San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders gave his final State of the City last Thursday. Thursday is when this paper goes to print, which means we didn’t have an opportunity to comment in a timely fashion.
For those who saw or heard his speech, his opening video montage played to the music of “Hells Bells” (a Padres’ crowd pleaser). We were astonished to watch images flash of a young black kid with a backdrop of the ills of our barrios and neighborhoods – including crime and presumably gangs, drugs and poverty, and the boy running from this to a new football stadium, new convention center, new library, high rises.
Some have described this video as a bit disturbing. We couldn’t agree more.
The message we got was that all the problems of the barrios and innercity neighborhoods can be fixed with big projects such as a new football stadium – bam! crime is down. A new library – zap! the achievement gap between whites and minorities is solved. A new convention center – pow! drug problems are solved.
Sanders did not address the problems of our neighborhoods. He used them as props in order to sell his legacy.
Sanders’ speech glossed over or blatantly ignored the issues of foreclosures, health services, homelessness, crime, gangs and drugs that plague our children. The issues the pollution, of gentrification, lack of affordable housing, poverty, remained unimportant compared with shiny new projects.
This has been the problem with the Sanders’ administration throughout his tenure. Issues of importance to Hispanics have taken a back seat to the grander issues. The economic disaster of the Pension Fund debacle, the roots of salvation have been on the backs of the working poor who have had to give up healthcare, cut backs on pensions, and the loss of jobs. The homeless issue has been addressed by placing a homeless shelter in Barrio Logan next to an elementary school. While every community in the city has a working citizens advisory group, again in Barrio Logan the mayor has blocked the creation of such a group and has controlled the redevelopment process.
In hindsight, the opening video of the boy running away from the problems of the barrio to the communities to downtown splendor does in fact reflect the leadership of a mayor who has abandoned the neighborhoods for the glory of big development.
