VIEW OUR INTERVIEW: AMY REICHERT, CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY SUPERVISOR

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By Miriam Raftery

October 4, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- Amy Reichert is running for the 4th Supervisorial District seat currently held by board chairman Nathan Fletcher. She is a licensed investigator and pastor who founded Reopen San Diego, a nonprofit that fought against shutdowns of schools and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as vaccine mandates. She’s married with two sons. and calls herself a “Mom on a mission.”

Her top issues include homelessness, cost of living, and increased crime. View her full interview with East County Magazine, originally aired on KNSJ radio, by clicking the image on the left, or hear the audio at the audio link, or scroll down to read highlights.

Q: Can you start by telling us about your background and qualifications – what makes you believe that you would be an effective Supervisor?

A: I’ve lived here in San Diego County since I was four years old, in fact I grew up in Tierrasanta. I graduated from San Diego State. I got my license as private investigator back in the ‘90s and became licensed back in 1999. Then in 2004 I started working at a church. So I went from being an investigator to a pastor. I worked at Eastlake Church for 10 years. I oversaw 10 different ministries with 650 different people…I became a licensed pastor…Then I had my 11 year old  three weeks after becoming 43. I decide you know what, I needed to be home on the weekends wit my family. I also have an older son who just turned 23 and graduated from San Diego State. So fast forward to 2020, that’s when the world shut down and schools shut down, so I got together with a group of moms and we formed this little grassroots group called Reopen San Diego. And that’s when we started advocating for the safe reopening of schools and the safe reopening of busineses.

Q: You were a leading voice against shutdowns of businesses and schools, as well as masking and vaccine mandates even before vaccines and treatments were widely available. More than 5,000 San Diegans have died of COVID, and no doubt there would have been more without those mandates, though the mandates undoubtedly came at a cost to those who were impacted. Can you explain to our listeners why you believe Supervisors were wrong to prioritize public health over business and educational interests? 

A:  I noticed that when it came to these shutdowns, not only locally…they seemed to do a pick and choose…so marijuana dispensaries, liquor stores were allowed to be open, Walmart…but small businesses were considered non-essential…We had a nuanced stance… we knew COVID was real. But we also took the position that rather than shutting down 100% of society we should shift and protect the most vulnerable, the 10% in our society who is most hit by this…80% of the people who died with COVID were obese. We know that the people most likely to pass away from COVID sadly in San Diego the average age was 76 years ago which is close to the average life span. We failed to protect the most vulnerable…

Q: San Diego County had 8,427 homeless people as of the latest annual point in time count done in January.  The current board has taken some actions that previous boards would not, such as approving building more shelters and adding safe parking for people living in vehicles.  What more would you do, if elected, to address the homelessness problem?

A:  You’re gonna hear some things from me that are a little bit different, but as I’ve learned in the past couple of years, it’s ore important than ever to say the kinds of things that people are afraid to say but that they are thinking. So let’s take a look at the homelessness issue.  Countywide, the number has actually increased by 10%. So I speak with a lot of first responders…homelessness has different segments…right now I’m really glad that countywide we have the Homeless Outreach Team, this is law enforcement but it’s also mental healthcare providers, behavioral health, and social workers making contact with the homeless population. There’s domestic violence victims who through no fault of their own find themselves on the street. I’m glad that more contact is being made so that they can get into shelters as soon as possible. There’s kids, that were in foster care situations, they’ve been termed out and now they’re homeless. Getting help for them is crucial. But there is a segment of the homeless population that not only struggles with mental health issues, but also drug addicted.…let’s be really honest about where we are. The state, our county government have spent more than ever on the homelessness issue for it only to get worse. So I go back to those law enforcement and I say what is your opinion? I spoke with one San Diego Police officer, he’s been on the force for 25 years…he said in 2014 is really when things got worse for homeless in California and that’ when Prop 47 decriminalized a lot of activity. As our jails got emptied people who were released from our jails and prisons found themselves homeless. The other thing he found as a sad reality, he would go down to Greyhound bus station and coming off the bus would be people clearly homeless from another state…

In the past year alone according to county of San Diego, violent crime has increased by 14%. I think we have to look at causation here. I understand that jails and prisons are overcrowded (which has prompted early releases) but the effect is we’re seeing an increase in violent crime …I go back here to police officers on the force and ask them the tough questions. One of the things they are telling me at San Diego Police Dept. is they are understaffed by 250 officers.  Our San Diego Sheriff’s Dept. is currently understaffed by 240 officers. Then when they do an arrest and write up a report and submit it, their findings going back to that 2014 Prop 47, they’re finding they do all this work and all this investigation so that the DA’s office and prosecute it and their hands are tied, they say we can’t possibly prosecute this as a felony…

Q: What can supervisors do about crime?

A: For one, we can stand up to the state…and say hey, state of California this isn’t working. And when it comes to our law enforcement agencies being short staffed, that has to be addressed. right away.

Q:    Each year, more than 1,200 children enter the foster care system in San Diego County, which has about 3,400 children in the foster care system on average each year.  You yourself were adopted, and lost a child born in a coma. As someone who’s experienced such heartbreak, what ideas do you have for improving our region’s foster care system and more broadly, the lives of children in general?

A:  It is a sad tragedy. One of the very first meetings I had when I decided to jump into the race is I met with Shane Harris, he is an activist and he is a former foster child…He shared with me his own experience in our foster care system and his frustration that the County was going to shut down a very successful program, San Pasqual Academy. And there was such an outcry from former foster care kids who loved that program, and found hope and healing there,. So as a supervisor, I would absolutely take a hard look at our foster care system and encourage more programs and expansion of successful ones like San Pasqual Academy.

Q:   Climate change is an issue that California and the current board leadership have made a priority to address, along with protecting air and water quality, though how to achieve those goals has sometimes caused controversy. Do you believe these are important issues, and if so, what steps would you support to reduce carbon emissions in our region while minimizing impacts on those in rural areas who may lack access to mass transit?

A: Such a great question. I’m very concerned about our environment. Sadly with the whole mud slinging and name calling, someone called me a climate change denier which is the farthest thing from the truth. My son is 23 at San Diego State and his degree is in environmental science…I think what we’ll find is even if people are on different sides of the political aisle we can agree on certain things…the vehicle mileage tax is something SANDAG actually wants to do …it would result in a tax on every single San Diego County driver of 2 to 4 cents a mile…would result in $500 to $900 a year…cost of living is already skyrocketing…we have the highest water rates in the country, some of the highest energy rates. So how can we encourage people to use public transportation.  We have to modernize it…I ask, what would it take for you to use public transportation? They say it just takes too long…I am concerned about electric cars, that they’re not necessarily a single bullet because they still need energy to operate…the announcement went out if you have an electric car please don’t charge it (during certain hours amid a heat wave)…the batteries are highly toxic. I have hope that the electric cars are going to be so much better for the environment, 10 years from now. I believe we are going to get there…but right now the cost is so far out of reach…I can’t afford $67,000….

Q: So what can we do to encourage people to use less fossil fuels?

A:  I think that’s a tough one. Because on one hand you see SANDAG saying we’re going to do the vehicle mileage tax and asses people per mile and that’s obviously going to discourage driving.. but it’s only going to discourage driving in certain segments. If you live in La Jolla or Carmel Valley, $900 extra a year, that’s fine. But I do have some interesting solutions…Many years ago, I was in Peru and they h ad these smaller busses called combis. And I am wondering if we can have some smaller neighborhoods that are more maneuverable to go into neighborhoods like mine…as a woman if I’m coming home at 9 at night, I don’t want to be walking from a bus stop to my home….This is a novel idea I’ve come up with on my own, it would be an app service, where people could actually get picked up much like a shuttle except there would be more stops…it would go to certain destinations.

Q:  You’ve mentioned cost of living as another problem you hope to address.  San Diego has the highest housing costs in the nation, according to one recent report a couple of months ago, as well as one of the highest cost for rent, and we’re among the highest utility costs in the nation. What ideas do you have for actions that Supervisors could take to reduce the cost of living and to make housing more affordable?

A: First of all, the biggest problem that we face right now in San Diego and the most wonderful is that people want to live here…We have a limited housing supply and so that drives the price up. But there are other factors, too which are keeping that housing supply small. These are noble reasons why the state did this, for the environment…but there is basically a moratorium on growth of any kind of single family homes in San Diego County because of vehicle miles traveled….their projects are not being improved or there are such incredible barriers for there to be an offset to the environment that it’s just impossible to build.  The other thing…we’re seeing so many people planning to leave California….I know from talking to people they’re looking for more affordable housing. The affordable housing that is being built here is not the kind of housing that people are looking for. When they’re moving to Texas, they’re looking for a single family home. We have to work on solutions where we can build with moderation, definitely with consideration and care for the environment but not to the impact where there’s an actual moratorium in place.

Q:    Supervisors whose districts include East County, from former Supervisor Dianne Jacob to current Supervisor Joel Anderson and now Nathan Fletfcher, after redistricting, have all advocated for expanded access to parks and recreational opportunities in East County, including the newly launched “Experience the Outdoors” program that Supervisor Fletcher introduced.  Are these goals that you support as well?

A: Oh, absolutely. I love the outdoors so much….When everything was shut down here, I live about a mile from Lake Murray and sadly there were barriers there and we couldn’t go to the beach either. So I’m an absolute advocate for the outdoors…it not only helps people get physically in shape but emotionally, to connect with nature. And in San Diego County, we’re the luckiest people in the world to live in such a beautiful place, so I’m happy we have programs like that. I lost 50 pounds in 2020! It was a huge wakeup call. I saw the numbers, 80% of those passing away from COVID were overweight and I also had high blood pressure. So I’m outdoors more now, I walk three miles a day. I love it here.

Q: The current board has three Democrats and two Republicans, yet has managed to vote in a bipartisan manner around 95% of the time. You are a Republican, which could flip the balance. What are the areas if any, where you believe you can find common ground to work across the aisle, and where might you draw a line?

A: This is a nonpartisan office. I am a registered Republican. I’ve been endorsed by the County Republican Party and also the Libertarian Party…There have been times where it’s a little more contentious on the board and it seems on those partisan issues it always comes down 3 to 2. I’m going to bring up a controversial issue…When it comes to me, as a woman, I have fought so hard for women’s rights and one of the things that gave me a great outlet as a teenager growing up with a father in a wheelchair was that I played sports.  I played varsity soccer and I ran cross country and I ran track. This past year, the County Board of Supervisors I feel took a partisan issue, made  it into a resolution and turned it into an ordinance…it redefined the definition of a biological woman. I have fought so hard to get where I’ve gotten as a woman. I’m just going to say this and I’m not going to be afraid to say it…Women’s sports need to be protected. Biological girls should be competing against other biological girls.. And when it comes to safe spaces for women, locker rooms and gyms, I don’t want to share those spaces with biologically intact men…How does this affect the county? I used to work at juvenile hall. I worked with girls and I worked with boys. I can tell you that if it ever comes to the point where the county allows biological males to be housed in our juvenile hall and jails with women and girls, I am very concerned that some will be victims of rape…I give you my word that I would not be partisan and I wouldn’t bring partisan issues to the County board of Supervisors and I would work very hard to reach across the aisle with people who have different political beliefs than me and have a conversation and certainly not do what I opponent has done, which is if you disagree with him he will name call and shame you…this week on social media he said that Repubilcans are part of a deranged cult and they are following a tyrannical fascist leader. I found that to be highly divisive and uncalled for…

Q: Abortion and birth control have been in the news because of the Supreme Court decision which kicked abortion regulation to the states…around the country we are seeing some counties taking stances on that. What are your views on this issue?

A: The county did a reproductive rights ordinance last year which passed and this year voters will have a chance to vote on Proposition 1…I believe Proposition 1 will pass and abortion rights will be codified into the California constitution. Let me explain to you why I’m against Proposition 1…because it doesn’t just protect abortion rights, it expands it….if Proposition 1 passes a baby would be eilgibile to be aborted the day before it’s born…if a child is about to be born, that child being taken out of it’s mother’s womb is viable and would survive…I am against Proposition 1 and going beyond what’s viable.

Q: What else would you like our audience to know about you and your candidacy, and where can people get more information on your candidacy?

A: It’s been amazing how the community has responded. I’ve knocked on over 1,000 doors…one of the things that is part of my heart is I want to lead with a listening ear, and I want to lead with hope and not fear, and I think that’s where we need to go. Now that we’re in the endemic stage of COVID, we need to move past it and we need to move on with hope and we need to take care of our kids who were harmed as a result of the lockdowns. That’s going to be one of my biggest tasks, is mental health issues, but also cost of living, crime and homeless.

You can learn more about Amy Reichert’s candidacy at her website: www.AmyforSanDiego.com .

 

 

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Comments

Scary Amy Reichert

This interview is frightening! When she attempted to sound informed about homelessness in SD county she seemed to base her answers on what she learned in ONE ride along with a cop, and blamed the “problem” on Prop 47 from 2014??? The worst part was toward the end. This article was written before we managed to enshrine reproductive freedom into the CA state constitution by passing Prop 1. In this article she stated that she was against Prop 1 because if it passed a baby “would be eligible to be aborted the day before it is born,” which is an outrageous lie and only meant to encite the religious right. Speaking of which, what does she do for work again? Is she a cop or a pastor and why then does her LinkedIn profile claim that she peddles laundry soap. Her “innovative” solution for using less fossil fuels sounds like Lyft. Please don’t let her on the BOS!