The San Diego County Taxpayers Association hosted a forum Monday involving candidates for County Supervisor in District 4 and District 5.
The candidates included Bonnie Dumanis and Nathan Fletcher who are running for the District 4 seat, and Jim Desmond and Michelle Gomez who are running for the District 5 seat.
NBC 7's Alex Presha moderated the event in front of a crowd of around 75 in a downtown banquet room. In front of a room full of politicians, business leaders and concerned citizens, the candidates answered five questions from the San Diego County Tax Payer Association, as well as a few questions from the audience. They ranged in scope from county pensions, to improving transit programs, to the Hepatitis A outbreak and fixing the homeless crisis.
While most of the conversation focused on the questions posed by the SDCTA, the conversation did get heated early on between District 4 candidates Dumanis and Fletcher. Dumanis attacked Fletcher's history living in the district. Fletcher shot back with a quick jab about her straying from the topic at hand, before continuing to answer the question himself.
Dumanis was the first female District Attorney in San Diego history and served in the office for 15 years. She has identified homelessness, affordable housing and addressing the mental health crisis as her three top priorities as county supervisor. She and her spouse, Denise, live in Little Italy.
Local
Fletcher served in the U.S. Marine Corps and has held office as a State Assemblymember. His top priority would be to stand up to the Trump Administration but he has also said he wants to address homelessness and provide tuition-free community college. He and his wife, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, live in City Heights.
San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond served in the U.S. Navy and graduated from San Diego State University before working as an airline pilot for more than 30 years. His top priorities as county supervisor would be public safety, fiscal responsibility and building an infrastructure to reduce traffic gridlock. He and his wife, Kerri, live in the North County.
Michelle Gomez works as a legislative analyst reviewing legislation and drafting policy. She advocates spending some of the funds the county has in its reserves on improving social services for its residents. Her priorities as a county supervisor include protecting the coastline and managing development.
