Dr. John Warren sits down with Councilmember Raul Campillo to talk about District 7 and the upcoming developments in place during his “From The Desk of the Editor” segment on GODRadio1.com.
By Cori Zaragoza, Staff Writer
Dr. John Warren, publisher of the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint, sat down during his December 29, 2021 ‘From The Desk of The Editor’ segment on GODRadio1.com to speak with San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo (D7). This was one of the first in a series of ongoing interviews Dr. Warren is conducting with elected officials over the coming months. The series is an open Q&A discussion covering issues pertinent to San Diegans that addresses the hard questions that are rarely asked.
Councilmember Campillo represents District 7, the largest district in San Diego, covering neighborhoods in Linda Vista, Mission Valley, Serra Mesa, Tierrasanta, Del Cerro, Grantville, Allied Gardens, and San Carlos.
“It’s very diverse. I think we have the most freeways that cross it too. The 8, the 163, the 805, the 15, the 52, we’re even pushing right along the 5 now with redistricting. East to west, it really is an amazing district,” shared Campillo.
Dr. Warren interviewed the Councilmember on the upcoming changes coming to his district, including the building of affordable housing, the San Diego Riverwalk development, and building expansions coming to San Diego State University. The Riverwalk development aims to preserve 80 acres along the San Diego River, an often overlooked and ignored part of Mission Valley. The development will help bolster affordable housing, with 4,500 new units being built along the riverwalk that will be mixed use for low to middle income families.
“It’s going to have a pharmacy, grocery store, office buildings, and a new trolley stop that MTS will be building there so that it’s really easy for people to walk and get to public transit to reduce the cost of living. We want people to get out of their cars and have a walkable neighborhood,” Councilmember Campillo said.
Councilmember Campillo has high hopes for the development and says it will foster new jobs to stimulate economic growth. He has the same feelings about development of San Diego State University West in Mission Valley. The SDSU Extension will be dedicated to science and medicine. The Councilmember sees healthcare as one of the biggest growing sectors of San Diego’s economy, and claims that the construction of this SDSU hub will grow about 6,100 construction jobs.
On the San Diego State Mission Valley construction, Dr. Warren asked a hard hitting question: Why were no Black vendors hired for any of these jobs?
“We have at least 5 to 7 community publications. None of those contracts are being advertised in our publications as they should be to ensure our communities are included,” said Dr. Warren, pointing out that the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint is an adjudicated newspaper, meaning it is allowed to print legal notices. “One of the biggest problems is that all contracts seem to automatically be advertised on the County’s website, but not everyone can get to that website. And the pandemic proved the very fact that many of our families had to go to public places just to get wi-fi.”
Councilmember Campillo agreed with Dr. Warren, and said that he will bring it up to SDSU. He lamented that it’s not enough to just say that the employees they are hiring are diverse, that they have to take action and actually have contracts with people of color and advertise those contracts in places that are accessible. He says the new City Council, headed by Council President Sean Elo-Rivera and Council President pro Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe, are working together closely to truly bring change to San Diego.
“This Council is the most collaborative we may have ever seen. I think right now we have a lot of good minds. I won’t say it’s a special thing to have 4 people with law degrees, me and Monica Montgomery Steppe, Sean Elo-Rivera, and Marni Von Wilpert, but we ask a lot of hard questions,” concluded Councilmember Campillo.
Stay tuned to GODRadio1.com every Wednesday for an upcoming interview with Board of Supervisor Chair Nathan Fletcher on the next ‘From The Desk of the Editor.’
