Politics & Government

Fletcher, DeMaio Nab New Endorsements

The assemblyman and councilman are each running for mayor. Fletcher picked up an endorsement by the San Diego Association of Lifeguards.

The mayoral campaigns of Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, and Councilman Carl DeMaio gained endorsements Tuesday.

The Engineering and General Contractors Association, representing companies involved in infrastructure projects like road and pipeline repair, announced its support for DeMaio, while Fletcher picked up the endorsement of San Diego's lifeguards and some clean water advocates.

"We proudly support Carl DeMaio because we believe he is the only candidate who will fix San Diego's crumbling streets," said EGCA President Kyle Nelson. "Carl will not only solve San Diego's ongoing financial crisis, but he'll rebuild the infrastructure that has fallen into extreme disrepair in recent years."

Find out what's happening in La Jollawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

During his three years on the City Council, DeMaio has highlighted the poor condition of San Diego's roadways and decried the city's backlog of major repair and maintenance projects, which he calls "the infrastructure deficit."

The support of the city's lifeguards to Fletcher came from the union's head, Edward Harris.

Find out what's happening in La Jollawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Clean water and safe beaches are super important to us and we think it is important to all citizens of San Diego. As you know San Diego tourism is one of our leading economic anchors. Nathan Fletcher understands that. He understands that tourists expect to be safe and expect to come to clean beaches and that is why we endorse his plan," said Harris

Fletcher released an 11-point clean water plan, which includes supporting water recycling to reduce wastewater discharges into the ocean, eliminating sewage spills caused by neglect or deferred maintenance, getting tough on environmental crime and resuming city support for the San Dieguito River Park.

"Giving San Diego the nation's cleanest water and safest beaches will be a key part of my administration," Fletcher said. "Our beaches and ocean are one of San Diego's greatest resources, and we must do everything we can to protect them."

Backing for the water plan came from environmentalist Manase Mansur and David Saltman, chairman and chief executive officer of Malama Composites.

Mansur won a top award from the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation for instituting a military program for recycling water bottles. Malama Composites uses soy products to make nontoxic polyurethane foams used in industry.

-City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here