WHILE the candidacy of Assembymember Todd Gloria for San Diego Mayor has dominated the news, another Filipino American has also been on the campaign trail in the San Diego area for the runoff for the San Diego City Council District 7 post.
Business owner, community advocate, long-time volunteer and Republican Noli Zosa is vying to fill the post for termed-out fellow Republican Scott Sherman in the district, which includes Allied Gardens, Linda Vista, Mission Valley, Serra Mesa and Tierrasanta.
Zosa, according to his campaign website, is the son of immigrants and obtained his undergraduate and law school degrees from the University of San Diego. After graduation, he joined the family business, managing a boutique bed-and-breakfast, wedding facility and guava tree ranch.
He is a partner in the well-known restaurant chain, Dirty Birds, a locally- and nationally-awarded company that employs over 140 people.
Zosa sees homelessness, housing, jobs, safe neighborhoods and infrastructure as major issues that need to be addressed in his district.
Although he feels the city has made positive steps in addressing the issue of homelessness, Zosa believes that more can be done by addressing the root problems of homelessness, including high cost of housing, domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health issues.
“The crisis is only going to be addressed by meaningful public-private partnerships like expanding on the models created by effective nonprofit organizations like ‘Solutions for Change’,” Zosa stated in his website. “Investing in programs that offer comprehensive wrap around services are critical: from counseling services, medical care and mental health services, to parenting classes, employment training and workforce development. Programs like ‘Solutions’ create solid foundations for struggling San Diegans.”
When it comes to housing, Zosa, who cites the high price of land, high fees and taxes on construction and red tape as challenges faced by prospective and current homeowners, supports streamlining the permitting process and reviewing all fees, especially those that will be ultimately passed onto homeowners. He has championed the San Diego Housing Commission’s change in policy that now gives first priority to low-income families who have been or will be displaced by new development in their current apartment communities.
Zosa believes in creating a more pro-business climate in order to help San Diego thrive and increase the supply of jobs.
“When I’m on the City Council, I’ll advocate for the business community at City Hall and fight against the policies that negatively affect our economy and I’ll work to create policies that promote job growth,” he explained in his website, adding, “We need a voice on the City Council who won’t be afraid to speak out against bad policies.”
A member of various community/advisory boards and councils, Zosa maintains that the key to safe neighborhoods is a strong relationship between community members and its police officers. He supports diversity in the police force, feels that officers should have the pay and resources needed to do their jobs effectively to help keep neighborhoods safe and supports the move to allow officers flexibility in their patrols so they can be more approachable and engaging with residents.
As for the city infrastructure, Zosa says that residents can count on him to support increased funding for street repair and re-construction. He also says that technology will play an important role in helping alleviate traffic.
“Technology can help to greatly reduce traffic. This includes investing in and upgrading more of our streetlights to utilize smart adaptive traffic signal optimization technology.
Nothing is more frustrating than sitting and wasting time at traffic lights that do not accurately detect the amount of cars going through intersections,” he stated.
Zosa’s key endorsements include San Diego Councilmember Chris Cate (District 6), San Diego Councilmember Scott Sherman (District 7), San Diego Councilmember Mark Kersey (District 5), San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer,
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore, State Senator Pat Bates, State Senator Brian Jones, State Assemblymember Marie Waldron, Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey, Santee Mayor John Minto, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Asian Americans for Equality, San Diego County Lincoln Club, California Restaurant Association and Greater San Diego Association of Realtors.
For more information on Zosa’s candidacy to the San Diego City Council’s District 7, visit www.noli2020.com.
