Mateo Camarillo, a businessman and longtime social activist in the Latino community, and Marti Emerald, former radio and television investigative reporter and current San Diego City Councilwoman representing District 7, talk to KPBS about their runs for District 9.
By Megan Burke, Maureen Cavanaugh,
Amita Sharma and Claire Trageser
The two candidates for San Diego City Council’s brand new district, District 9, said increasing funding for police presence and infrastructure will be among their top priorities if elected.
The new ninth district extends from Kensington and Talmadge to the north through City Heights down to Mountain View and Southcrest.
Emerald is currently serving as the representative for District 7, but after redistricting she decided to run in District 9.
“I was redistricted out of the seventh district,” Emerald told KPBS. “I’m running because there is a lot of work to do and I’m excited about all the potential here in the ninth district.”
The majority of residents in District 9 are Latino, but only 26 percent of them are registered to vote, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Whites make up 23 percent of the district’s population, but 45 percent are registered to vote.
Camarillo told KPBS in February he decided to run in part because he was frustrated no other Latino candidate had emerged.
He said today he also wants to give others opportunities he didn’t have.
“I applied all my energies and skills to advance, I believe I’ve had the golden opportunity to achieve things others haven’t done,” he said. “But I think that some of them encounter barriers, and I’m – I went into business to try to eliminate some of those barriers of people that can’t fully participate, be it language, culture, economics, a lack of information on how to participate.”
Click here to read the rest and listen to an interview with Camarillo and Emerald