>> >>PEGGY: THE CITY'S NEWLY ELECTED COUNCIL PRESIDENT COINED THE PHRASE SEXY STREETS AS
A WAY TO GENERATE INTEREST IN THE CITY'S BACK LOG OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS INCLUDING STREET,
BUILDING AND SEWER REPAIRS.
HE WANTS TO GET A CONVERSATION STARTED ON HOW TO PAY FOR IT ALL.
JOINING ME WITH DETAILS IS SAN DIEGO COUNCIL PRESIDENT TODD GLORIA.
WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW, TODD.
SO YOU GENERATED QUITE A BUZZ THE SEXY STREETS IN SAN DIEGO.
YOUR PLAN IS ACTUALLY MORE THAN JUST INVOLVING REPAIRING STREETS.
>> >>TODD GLORIA: THAT'S RIGHT.
STREETS ARE THE MOST VISIBLE REPRESENTATION OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIT IN THE CITY.
AS BAD AS OUR STREETS ARE, OUR SEWERS, STORM DRAINS, SIDE WALKS, ALLEYS, PUBLIC FACILITIES
ARE IN POOR CONDITION AND WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
>> >>PEGGY: YOUR INCLUDING LIBRARIES, REC CENTERS.
>> >>LOGAN JENKINS: FIRE HOUSES, POLICE STAYS STATIONS, ALL OF THESE PLACES THE PUBLIC INTERACT
WITH HAVE LEAKY ROOFS, OUT DATED TOO SMALL, NO LONGER SERVE THE COMMUNITY WELL AND WE
HAVE NO REAL PLAN FOR HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM.
>> >>PEGGY: IT'S ALMOST 900ÊMILLION DOLLARS IT, BREAK OUT FOR US THE COSTS THAT ARE ESTIMATED
IN EACH OF SORT F THE THREE MAJOR AREAS.
>> >>TODD GLORIA: IT'S ROUGHLY $470ÊMILLION ON STREETS ALONE.
WHEN YOU THROW IN ABOUT 185ÊMILLION ON THE FACILITIES, AND THEN 235ÊMILLION FOR OUR
STORM DRAINS.
WE HAVE A REALLY BIG BILL, AND THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO DISAGREE WITH THOSE NUMBERS
AND FEEL THEY DON'T INCLUDE THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE OF NEEDS.
THE PROBLEM IS QUITE LARGE.
IF IT'S 900ÊMILLION FOR YOUR VIEWERS AT HOMERS OUR ANNUAL GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS 1.2ÊBILLION.
YOU SEE HOW BIG THIS THING IS.
>> >>PEGGY: WHAT'S BEING SPENT RIGHT NOW ON INFRASTRUCTURE IN SAN DIEGO?
>> >>TODD GLORIA: THAT'S WHY I'M TRYING TO RAISE THIS ISSUE.
WE WENT FROM ALMOST NOTHING FOR ROADS A FEW YEARS AGO TO A COUPLE 10ÊMILLION NOW SO YOU'RE
STARTING TO SEE THE ROAD REPAIRS IN THE COMMUNE TA.
WE HAVE TO SPEND ALMOST 30ÊMILLION DOLLARS MORE JUST TO KEEP UP ON OUR ROADS.
THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE STORM DRAINS, THE PUBLIC FACILITIES.
WE THROW IN SIDE WALKS AND ALLEYS.
IT'S FAR TOO LARGE TO ADDRESS THE WAY WE'RE CURRENTLY ADDRESSING IT.
>> >>PEGGY: ONE OF THE WAYS YOU THOUGHT TO PAY FOR THIS WAS ABOUT A HALF CENT SALES TAX.
>> >>TODD GLORIA: I DID NOT SAY THAT.
IN MY SWEARING IN SPEECH I GAVE FOUR EXAMPLES WHERE OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE TACKLED THIS
PROBLEM.
SAN ANTONIO AND PHOENIX, AND LOCALLY WE'VE USED TRANS NET AND PROPOSITION MM, THAT'S
A PROPERTY TAX.
SOME OF THOSE ARE TAX INCREASES, SOME ARE NOT.
THE FACT IS WE CAN'T TACKLE IT IF WE DON'T HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.
IF WE DON'T IDENTIFY THIS AS AN ISSUE.
NOT ONLY DOES IT MEAN PEOPLE ARE TRIPPING AND FALL ON SIDE WALKS OR CARS THROW THROWN
OUT OF ALIGNMENT ON OUR STREETS, WE CANNOT BRING JOBS AND JOB CREATORS TO THIS COMMUNITY
IF THEY SEE A HORRIBLE STATE OF INFRASTRUCTURE.
>> >>PEGGY: I KNOW PHOENIX, I'M FAMILIAR WITH THAT ONE.
THEY I THINK ACTUALLY DID A LITTLE SALES TAX THAT GOT VOTER APPROVED.
THE VOTERS IN SAN DIEGO REJECT AD SALES TAX HIKE IN 2012.
>> >>TODD GLORIA: I THINK THIS IS THE MOST LIKELY ONE IF THERE WERE A TAX INCREASE.
THERE'S NO NECESSITY FOR THAT.
THE REASON I WOULD IS THAT IT WOULD BE VERY SPECIFIC.
WE WILL TELL EVERY COMMUNITY IN THIS CITY WHAT THIS WOULD MEAN TO THEM.
IF IT'S AN X NUMBER OF MILES OF ROAD REPAIR, THEIR FIRE HOUSE GETS IMPROVED, A NEW LIBRARY
HERE OR THERE, IT WOULD BE VERY SPECIFIC AND I THINK THAT CERTAINTY HAS VOTER SUPPORT,
WE SAW THAT WITH TRANS NET OR PROPOSITION MM YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO GET IF
YOU VOTED YES.
>> >>PEGGY: LET ME ASK YOU THIS, HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO GET OBVIOUSLY YOU SAID THE SEXY
STREETS AND THAT SORT OF CAUSED A BUZZ.
YOUR LOOKING FOR COMMUNITY IM N PUT ON THIS.
>> >>TODD GLORIA: I'M BRINGING OUT OF THE SHADOWS A CONVERSATION THAT'S ALREADY BEEN
HAPPENING.
THIS IS AN ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS ISSUE.
WHAT I WANT TO DO IS BRING THOSE CONVERSATIONS FORWARD FROM OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY, MARRY
THEM WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOODS TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE NEEDS AND PRIORITIES ARE, BRING THEM TOGETHER,
AND BUILD A BROAD COALITION, TAX PAYER ADVOCATES, EVERYONE AT THE TABLE AND GO FORWARD IN 2014
TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM.
WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT PENSIONS, SOLVED THIS ISSUE, BUT WE NEED TO DO NOW IS ADDRESS THE
INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEM WITH THE SAME VIGOR.
>> >>PEGGY: WILL THIS NEED TO GO TO A VOTE FOR VOTERS, IS THAT THE MASTER PLAN IN THE
END?
>> >>TODD GLORIA: IF WE REALLY DO WANT TO TACKLE THIS PROBLEM MEANINGFULLY, WE DO NEED
TO GO TO THE VOTERS.
THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO INCLUDE A TAX INCREASE.
BUT WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS ENGAGE THEM BECAUSE ULTIMATE HEA THIS IS THEIR CITY.
PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM FAR TOO FEW PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT.
IT'S EASY TO IGNORE STORM DRAPES, THEIR ARE UNDER GROUND, BUT THEY NEED ATTENTION.
WE CAN DO BERT THAN THIS.
>> >>PEGGY: ALL RIGHT, CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT TODD GLORIA, THANKS SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH
US.
>> >>TODD GLORIA: THANK YOU.