Public Safety & Crime Prevention – Davis for San Diego

Public Safety & Crime Prevention:

San Diego should be a city where families feel safe walking their neighborhoods, small businesses can thrive without fear of theft, and visitors can enjoy our city without worrying about their security. Today, too many residents feel that safety has slipped. Car break-ins, retail theft, public drug use, homelessness-related crime, and violent incidents have become part of daily life in too many communities. That is unacceptable.

Safety is the foundation of everything. Without it, nothing else works.

As Mayor, my priority will be to restore safety, accountability, and compassion—because we can, and must, do all three at once.

A Smarter, Stronger Public Safety System:

San Diego needs a police department that is well-staffed, well-trained, and focused on preventing crime before it happens. That means rebuilding neighborhood patrols so officers know the communities they serve, cutting red tape so police can spend more time in the field, and using modern technology to fight crime more effectively.

I will work to:
    •    Increase police staffing and improve response times
    •    Expand neighborhood and community-based policing
    •    Use license plate readers, real-time crime centers, and better camera coverage in high-crime areas
    •    Focus enforcement on serious crime, repeat offenders, and organized theft

If someone steals your car, threatens your family, or harms your business, the city must respond quickly and decisively.

Addressing Homelessness, Addiction, and Mental Illness:

Public safety and homelessness are deeply connected. Leaving people on the streets with untreated addiction or mental illness is not compassionate—it is dangerous for them and for everyone around them.

We must replace street encampments with real solutions.

I will:
    •    Expand access to mental health care and substance abuse treatment
    •    Increase shelter and supportive housing capacity
    •    Require treatment or services when someone is repeatedly arrested or in crisis
    •    Enforce laws against public drug use, theft, and dangerous encampments near schools, parks, and transit

We can help people get back on their feet while also keeping our neighborhoods safe.

Preventing Crime Before It Starts:

Real public safety doesn’t just come from arrests—it comes from opportunity, stability, and strong communities.

As Mayor, I will invest in:
    •    After-school programs and youth job training in high-crime areas
    •    Violence-interruption and community outreach programs
    •    Better lighting, clean streets, and the removal of abandoned buildings
    •    Housing stability and rental assistance to prevent displacement and homelessness

When neighborhoods are cared for and people have real opportunities, crime goes down.

Keeping Downtown and Transit Safe:

Our downtown, beaches, and transit system should be places people enjoy—not avoid.

I will ensure:
    •    More visible police presence downtown and on trolley lines
    •    Dedicated patrols in tourist and nightlife areas
    •    Zero tolerance for assaults, harassment, and open drug use

San Diego’s reputation, economy, and quality of life depend on people feeling safe wherever they go.

My Commitment:

Safety is not a political issue—it’s a basic right. As Mayor, my responsibility will be clear: protect San Diego residents, restore order to our streets, and ensure every neighborhood is a place where people can live, work, and raise families without fear.

San Diego can be a compassionate city—and a safe one.