After being sworn in six months ago, District 3 City Councilmember Todd Gloria, has made public safety a priority, wrestled with the city’s budget crisis and seeks to make San Diego more “green.” Soon after his election Gloria contended that the campaign, in which he walked door-to-door to meet his constituents, left him “tanner and thinner than ever before.” In light of our father’s day issue, as the first gay male elected to represent Hillcrest and the surrounding neighborhoods – “District 3’s Daddy” – reflects on his first six months in office.

Gay and Lesbian Times: How does it feel to be a gay forefather?

Todd Gloria: It is a huge responsibility that I take extremely seriously. My dad always taught me that as a person of color, I have to give 110 percent in order to get an A. I’ve taken that same approach to this position. I’m doing my very best to represent the GLBT community and let the broader community see a gay man in elected office hopefully serving with honor. That’s the same approach I try to take to it, but it’s a huge responsibility and a great honor.

GLT: Has it been what you expected and has it been worth it?

TG: I think that I came to this position pretty well prepared, thanks to my past experience working for Congressmember Susan Davis and serving on the housing commission. The schedule, while very rigorous, is not dissimilar to the way I worked before. I had a lot of familiarity with the city government. I think I’ve been able to hit the ground running, and hopefully that’s benefitted the people of District 3. The problems certainly are pretty serious. There is a lot of bad news. But on the whole I feel like I was well prepared to take on the job. After six months it’s just a realization of what an amazing job this is. I wake up every morning grateful for the opportunity to serve. I know for people who serve it’s an amazing job. You probably know, I certainly know lots of people who serve in the community and volunteer their spare hours. My job is to serve the community all the time, and I get paid to do that. I’m extremely fortunate, and I relish every minute that I’m in City Hall.

GLT: In order to save money for the city, you’ve taken a six percent pay cut. What are some other ways you’re trying to save money?

TG: There are lots of ways large and small. I think that’s the right approach. We have to look under every stone, check every crevice in every couch in City Hall. For every last cent that we can save taxpayers. In large ways we were able to negotiate contracts with our employees to reduce their salary and personnel costs, saving hundreds of millions of dollars as you project out into the future. In small ways, you may be familiar with the Balboa Park Pergola, which was a $600,000 project that, while important, seemed to not be a priority when you take in the totality of things that are needed in Balboa Park. We’re able to use those funds and use them to repair the dome on top of the Museum of Man, which I think is more pressing in need. Whether it’s saving hundreds of millions of dollars in personnel costs or trying to save a couple hundred thousand dollars on a public works project. I’m doing my level best to find ways to save money. I would encourage people who have ideas or suggestions to come to one of my meetings, Facebook me, Twitter me. Let me know, because we really need all the help we can to try and weather this difficult financial time.

GLT: What’s been the biggest challenge for you these past six months?

TG: It’s really grappling with the budget. We faced an $83 million budget deficit, which we were able to close without closing libraries or recreation centers. We are currently facing a potential $60 million take from the state government because of their budget problem. You run because you think carefully about your neighborhoods and you want to provide better quality services given the financial condition of the city. We’re left having to choose which of our kids our favorite is. Do you want to preserve library hours, have more police officers or reduce response times for fire fighters? The financial position that we’re in doesn’t allow for that. The approach has to be to maintain services as best as we can until the economy improves. It’s difficult, because there’s not a lot of wiggle room. The city has eliminated 1,000 positions; there are 1,000 vacancies currently. Cutting lots of programs, reducing services here and there, trying to hold on is the biggest challenge facing me since I got here.

GLT: How well do you think our city is handling the budget?

TG: I think it’s good. This is colored by what the state may do in order to balance their budget. When you consider for the good of our own financial circumstances in terms of reduced property tax revenue and sales tax revenue, we’re able to conclude a budget where it was virtually uncontroversial. We were able to balance it without closing libraries and recreation centers. I know that is a real concern for people, especially in District 3. I think it shows a level of cooperation amongst council members and the mayor. We were able to make the difficult decisions in a way that seemingly had public support. After the budget was introduced, response has been relatively low key. I think people understand the harsh realities we’re in financially. It felt like the priorities again preserving library hours, keeping recreation centers open, maintaining public services, getting the funds to make infrastructure improvements. Those matched their expectations. A budget hearing that has only three dozen people as opposed to a few hundred speaks to the way we’re handling the budget. That’s again colored by what the state may do, if they change that back to the way things were before. The budget process has been a relatively smooth one, which speaks volumes when you think about how difficult a financial situation this city, this state and this country is in.

GLT: What is going on with the state?

TG: The city of San Diego’s budget problem is about $83 million. The state has a $24 billion problem. They collect a lot of the revenue and then they send it to San Diego County, which is where a lot of our money comes from. In order to solve their $24 billion problem, they have suggested holding back some of the revenues that they’ve collected on our behalf for their own budget problem. And to also take some of the gas tax money that also is supposed to come to the cities. That combined for the city of San Diego costs as much as $60 million. They’re going to take some of our money, money we should get and that we’re depending on to provide services to our neighborhoods. And they are looking to take that in order to solve their budget problem. That may solve their problem, but that of course creates another problem for us. I think myself, my colleagues, and the mayor feel as though we have a significant budget shortfall we stared it down, made the tough decisions, and were able to balance our own budget, we certainly do not want the state to put us back to square one because they’re incapable of solving their own problems with their own resources. While I stand by the comments before about our budget process and how we’ve gotten to where we are now, it is precarious in the sense that it could change. If the governor and the state Legislature make the decision to take some of our revenues to solve their problem.

GLT: Would you say the future of the city’s finances is resting on this decision?

For this budget year and the next couple budget years yes. We rely on our property tax revenue, our sales tax revenue, and those other things the state provides for us. It’s a part of how we pay for police, fire and parks. If they take that back we don’t have a lot of great options. As I mentioned before, we’ve eliminated 1,000 positions. We currently have 1,000 positions vacant. We have a law here that doesn’t allow us to raise taxes without going to the people. There’s not another election until next year. I have to balance the budget before then. In terms of making additional cuts, we’ve cut a great deal. In terms of raising revenue, we don’t have a lot of great options. If the state does what they do, we’re going to have limited options on what we can do. I think probably the important thing for your readers to know is, as difficult in recent history as the financial situation in San Diego has been, with the pension crisis and so many other mistakes in the past, this budget problem is largely driven by the slowing economy. People are right to be skeptical of the city; [but] I would hope that they understand that this problem is one that is not dissimilar to any of the other problems in cities in this county, this state or this country. I think this speaks to the progress we’re making here in terms of our financial health. We’re making wise decisions about our costs; we’re cutting our excessive expenses and our waste and really trying to turn this ship around. Absent of the recession, we’d be in a very strong financial position.

GLT: As one of the oldest districts in San Diego, District 3 is in need. What do you see for the future of District 3?

TG: We have a lot of challenges, but I think there are a lot of good things ahead for District 3. This March, the council and the mayor put forward $103 million dollars for needed infrastructure improvements. District 3 is going to get the lion’s-share of that money, because our neighborhoods are older and in need of repair. You’re going to see 60 miles of roads in District 3 repaired. You’re going to see a lot of investment in our public facilities, like our libraries and recreation centers that need updating with new roofs, new air conditioning systems. That’s also true of our facilities in Balboa Park. I think the citizens are going to see those benefits soon. We have the money in hand, and we’re going to have those jobs done. Additionally you’re going to see improvements at Birmingham Elementary and Roosevelt Middle School. Their play fields are going to have turf laid down and opened up to the public after school hours as new park space for the communities of Hillcrest and University Heights. You’re going to hopefully see progress on the mini-park in North Park. You’re going to see the implementation of transit traffic along El Cajon Boulevard and I-15, so that people in mid-city can access jobs in Downtown and in the Golden Triangle. There are a lot of great projects that are moving forward, all very good news for the community that wants us to prioritize infrastructure.

GLT: There have been quite a few hate crimes in District 3 and San Diego lately. What are you doing to remedy the situation?

TG: In terms of public safety, which I think is a top concern for District 3 residents, we have been able to get additional Community Relations Officers (CROs) placed in District 3 neighborhoods. We currently have a total of four CROs operating in District 3, which is more than any other council district has. I think [this] is a reflection of the community’s request and desire.

GLT: There’s been an increase in prostitution lately in District 3. How are you handling that situation?

TG: We’re also seeing prostitution sweeps along El Cajon Boulevard. We’re seeing an increase in prostitution in District 3, and we’re trying to be aggressive in responding to that. I think we’re trying to be responsive to people.

GLT: What are some future plans for Balboa Park?

TG: Balboa Park ... is the crown jewel of our city. I’ve spent a good deal of my time preparing for the 2015 centennial celebration for the park. I think what we’re going to do there is really going to amaze people, and that will be a point of pride for people in District 3. There are a lot of things on the horizon, none of them are necessarily easily accomplished, but I’ve spent a lot of my time working on them.

GLT: How do you make yourself more available to your constituents?

TG: My hope would be that people can be in touch with my office and let me know what they think other priorities should be. Or if there is a particular need in their community, we can respond to them. The difficult financial times might lead people to think that they can’t rely on government to get anything done. When people are in touch with us, if a streetlight is out or if it’s a pothole, we’re able to get that result pretty quickly. That’s why I’m here for people to let me know what their needs are.

I try to hold community coffees every other Saturday in District 3. We’ve held some in people’s homes. We’re getting good turn out, and it’s a good opportunity for me to chat with people one on one. They don’t have to come down to City Hall and pay to park and go through security. We had this one this past Saturday in City Heights. There were 25 people there. We talked about everything under the sun, City Hall the new City Hall. Transit fare increases, crime. It’s a good opportunity. I do it every other Saturday. I’m on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, I feel strongly that you have to communicate with people, and so, going back to what you asked, we try to be as present as possible within the community so that people can provide feedback. I take it and run with it. I hope people won’t be shy.

GLT: What is one of your priorities?

TG: Public safety is a top priority. We are struggling, because we have a number of vacancies. We’re expecting many more before the end of the fiscal year. That poses a challenge for us. Despite out staffing problems, we’ve been able to get additional community relations officers to work with neighborhood groups to address crime before it happens. I think that is a main priority for me and the neighborhoods I represent.

GLT: Another priority?

TG: Infrastructure is right on top of the list as well. There’s $103 million that we’re going to spend city-wide that’s going to have a huge impact on District 3. The 60 miles of roads that will be repaved – let me just put that in context for you. In 2005, the city of San Diego spent $2 million on infrastructure in the entire city. This year we’re going to spend about $103 million. That’s a huge increase. People in North Park and Hillcrest and City Heights are going to see a lot more construction on their streets trying to make up for maintenance that hasn’t been prioritized in the past.

GLT: Another priority?

TG: The other thing I spend a lot of time on is transit. The city has financial challenges; the state has financial challenges, and our state transit board has some financial challenges. As a result, there have been efforts to cut service and increase fairs. I and a few of my colleagues have been outspoken in saying that’s the absolute wrong thing to do right now. If people are struggling right now as gas prices increase, we cannot take transit off of the table. As we look at trying to improve our environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, making transit more difficult to ride is also not the solution. So opposing fare increases and fighting against service cuts, one of the things I was able to do was to save the City Heights shuttle, which is a bus that goes in a loop around City Heights and North Park. That was slated for elimination through my position on the transit board. We were able to keep that service going.

GLT: How is it working with members of city council and the mayor?

TG: I have a close relationship with the mayor and my council colleagues. I actually enjoy them all. We’re all here for the same reason: We all want to serve our communities and state. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them better. I’ve had some of the more experienced council members become good mentors. I’ve had them help me get settled, find my way, hopefully do a better job. My new colleagues that were sworn in at the same time I was, I think we all kind of banded together and have tried to learn the job quickly. Sherri Lightner has been a wonderful ally of mine at the transit board, and has worked with me to oppose fare increases. I think we have a good thing going here. I think that’s been reflected with regards to the budget process this year. On paper you would think it’s a contentious battle, but what you saw was a lot of consensus, a lot of unanimity. Given the makeup of this council, I think it’s a reflection that we’re all trying to work together for the betterment of San Diego.

GLT: Do you have a playful rivalry with Carl De Maio because you are both gay and city council members?

TG: No not at all. We represent two different districts; we both have one vote on the council. This job is about putting together a full majority. You need five members to accomplish what your goal is. Sometimes Carl can be a part of that five, sometimes he’s not. We work together on issues, and the fact that I have another member of our community on the council, I think is a great thing. Like Sherri and Donna and Marty, and Kevin, Tony and Ben, Carl is a colleague and I enjoy serving with him.

GLT: What are some upcoming projects for the Land and Use Housing Committee?

TG: A couple things actually. We’re trying to focus very strongly on infrastructure. We have an understanding that our city’s total deferred maintenance cost is somewhere above $300 million. $103 million is actually a small chunk of that, and we have a lot to go. We have to pay every time a new pothole develops, that goes on that list. One issue for the Land and Use Committee is infrastructure.

GLT: How are you helping District 3’s infrastructure issues?

TG: We’re starting this dialogue about how can we pour even more money into deferred maintenance and how can we do it more aggressively. Constituents tell me all the time the poor state of our roads and streets – the water main breaks, the sewer breaks – all have an impact on their lives. This has real costs to families in District 3. I’m trying to be really aggressive about it. Our committees held hearings about doing more for infrastructure financing, and my hope is that we’ll have some options for the community to consider by the end of this year or early next year. So stay tuned on that.

GLT: You’re helping our city be more green with two upcoming initiatives. Tell us about one.

TG: We are trying to push two other initiatives. One is a sustainable building ordinance as we understand the limitations of the resources our city has, I think it’s important for San Diego to lead when it comes to the way we work within our environment. When people are given the privilege to build inside the city of San Diego, we demand that they do it in an environmentally conscious way. Sustainable practices like portable permeable pavers to address water runoff are not optional equipment but really mandatory equipment. We’re working with the mayor’s office to develop an ordinance that will be very aggressive, and allow San Diegans to know that when building in their neighborhoods, [contractors] are building in the most environmentally conscious way possible.

GLT: The other initiative involves community gardens. What are your plans for District 3?

TG: The other initiative that we have is the community gardening ordinance, which is striving to make it easier for groups to create community gardens in our city. Right now it’s difficult from a bureaucratic standpoint and expensive from a fee standpoint to create a community garden. We’re right now backing an ordinance for them to [create community gardens]. This is important in District 3, because so many of my constituents don’t have yards. They don’t have the opportunity to have a garden or to grow their own food. This goes back to sustainability and being environmentally conscious. A garden is far more environmentally conscious than a lawn is. The community garden ordinance will allow people to come together. In District 3, where we have tens of thousands of refugees who come from cultures where agriculture is really integral to their daily lives, it’s actually quite comforting for them to do that here in the United States. We have a number of gardens in my district but there really ought to be more, and they should be city-wide. So we’re hoping to bring that language forward before the year is out.

GLT: Another area of concern is the number of pay-day lenders in District 3.

TG: The last initiative I would mention is one about pay-day lending. You probably have seen an explosion of pay-day lenders and check-cashing locations throughout the community. I’m of the opinion that these businesses are really focused on preying on families who are living paycheck to paycheck. And often because of the very high interest rates charged [pay-day lenders] place these families in more financial peril. What our committee would like to do is look at when we put one of these businesses in our community, the community is given more input into where they’re located in terms of how they appear, and regulating them very much in the way we regulate other businesses like bars, liquor stores, even churches have these kinds of regulations on them. We think that check cashing and pay-day lenders should have a similar restrictions. We have a very full plate at the Land and Use Housing Committee.

GLT: Rate your performance in the first six months.

TG: I lack perspective at this point. I’m six months in, and I see things that I could have done better. I see things I’m actually really proud of. I think I’m doing well. The people who should judge my performance are my constituents.

GLT: How do you think your constituents would rate you?

TG: They let me know all the time. When folks recognize me at the dry cleaners or the coffee shop, I always ask, ‘How am I doing?’ Generally people are very kind; they think I’m doing well. I always tell them, ‘Give me a call if you think I’m not.’ Like I said, I’m still new to the job, and I’m learning every single day. I hope that people would be in touch if they think I’m doing well and if I’m not doing well.

GLT: Rate the performance of the city council, in its first six months.

TG: In terms of the council, as a whole, I think we are doing extremely well. With the budget process under the leadership of council member Young, who is our budget chairman, is something I think the whole council can be proud of. What you’re seeing is a coalescing around the notion of strong-mayor/ strong-council form of government. That’s actually what the voters approved a number of years ago. The council has done all it can to be the strong council it’s supposed to be. With our push back on the city council’s budget or when it comes to forming our CDBG program, there’s a number of ways that we are providing the oversight that’s been lacking in recent years. I for that reason would give us high marks. There’s always room for improvement. I think all of us are still getting used to this form of government and learning its limitations and its possibilities.

GLT: What has been your most rewarding experience in your first six months?

TG: Feeling like I’m making a difference when I see members of the community. When I’m in line in the morning to get coffee or when I’m in the grocery store, people are really generous. They come up and thank you for filling a pothole. People are just extremely generous and grateful for the work we do here. The work itself is rewarding; getting that feedback means a whole lot. People are far more generous in their praise than I would have expected. That’s certainly very rewarding.