Mayor Todd Gloria and opposing candidate Larry Turner engaged in a heated debate on Thursday evening over homelessness, infrastructure, and the city budget.
The debate, hosted by KPBS with reporters from that station, Voice of San Diego and inewsource posing questions, is the second time the candidates have gone head-to-head.
Gloria focused on his track record as Mayor, calling Turner someone who “is good at pointing out problems, but does not know how to solve them.” He said Turner has no real plan to tackle homelessness, and accused him of dodging questions and making factual errors in his statements.
At one point, Turner brought up a lawsuit against the city caused by an individual being struck while on a bike, arguing that many bike lanes are built on dangerous roads.
“The road that gentleman was killed on does not have a bike lane,” retorted Gloria.
Turner, who served in the Marines and San Diego Police Department, painted himself as someone who regularly speaks with people affected by issues like homelessness. He was not afraid to launch personal attacks, noting that he drives an electric vehicle while the Mayor is driven in a V8-powered SUV.
Turner asked Gloria why he spends so much time traveling to places like China, Las Vegas, and Davos.
“Another fact you got wrong,” replied Gloria, clarifying that he has never been to Davos and that he traveled to China to bring back pandas for the San Diego Zoo.
Gloria’s track record on homelessness was a major source of contention. The Mayor defended using parking lots as safe sleeping zones and his plan to create the city’s largest homeless shelter. Turner said a United Nations representative for refugee camps had given the city a failing grade for these zones, and argued crime rates have spiked because police spend most of their time responding to homeless-related calls.
Turner often painted Gloria as corrupt, at one point bringing up a La Presna article alleging the Mayor awarded a proposal to a developer who donated money to his campaign.
“Why did you purchase 101 Ash Street? Perhaps it was when the lawsuit was coming out, where you were going to have to be deposed and you were going to be providing testimony and emails to talk about the backroom deals,” said Turner.
In the March primary, Gloria received 49.99% of the vote to Turner’s 23.07% in a crowded field. A recent poll showed Turner with 33% to Gloria’s 37% with 28% undecided.
The general election will take place on Nov. 5.