Candidates for office in background, clockwise from top left, Adam Shiff (U.S. Senate), Sean Elo-Rivera (District 9), Steve Garvey (U.S. Senate), Terry Hoskins (District 9), Donald Trump (President), Todd Gloria (Mayor), Stephen Whitburn (District 3), Butch Ware (President), Coleen Cusack (District 3), Larry Turner (Mayor), Kamala Harris (President) respond to questions regarding economy and taxes. Illustration by Luke Bradbury/City Times Media

WHAT THE CANDIDATES SAY: Economy, taxes on the City College Community Agenda, November 2024

Debates, forums yield insights on issues important to you

Vince Outlaw, Elections & Voting Editor

November 3, 2024

When business major Eric Kumpel identified “Economy and Taxes” as one of the City College Community Agenda issues he wanted candidates to address ahead of the November 2024 election, he knew exactly why.

“I would like to hear about financial issues facing young people in America. Debt, ballooning education costs and the lack of/high cost of housing have left many in our generation with a pessimistic outlook on life,” Kumpel said.

To address community members’ questions and provide insight into candidates’ plans to address Economy and Taxes, City Times Media analyzed statements made by candidates for the U.S. Presidential race (Democrat and Republican parties, Green party), U.S. Senator, San Diego Mayor, and San Diego City Council Districts 3 and 9 during debates, forums and speeches.

Economy and Taxes were identified by 52% of the respondents to the City College Community Agenda survey as an issue they would like to hear candidates talk about.

In the surveys, which are still available in both English and Spanish, some of the respondents took the additional step of providing questions and comments further indicating exactly what they wanted to hear.

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Nadia, foreground left, and Nyhia watch former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris at the presidential debate watch party presented by the San Diego City College political science program on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Photo by Vince Outlaw/City Times Media

President of the United States

Butch Ware, GP:

Antitrust and Tax Laws: “What if I told you that I could cut your small business tax rate too, with just two simple steps? … Dr Jill Stein has said that on day one in office, she will initiate through the Department of Justice … antitrust lawsuits, break up the monopolies … The big companies muscle out the little ones, and many of those big companies pay a 0% effective tax rate. We are subsidizing the people who destroy us in our competitive environment with our tax dollars. So what if, instead of doing that, you did two simple steps: Break up the monopolies and make them pay a simple 20% effective tax rate that everyone has to pay.”

Budget Allocation: “What if I could tell you that I can lower your personal income tax right now with one simple step? … I’m going to stop taking money directly out of your pocket and handing it to Raytheon after laundering it through a genocide … Keep in mind that 50% of our congressional budget, $1 trillion a year, goes directly into the military-industrial complex … and that 60% of that blank check to the war machine actually goes to five American corporations … It’s literally just a direct wealth transfer from American taxpayers to mass murders.”

Nadia, foreground left, and Nyhia watch former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris at the presidential debate watch party presented by the San Diego City College political science program on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Photo by Vince Outlaw/City Times Media

Rep. Adam Schiff, left, and Steve Garvey, right, compete to be California's next senator. Source: campaign websites

United States Senator from California

Adam Schiff, D:

“I want to keep this technology in these jobs in California because it’s a force multiplier for our economy. But I want to make sure that it’s well-regulated. We protect workers and we protect the workplace. I want to make sure that workers can unionize, get good contracts and have negotiating power with their employers so that they can fight for good wages, health care and good benefits.”

“I do support targeted tariffs when China is dumping steel, or dumping other products or dumping technology to try to drive American businesses out of business. Then you’re darn right we slap tariffs on China, but we should do it strategically and not indiscriminately across the board, which would simply result in higher taxes for Americans.”

Rep. Adam Schiff, left, and Steve Garvey, right, compete to be California’s next senator. Source: campaign websites

San Diego Mayor

Larry Turner, left, and Todd Gloria, right, compete for the city’s top job. Source: Campaign Websites

Coleen Cusack, left, challenges incumbent Stephen Whitburn, right, for representation of District 3. Source: campaign websites.

San Diego City Council District 3

Coleen Cusack, D:

“We would have all of those resources right now if it weren’t for Ash St., $32,000 a day we pay for a building we can’t enter. $233 million, and we got a mayor who did this for personal grift, and a council that backed him up and didn’t protect us, (instead) protected the mayor. So when you’re talking about a deficit, anything less than $233 million is Todd’s tax for Ash Street. Now, the other way we can be transparent: there was $155 million dollars that the mayor authorized without going through city council, and city council should be outraged about that. City Council should have come in between sessions and held hearings about why they were cut out of the process, why the checks and balances were circumvented, and they should be holding rehearings about those funds right now, so the transparency is that they’re not going through the regular system, and our council is not holding them accountable.”

Stephen Whitburn, D:

“The city of San Diego right now has a 7.75% sales tax. It is lower than the surrounding jurisdictions. If you go to National City, you’ll pay more in sales tax. If you go into Chula Vista, you’ll. Pay more. If you go up into del Mar, you’ll pay more. So when we go and buy something in those other jurisdictions, we’re paying more to support their cities than those folks when they come to San Diego are doing to support our city. If we were to increase the sales tax by one penny, which would just bring it up to the average of what other jurisdictions here in San Diego County are doing if we brought it up to that average by increasing it by a penny, that would bring in $400 million a year that we could use for programs, for services, for making sure that our streets are paved, our infrastructure is solid, our street lights are replaced; I mean, all the things that we struggle with right now, we’d be able to make a big dent in much faster if we had those resources.”

Coleen Cusack, left, challenges incumbent Stephen Whitburn, right, for representation of District 3. Source: campaign websites.

San Diego City Council District 9

Sean Elo-Rivera:

“The data matters. Last year, a statewide study was produced, the biggest study of homelessness in decades. 85% of the people who were experiencing homelessness became homeless for financial circumstances. 85%, that means it can be prevented. We have to do more to do that, and the city has put forward policies like shallow subsidies to provide seniors and families and children and people with disabilities with a little bit of help to keep them in their homes.”

“Interest rates have not been going down over the last couple of years, and those interest rates play a huge role in whether or not development actually occurs, especially private development. So I’m a supporter of the city taking more assertive action. I put that in my budget proposals the last few years to acquire property for us to develop, and we need to make it easier to build.”

Sean Elo-Rivera, left, and Terry Hoskins, right, compete to be the next San Diego District 9 City Council member. Source: campaign websites

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