by David Leonhardi
The DSA’s Political Action Committee gives you a voice in local politics.
Each candidate seeking endorsement fills out a questionnaire and is interviewed by our DSA Political Action Committee, composed of members from throughout the department. The PAC makes a recommendation to the DSA Board of Directors. The Board of Directors then gives great consideration to the recommendations from the PAC, reviews the questionnaires and statements from the candidates, sometimes holds additional interviews or conducts other due diligence such as survey research, and then issues endorsements.
The same process is followed for campaign expenditures, with the PAC making recommendations to the Board, and the Board then establishing the budget and priorities.
2020 presented some unique challenges. Term limits resulted in three competitive races for the Board of Supervisors.
The DSA board has long held the position that they will endorse and support the candidate who supports the interests and values of the organization, not necessarily just the candidate who is most likely to win a particular seat. We believe, and history has shown, that this “backing up our friends” approach provides the organization with a certain respect within political circles, emboldening friends and perhaps encouraging opponents to think twice about pursuing policies which damage the interests of our members.
By running professional campaigns that stay within the boundaries of fair play, we have also found that our participation establishes the DSA as a significant stakeholder in the process, and one whose support is desired by candidates – win or lose – for their future races.
It is in this context – choosing the candidate that best reflects our interests and values, not necessarily picking the likely winner – that the DSA board endorsed Ben Hueso for Supervisor in District 1, Steve Vaus for Supervisor in District 2, and Kristin Gaspar for Supervisor in District 3.
In the case of Ben Hueso and Kristin Gaspar, we knew we were endorsing the underdog. This assessment was confirmed by survey research and exaggerated when each of the opponents received the full endorsement and backing of the Democratic Party, a critical advantage in both of these “blue” districts.
We ran a great campaign, commended by both Ben and Kristin, but in the end, we were not able to overcome the demographic advantages enjoyed by the opponents, and the formal and active support of the Democratic Party. We lost!
I have reached out to both opponents to offer my congratulations and look forward to a good working relationship with each. As mentioned previously, the professionalism of our participation – win or lose – provides us with a certain status as stakeholders and earns us respect from candidates on both sides.
In District 2, we supported Steve Vaus. There was a strong mutual respect between Poway Mayor Steve Vaus and the deputies who had worked in Poway. The board received strong recommendations to support Vaus from throughout the department.
In this district, we formed a coalition with other stakeholders, including Supervisor Dianne Jacob, a longtime friend and advocate for the Sheriff’s Department, and others to run a vibrant campaign on behalf of Mr. Vaus. At the time this issue went to print, the results in District 2 were too close to call.
The DSA also allocated modest resources to elect candidates in contract cities who were targeted by “activist” opponents or ones which had taken “defund” positions. We successfully helped elect 15 contract city officials:
David Druker – Del Mar City Council
Tracy Martinez – Del Mar City Council
Dan Quirk – Del Mar City Council
Racquel Vasquez – Lemon Grove Mayor
George Gastil – Lemon Grove City Council
Matt Gonzalez – Imperial Beach City Council
Ryan Keim – Oceanside City Council
Barry Leonard – Poway City Council
Caylin Frank – Poway City Council
John Minto – Santee Mayor
Laura Koval – Santee City Council
Dustin Trotter – Santee City Council
Sharon Jenkins – San Marcos City Council
Ed Musgrove – San Marcos City Council
Joe Green – Vista City Council
After an extremely offensive interview with Encinitas Mayor Blakespear in which she insulted deputies by accusing members of “looking the other way” in the case of Richard Fischer and exhibited bias against men and women who wear the badge, the PAC and Board both voted unanimously to send a message, opposing the Mayor’s reelection and supporting a slate of challengers.
The DSA board is not going to stand by while local officials insult the reputations and honor of our members and fan the flames of misinformation that fueled violence in our community for political gain. It is for the same reason that the DSA board joined other large law enforcement associations from around the state in campaigning against Reggie Jones-Sawyer, the Chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee and the sponsor of many anti-cop pieces of legislation over the past two years.
It’s important that we work with our supporters, attempt to persuade those in the middle, but also be willing and able to protest officials who won’t listen or who hold deeply anti-law enforcement sentiments. It is your political action contributions that make this possible.
If you have an interest in participating in the DSA Political Action Committee, please email me and let me know why you want to get involved and the contribution you hope to make to our process. Thank you!⭑