San Marcos Mayor, Democratic Party Official Seeking San Diego County Supervisor Seat

SAN DIEGO, CA — Voters in a region featuring four major cities and a military facility will choose Nov. 3 between the San Marcos mayor and a Democratic Party official as the new San Diego County District 5 supervisor.

Rebecca Jones and Kyle Krahel emerged from the June primary as the top two contenders for the seat, which is being vacated by termed-out Supervisor Jim Desmond.

A Republican, Desmond is seeking the 48th Congressional District seat, along with Democrat Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego City Council member.

County government is the main provider of services, such as law enforcement and public health, for unincorporated communities.

The Board of Supervisors is considered a nonpartisan governing body, although ideological divisions have flared up at times since 2020.

Jones, a Republican, has been San Marcos' mayor since December 2018. She previously served on the City Council for 11 years.

Raised in El Cajon and Ramona, Jones' connection to San Marcos spans more than three decades.

She studied at Grossmont Community College and obtained a real estate license, according to a 2018 San Diego Union-Tribune article. Jones has served on several public agencies, including the San Diego Association of Governments.

She told City News Service by email that as a supervisor she "would demand measurable performance, cut waste and stop treating higher spending as the default solution." Jones said she wants to focus on "(bringing) down costs for families like public safety and fire protection that lowers insurance rates, practical housing that delivers the right project in the right location and rejecting unfunded mandates that raise the price of doing business."

"Families are already stretching every dollar," Jones said. "County government must do the same." Jones said the county budget has grown more than 40% over the last six years and that she would insist on an efficiency review.

As mayor of San Marcos, "I created the city's first efficiency department and identified over $1 million in savings while improving services," she said. "Before depleting reserves or asking residents for more money, we need proactive cuts (to) overlapping functions and programs that cannot show measurable results."

Jones said she does not support Measure A, which proposes changes to the county charter, including expanded term limits for supervisors.

"This is pure self-serving politics, after voters already set very clear two, four-year term limits in 2010," she said. "It also gives supervisors the unprecedented power to hire and fire key department heads, including public health and emergency leaders.

"Our hardworking county employees shouldn't be looking over their shoulder for fear of being fired because they may think differently in their personal beliefs," Jones added.

Jones also opposes Measure B, a countywide sales tax to address the Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis and boost child care and public safety funding following federal budget cuts. "This $400 million tax increase is the wrong answer at the wrong time," she said.

She added that if current county leaders found just 5% in budget savings, "that would free up more money than this tax is projected to generate."

Jones said the county's Office of Evaluation and Performance Analytics has produced no savings after five years, despite having 20 staffers and a $20 million budget. Instead, she said she would bring her city's "Leading, Efficiency, Accountability and Engagement" model to the county, "so that office actually identifies waste and improves services instead of just producing paperwork."

She said county homeless programs also need an overhaul. "Spending keeps rising, yet the Regional Task Force's own data shows more people are becoming homeless than are being housed," Jones said. "I would require outcome tracking and shift funding toward proven models that deliver results, not just activity."

Mandated treatment should be considered for homeless people dealing with addiction who repeatedly refuse help and also pose a public safety risk, Jones said.

Jones cited the San Diego Rescue Mission and East County Transitional Living Center as examples of effective programs that "combine job training, mental-health resources and clear accountability."

Krahel, who earned a government degree from Harvard University, is a deputy chief of staff to Rep. Mike Levin.

Krahel is also a former county Democratic Party chair who has not previously held elected office. The Oceanside native's campaign website lists climate, homelessness, housing and transit as key issues. Programs "that cannot show measurable results after a fixed review period should be restructured or ended," he told City News Service by email, adding that he would begin with a line-by-line audit of the $9 billion budget.

He said the audit would include unfilled county positions and duplicative or sole-source consulting contracts, adding, "Every dollar spent on overhead is a dollar not spent on a patient, a deputy or a road."

To reduce homelessness, Krahel proposes a "true regional system" with cities sharing data. He also supports using county-owned land and vacant buildings for shelters such as Safe Villages and cabin communities, paired with on-site behavioral health care, job services and public safety measures, as well as prevention efforts such as rental assistance and eviction diversion.

With affordability a major voter concern this year, Krahel said he would "sponsor permitting reform and fee reductions so more homes get built, put surplus county land toward workforce and affordable housing, and fast-track accessory dwelling units."

Krahel said he supports expanding child care through Measure B funding by partnering with local providers "so parents are not forced to choose between a paycheck and their kids."

"I would make sure every eligible family is enrolled in Medi-Cal and CalFresh, cutting the paperwork that keeps people from benefits they have earned," he added. "And I would commit to holding the line on new county fees. Government should be making life cheaper, not adding another bill."

Krahel said he supports Measure A's proposed county charter changes, but opposes the provision that would allow supervisors to serve up to three four-year terms instead of the current limit of two. Voters deserve an independent ethics commission, auditor and budget analyst, he said.

"The board should have to publicly confirm the senior county officials," he added.

Krahel said he supports Measure B, but added that "a new tax should always be a last resort, but this situation is dire."

"Washington (D.C.) is shifting costs onto the county," he added. "I will push for strict public reporting on outcomes."

Krahel said the Behavioral Health Services and Planning and Development Services departments need improvement. "Permitting takes too long and costs too much, which drives up housing costs and drives out small businesses," he said. "I would set clear review deadlines, publish processing times every quarter and create a single point of contact for projects."

Behavioral health care wait times "are too long and too many people fall through the cracks between treatment, shelter and jail," Krahel said. He added that he would push for faster access to beds and crisis care, with reporting on wait times and outcomes. He also wants more funding for medical and mental health care staffing for inmates. "People in custody are the county's responsibility, and (jail) deaths are a failure we cannot accept," he said.

He added that he supports independent oversight and demands transparent reporting, "while backing the deputies who do this work every day."

The county's largest district by area, District 5 has between 685,000 and 700,000 residents, according to recent estimates. It includes agricultural land, substantial forest land, Camp Pendleton and a portion of the coastline.

The district includes four major North County cities: Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos and Vista. It also includes the La Jolla, Los Coyotes, Mesa Grande, Pala, Pauma/Yuima, Rincon, San Pasqual and Santa Ysabel tribal reservations, as well as numerous unincorporated communities, including Agua Caliente, Borrego Springs, Fallbrook, Lake Henshaw, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, Valley Center and Warner Springs.

— City News Service