor. Vaus has provided documentation to prove donations went to Children’s Hospital as promised and says he has never profited personally off the shows, though ticket revenues go to his production company to pay the show’s expenses. He did not provide documentation of costs, but calls his opponent’s tactic “desperate” and “a disgrace.”
ECM asked how candidates would balance demand for highway and roadway improvements in East County vs. demand for increased transit in urban areas.
Anderson rails against diversion of Transnet funds from highways to transit, which he views as deceptive to East County voters. “We have a big shift from our road money being shifted to the downtown trolley,” he says. “I live in Alpine,” adding that fire safety is a top concern.” He adds, “If you want to use our money for the trolley, come back with a new proposal and let us vote on it. I’m not against the trolley.” He thinks creating bike lines in urban areas does nothing for East County and may even impede emergency responders. “I think it’s the wrong direction.”
Vaus, as chair of SANDAG, indicates he has already had some success pushing to reprioritize and shift funds to fulfill some promises made to East County voters. “I’m really proud of having built in the last year a coalition at SANDAG,” getting a board commitment to “prioritize the 67, the 52, the 94-125 interchange and up in North County, the 78,” adding that words are being put into action including a $90 million budget amendment he proposed. He was to fulfill the promise to expand highway 67 to four lanes between Maple View Rd. in Lakeside and Highland Valley or Dye Rd. in Ramona, which in case of fire is “critical to be able to get folks out at the same time our first responders need to get in to render aid. That is a critical project and I’m not going to be quiet.” He also sees merit in SANDAG’s executive director’s vision of high speed rail and trans in urban areas. “Balance is key,” Vaus concludes.
Anderson proposed development of “precious land” around the Gillespie Field airport to create “trade jobs and opportunity locally so people’s aren’t taking the 52 in the morning,” easing traffic and also raising tax revenue for the region. He suggests clean tch or biotech workers who live in East County could also telecommute from a satellite office.
Vaus says property taxes and sales taxes are “your biggest sources of funding, so if we do that right and wisely, I think we will have sufficient funds to do the things that need to be done.” Vaus has previously voiced interest in Gillespie development and trade programs in schools at a recent candidate forum, as well as citing East County’s potential as an “incubator” for businesses such as Taylor Guitar.
ECM asked candidates their thoughts on improving fire protection and ambulance response times. We also asked about concerns of some Julian residents over the county dissolving their volunteer fire department and asked if elected, would the candidates commit to review response time records since the county took over and take action if gaps in coverage are found.
Anderson says ambulances are slowed by bad road, which he wants to prioritize fixing. He notes some rural areas lack GPS service and that signs the county put up years ago have faded; he wants new signs. He also complained of money from utilities for fires going into the general fund and once proposed that 10% come back to communities where fines were assessed. He says he helped get a tanker here when needed during dry conditions and twice sponsored a bill to streamline permitting for people rebuilding after a fire.
On the Julian situation, Anderson notes, “Big fires don’t know any borders so we work together to solve this.” He faults the county for choosing Cal Fire to run the County Fire Dept. in Julian adding that while Cal Fire dos a great job fighting fires, “The County just chose one provider and never looked outside of that to see what our local fire chiefs could have provided.” He suggested if you have ‘qualified people [volunteers] who want to help,” there should be a way for them to do so instead of allowing a home to burn down, as recently happened after volunteers were prohibited from helping.
Vaus notes that while communication and aerial firefighting capabilities have improved, “one area where there’s still a need for improvement is defensible space.” “I want folks to be safe…and know that if they call 911 somebody’s going to be there soon enough to be able to render aid,” he said, adding that he was disappointed to hear some records have not been provided.
Anderson introduced and supported a number of criminal justice reforms in Sacramento, where he was name legislator of the year by both crime victim and the Innocence project. “I took a very balanced approach,” he said, adding that he learned a lot including that some things he previously believed were wrong. While he supports prosecuting criminals, he also believe it’s important to be sure innocent people aren’t jailed and that prisoners are treated humanely. He recalled oversight hearings that found abuse by guards. As for the high rate of deaths in local jails, Anderson says “I’d like to investigate it further” to assure that there are adequate rules to protect both inmates and Sheriff’s deputies.
Vaus chaired a criminal justice committee for SANDAG. He said Poway has reduced crime since he’s bee mayor and is the county’s safest city because of making sure staff has the tools they need. He is endorsed by Sheriff Bill Gore but says he wants to see the outcome of a study on jail deaths currently underway with the former head of Ryker’s Island in New York. He notes there have been suicides over low railings in jail. “We need to make sure that gets done,” he said, adding that a broken x-ray machine for detecting ingested drugs also needs to be fixed.
ECM asked candidates if they would continue Supervisor Jacob’s tradition of helping communities fund new libraries.
Anderson said, “I want to put kids first for spending in our region” as well as prioritizing infrastructure. He suggested that instead of buying more open space and taking land off the tax rolls, it might be better to support “kids in libraries.”
Vaus says, “I’m a big fan of libraries,” noting that he loved going a library as a kid. For communities like La Mesa and Santee, however, which are cities in need of new libraries, he says, “I think there’s an opportunity,” but says the communities need to step up with some of their own money, just as Poway did. “We put up our own money to build our library, just like now we’re breaking ground on a new intergenerational community center.”
Anderson, who served on the Padre Dam Municipal Water District Board in the past, criticized Mayor Vaus for his handling of a boil-water order in Poway due to a reservoir issue that left some homes and businesses advised not to use tap water for a week. “When I was at Padre, we never deferred maintenance,” he said. ”Never should you put the safety of your citizens in jeopardy,” adding, “At Padre we had emergency hookups,” adding that Poway should create an emergency hookup with Ramona “so they have a backup system.
Vaus blames the water problem on Sacramento for being overly cautious after cloudy water was found. “Our water tested just fine throughout the entire challenge.” Of Anderson, he says “It’s interesting that he’s pointing the finger, because the water agency he used to work for has had a number of precautionary boil alerts. This is one, in the entire 60-year history of our water system.”
Both Anderson and Vaus said they will continue Supervisor Jacob’s tradition of regular meetings with constituents across the district.
Anderson says that as a state legislator, “I used to have meetings all the time so people could come in and talk to me, so I can make the best possible decision” and be open-minded. He notes that his open houses each holiday season had large turnouts.
Vaus noted that he has published his cell phone as mayor of Poway “so people can call me 24/7, 365 days a year.” He plans to continue that tradition if elected Supervisor.
Anderson is endorsed by former Governor Pete Wilson and other conservative legislators as well as the Southwest Realtors Association, among others, but says he’s most proud of the many “average Joes, just ordinary citizens who have endorsed me.”
Vaus is endorsed by Supervisor Dianne Jacob to fill her seat. He is also proud of his endorsements from Cal Fire’s firefighters and by major law enforcement organizations across the district.
Anderson concludes, “I want our kids to grow up in the same community that we live in. They need jobs, they need career opportunities and they need housing.” He doesn’t want young people to move out of state to find those opportunities. “I think that we should provide for our own—and we should be doing it today.”
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