With the city of San Diego experiencing significant economic impacts due to COVID-19, California Assembly member Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), San Diego mayoral candidate, announced today that he has brought together a broad coalition to create an economic recovery blueprint for San Diego. The task force, dubbed “Back to Work SD,” is an impressive array of elected officials, industry leaders, and community members — signifying the united coalition of support ready and willing to work with Gloria to lead San Diego through this crisis.
“The next mayor has to have a real plan and productive relationships with local leaders, experts, and community members in order to get San Diegans back to work and kick-start our local economy. Rebuilding and moving forward requires us to come together and that’s what ‘Back to Work SD’ is about,” said Assembly member Gloria. “While public health guidelines must dictate the timing of this process and the full opening of San Diego’s economy is still some time away, we have to start preparing now.”
Congressman Scott Peters and Paola Avila, vice president of International Business Affairs at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, will serve as the task force’s co-chairs.
“This coalition represents a united San Diego that only Todd Gloria can bring together,” said Congressman Peters. “From workers to small business owners, it’s clear that Todd is the person people trust and believe can lead San Diego through the pandemic and back to some sense of normalcy.”
In the coming weeks, the task force will convene to discuss concrete strategies and policies to rebuild San Diego’s local economy and create jobs/return San Diegans to work. The group intends to publish a formal blueprint within the next few months.
Gloria is a former San Diego City Council member, City Council president, and interim mayor. He served as the city’s Budget Committee chairman for six years. Currently, he serves as the California Assembly member for the 78th District and is the majority whip of the state Assembly. If elected San Diego’s mayor, Gloria will be the first person of color and the first LGBT person elected mayor in city history.
Gloria’s Back to Work SD task force consists of the following members (titles and organizations used for identification purposes only):
- U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52)
- California Treasurer Fiona Ma
- San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher
- San Diego Unified School Board member Richard Barrera
- Dr. Cheryl Anderson, professor and interim chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, UC San Diego School of Medicine
- Jason Anderson, renewable energy/clean technology advocate
- Paola Avila, vice president of International Business Affairs, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Dr. Tahir Bhatti, wellness physician, UC San Diego Health
- Phil Blair, executive officer, Manpower HR Staffing
- Janice Brown, chief strategy officer, Brown Law Group
- Mark Cafferty, CEO, San Diego Economic Development Corporation
- Bill Fulton, urban planner
- Dr. Alan Gin, economist, University of San Diego
- Jay Goldstone, former COO, city of San Diego
- Dr. Kyra Greene, executive director, Center on Policy Initiatives
- Mikey Knab, restauranteur
- Keith Maddox, executive secretary treasurer, San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council
- Ari Matusiak, former White House director of Private Sector Engagement (2011-14)
- Namara Mercer, executive director, San Diego Lodging Association
- Dr. Fadi Nicolas, chief medical officer, Sharp Behavioral Health Services
- Jason Paguio, president/CEO, Asian Business Association San Diego
- Maya Rosas, director of policy, Circulate San Diego
- Dr. Dara Schwartz, lead psychologist, Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital
- Admiral Dixon Smith (ret), EVP, R.E. Staite Engineering, Inc.
- Jason M-B Wells, San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce
- David Wescoe, former CEO, San Diego City Employees’ Retirement System
- Angie and Jon Weber, Cowboy Star/California Restaurant Association
