SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Voters in Tuesday's special election will decide if they want a San Diego City Council member and attorney, or a private investigator and noted opponent of governmental COVID-19 mandates, to represent them on the county Board of Supervisors.
Monica Montgomery Steppe or Amy Reichert will replace Nathan Fletcher, who represented District 4 for over four years until he resigned May 15 amid allegations of sexual harassment and assault, which he has denied.
In May, supervisors voted to have an election, rather than appoint a successor to serve out the term, which ends in January 2027. The winner of Tuesday's election would be seated by Dec. 5 at the latest, according to the county.
Montgomery Steppe and Reichert received the most votes in the Aug. 15 primary.
District 4 is home to almost 675,829 people, spans 101 square miles and is considered the most ethnically diverse, according to the county's web site. It contains three major tourist attractions: Balboa Park, Old Town and the San Diego Zoo.
District 4 is home to neighborhoods within the city of San Diego, including Azalea Park, Bankers Hill, Bay Ho, City Heights, Clairemont Mesa, Encanto, Grantville, Hillcrest, Linda Vista, Mission Hills, Normal Heights, Rolando, Skyline, University Heights and Valencia Park.
It features the cities of La Mesa and Lemon Grove, and four unincorporated communities: Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, Dehesa, Rancho San Diego and Spring Valley.
Although the Board of Supervisors is considered a non-partisan entity, Montgomery Steppe is a Democrat and Reichert is a Republican.
The special election winner could tip the political balance of power for the board, which changed after the departure of Fletcher, a Democrat.
As of now, the board has two Democrats, Terra Lawson-Remer and Nora Vargas; and two Republicans, Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond.
Montgomery Steppe is a native San Diegan first elected as the Fourth District City Council member in 2018, defeating incumbent Myrtle Cole. Montgomery Steppe was re-elected last year.
Montgomery Steppe, who grew up in that district, earned a bachelor's degree from Spelman College and law degree from the California Western School of Law.
Previous to joining the City Council, Montgomery Steppe, "dedicated her life to public service law," by helping families keep their homes after the Great Recession in 2008, according to official City Council website.
She also served as a criminal justice advocate for the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, and as a senior policy advisor for the city of San Diego on numerous issues, including criminal justice reform and public safety, workforce and small business development, and youth services.
On her City Council website, Montgomery Steppe stated that she has "brought historical levels of investment to her district," including over $100 million for new parks, streets, repaired sidewalks and street lights, a new senior center and library, affordable and market-rate housing, and small business support.
On her campaign website, Montgomery Steppe stated that her priorities as a supervisor will be tackling homelessness, including more resources for shelters and affordable housing, and expanding substance abuse treatment; and "holistic and humane public safety" by reducing jail deaths, giving first responders and neighborhoods what they need to prevent crime, and effective gun safety policies.
Montgomery Steppe also advocates "investing in people," with increased access to health care, education and youth counseling; job creation, more parks, and infrastructure to improve air quality and reduce crime; and supporting reproductive rights and privacy.
Montgomery Steppe has received the endorsement of board Chairwoman Vargas, along with the San Diego County Democratic Party and regional Democratic groups.
Montgomery Steppe has also been endorsed by numerous labor organizations, including Service Employees International Union Local 221; environmental groups such as the Sierra Club's San Diego chapter; the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce; U.S. Reps. Sara Jacobs, Scott Peters and Juan Vargas; state Assembly members David Alvarez, Tasha Boerner and Akilah Weber; state Sens. Toni Atkins and Catherine Blakespear; state Attorney General Rob Bonta; and her fellow City Council members Joe LaCava, Sean Elo-Rivera, Kent Lee and Vivian Moreno.
Reichert, who has lived in San Diego most of her life, challenged Fletcher for the supervisor's seat last year, which Fletcher won.
Reichert became prominent in 2020 after co-founding the nonprofit Re-Open San Diego which opposed county mandates, including certain closures, in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.
She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from San Diego State University, followed by a master's degree in divinity, theology and ministry from Rockbridge Seminary.
According to her campaign website, Reichert "began a career as an investigator and worked to seek justice for clients, including missing persons and uncovering fraud."
As the pandemic began, Reichert stated she helped start Re-Open San Diego "to ensure the safe reopening of schools, bring relief to struggling small businesses, and support first responders, health care workers and teachers."
The group legally challenged a San Diego city ordinance requiring the COVID vaccine for all employees, elected officials, board/commission members and volunteers. In January, the city repealed the ordinance and paid out a total of $110,000 to ReOpen San Diego and Protection for the Educational Rights of Kids, as part of a settlement.
Reichert's website stated her priorities as supervisor will include combating homelessness with outreach teams featuring law enforcement, and mental health care and social workers; a "shelter first with treatment" approach; more shelter beds; expanding the Mobile Crisis Response and Psychiatric Response team programs; and enforcing laws that prohibit public camping.
Reichert also advocates for recruiting more sheriff's department deputies, fewer regulations to create more affordable housing, more help to struggling businesses, improved governmental response to residents' concerns, eliminate "all discriminatory county mandates that violate" the U.S. Constitution.
Reichert has been endorsed by Anderson and Desmond, the San Diego County and California Republican parties, and several regional GOP organizations.
Other endorsements include the Libertarian Party of San Diego County; East County Chamber of Commerce; San Diego Asian Americans for Equality; San Diego County Gun Owners; San Miguel Firefighters Association Local 1434; state Sen. Brian Jones; U.S. Reps. Darrell Issa and Kevin Kiley; Chula Vista Mayor John McCann; Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey; El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells; Santee Mayor John Minto; Vista Mayor John Franklin; Laura Lothian, La Mesa City Council member; Melanie Burkholder, Carlsbad City Council member; and Phil Ortiz, El Cajon City Council member.
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