SAN DIEGO FIRST – Davis for San Diego

SAN DIEGO FIRST:

A Reform Platform for a City That Works for Its People — Not Its Insiders

San Diego is being changed faster than it is being listened to.
Families are losing their neighborhoods, traffic is exploding, and decisions are being made behind closed doors.

This campaign stands for one simple principle:

Growth should follow rules — not insider deals.

1. Honest Growth, Not Rigged Development

San Diego does not have a housing crisis — it has a planning corruption crisis.

For too long, City Hall has:
    •    Quietly granted height and density waivers
    •    Allowed massive projects without infrastructure
    •    Approved developments written by developers themselves

As Mayor, I will:
    •    Require full public disclosure of all meetings between developers and city officials
    •    End spot-zoning and backroom variances
    •    Publish all development agreements before they are approved
    •    Create a Development Integrity Office to audit major projects

No more surprise towers. No more secret deals.

2. Housing That Respects Neighborhoods

California law requires cities to allow new housing — but it does not require cities to destroy the fabric of their communities.

As Mayor, I will protect both housing and neighborhoods by:

Ending ADU abuse
    •    Stop investor-owned “ADU farms”
    •    Limit how many units can be stacked on one lot
    •    Enforce height, setback, and design standards
    •    Require landscaping, privacy buffers, and parking where allowed by law

Requiring Infrastructure First

No new permits unless:
    •    Sewer and water can handle it
    •    Fire and emergency access are adequate
    •    Parking and traffic are addressed

Putting housing where it belongs

New growth should go to:
    •    Transit corridors
    •    Underused commercial areas
    •    Former parking lots and malls

—not be dumped onto quiet residential streets.

3. Take Back Major Development Deals

Projects like Pechanga Arena are not just buildings — they are decisions about the future of San Diego.

As Mayor, I will:
    •    Require new environmental reviews when projects grow larger or more intense
    •    Renegotiate development deals that failed the public
    •    Demand traffic, parking, noise, and public-space guarantees
    •    Make sure San Diego gets public benefits, not just developer profits

No project should reshape an entire neighborhood without full public approval.

4. Restore Local Control

Neighborhoods deserve a real voice — not a rubber stamp.

I will:
    •    Strengthen Community Planning Groups
    •    Require public hearings before major rezonings
    •    Create a citywide Development Impact Map so residents know what’s coming
    •    End surprise approvals at City Hall

People who live here should have more power than people who profit from here.

5. A City That Works Again

Growth should improve San Diego — not overwhelm it.

That means:
    •    Roads that move
    •    Schools that aren’t crowded
    •    Water and sewer systems that work
    •    Emergency services that can reach every block

If we don’t build infrastructure first, we aren’t building a future — we’re creating a crisis.

Our Promise

We are not anti-housing.
We are not anti-growth.

We are anti-corruption, anti-chaos, and anti-rigged government.

San Diego can grow — but it must grow fairly, transparently, and with respect for the people who already call it home.

Housing should be built by rules — not by who you know.