This Q&A is part of a series of interviews with California’s “other” big-city mayors — those who lead communities that are often overshadowed by the state’s power centers like San Francisco and Los Angeles. HOMELESSNESS POLITICS: San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is doing a careful two-step on homelessness: getting tough on encampments while maintaining a responsibility to look after people on the streets. He’s about to find out if voters want an encore. The Democratic, first-term mayor is facing a tighter-than-expected reelection challenge from independent Larry Turner. The police officer and former Marine is running to Gloria’s right on homelessness; he argues San Diego’s current unsafe camping ban is too lenient, and he opposes Gloria’s plans to expand shelters. Approximately 3,500 people in San Diego were unsheltered in 2024, according to a one-day snapshot count from the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, up slightly from the year prior. But with average downtown homelessness counts down about 40 percent from a year ago, Gloria is asking voters to support his shelter plans and grant him four more years in office. “When you propose a shelter, people understandably are worried about it,” Gloria told Playbook. “But in my long career in public service, in every instance where I've been successful in establishing a shelter in a community, that shelter has reduced the number of unsheltered individuals.” Playbook sat down with Gloria, who leads a city of nearly 1.4 million people, to discuss his housing strategy as well as statewide issues like crime and immigration. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You've praised the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass ruling, but you've also said that expanded power to police homelessness comes with a moral obligation to provide beds. What does that obligation look like in San Diego? So much of the coverage is about enforcement, and very little of the coverage is about services, shelter and housing. The two have to go together. Grants Pass has changed that dynamic slightly. It's provided legal certainty to understand what the rules of the road are. But the responsibility is to acknowledge that in a state and nation as wealthy as ours, there really cannot be people living unhoused, and that we have the means, the know-how — but not always the will — to actually provide that housing. San Diego has been a proponent of outdoor “safe sleeping” campsites with dedicated tents, onsite showers and laundry services for unsheltered people, something that’s drawn interest from other California mayors. Where do these sites fit into your city's overall strategy? These sites are hosting folks, over 80 percent of whom have never touched our sheltering system before. They might be referred to as service-resistant by others. It can be an entry point into the pathway to getting rehoused. The sites that we have right now are somewhat temporary because of their locations, but my goal would be to continue to expand shelter capacity in our city so that these will be less necessary. Gov. Gavin Newsom withdrew $10 million for a tiny homes project after claiming that San Diego County didn't move fast enough to plan the project. What was your reaction when you first saw that? It's regrettable, because lord knows there's a need out there. The county has indicated that they are considering a different location, and they're going to do it without state support. Great, good. We need more opportunities to get people off the streets. But my frustration with that is: I don't ever like seeing state money that we compete for … get returned or be utilized by somebody else. It’s also frustrating because, in my county, we have 18 incorporated cities, and only a handful of us actually provide shelter, although all of us have a homeless population. That's a way of saying not every city is serious about this particular challenge. I understand the reason for the reallocation of funds, but I also recognize, appreciate and respect the frustration [Newsom] has. Do you feel that San Diego County has been a willing and helpful partner when it comes to solving homelessness? Historically, it hasn't. There's no bones about it. But in recent history, they've done more. I'd like them to do even more than that, and I believe that they will. What do you make of cities cracking down on homelessness without providing additional housing? Those are the communities I worry a lot about. They're failing, at least on the moral obligation I believe they have. They also invite additional legal scrutiny that is not helpful when we're trying to address this crisis on the streets. IT’S WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@politico.com.
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