Scott Peters in the News

By Dave Schwab
Light Business Editor

Scott Peters, candidate for San Diego City Council District One, said he believes economic development in high-tech and knowledge-based areas, as well as planning for growth in an integrated way, are keys to the city's continued successful development.

The son of a minister, Peters is an attorney and a former deputy county counsel who has a broad background in environmental and business issues.

He views himself as a level-headed problem-solver.

Government needs to do more at the grassroots level to involve people in community affairs, believes Peters, who is convinced his municipal law background will serve him well on the city council.

"I don't think it hurts to have good, strong legal expertise on the council," he noted. "I think that can only be useful."

What are the major problems that need to be addressed by the city?

"The huge challenge for us now," answered Peters, "is we have all these people coming in and we know growth is going to occur - and we haven't done a good job of planning for it. Planning is a central function of government, something we've really let down on. I want to start re-emphasizing planning as a core function of the government."

Providing adequate, affordable housing for people at all socioeconomic levels is another item on Peters' laundry list of things government needs to do.

"Housing affordability has now become a business issue," he pointed out.

Addressing housing also needs to carry over to providing a nurturing climate for businesses to grow and develop, added Peters.

Where the environment is concerned, Peters believes efforts to reroute storm-drain runoff are good "as far as they go."

"But that's kind of a Band-aid approach that doesn't address the real problem that occurs way up the watershed," Peters adds. "We need to find a way, a more integrated approach, to account for things as they happen up the watershed. If we fail to do that, we're not going to capture what's coming through the pipe."

Peters doesn't like being "tied down" by labels, and doesn't feel labels apply to him.

He sees himself as a coalition- builder, and points to the fact that he's drawing support from people at all points on the political spectrum to demonstrate his networking expertise.

He's also a firm believer in looking at the "big picture," viewing planning in San Diego as an integrated whole, recognizing that all of the "pieces," the various communities, are part and parcel to the larger whole.

"We've had a history of lining up into teams," Peters pointed out, "neighborhoods vs. the downtowns, growth-ers vs. non-growth-ers. As more and more people come in, we really have to work together to a degree that's unprecedented. I don't think you can really solve problems by excluding anyone interested from the discussion. We need to get everyone involved to sit down and work it out."

Peters noted that there's clearly a need for more parking in La Jolla, but pointed out there's a delicate balance which needs to be struck with enhancing parking, while preserving the community's historical character.

He added he favors charging a fee for businesses creating parking demand to fund construction of parking facilities.

He supports searching for underground parking sites.

He also contends that the city needs to lend a financial hand in helping La Jolla solve its infrastructure needs.

La Jolla needs to "reorient its thinking a little bit," in Peters' view.

"We need to recognize we are an older community and our infrastructure really needs upgrading," he said. "One of the things I'm working on is developing working relationships with elected officials in other areas, so we can all be a part of revitalizing the existing, older areas of the city."

Running a political campaign has been fun and a great learning experience, though it's taken Peters away from his family more than he'd like, which has been difficult.

But it's worth the sacrifice, he said.

"My view is I have a lot t o offer -- and I can really make a contribution," he asserts.

Peters views the present as a great time to be involved in community affairs and a great opportunity to take control and make positive contributions toward San Diego's future.

"I want to make sure my kids have the opportunity here to have great jobs and have a nice and attractive place to live and raise a family," he concluded.

La Jolla Light
Aug 12, 1999
Page 3


	Press Article City Council candidate Peters announces campaign priorities By Dave Schwab Light Business Editor Scott Peters, candidate for San Diego City Council District One, said he believes economic development in high-tech and knowledge-based areas, as well as planning for growth in an integrated way, are keys to the city's continued successful development. The son of a minister, Peters is an attorney and a former deputy county counsel who has a broad background in environmental and business issues. He views himself as a level-headed problem-solver. Government needs to do more at the grassroots level to involve people in community affairs, believes Peters, who is convinced his municipal law background will serve him well on the city council. "I don't think it hurts to have good, strong legal expertise on the council," he noted. "I think that can only be useful." What are the major problems that need to be addressed by the city? "The huge challenge for us now," answered Peters, "is we have all these people coming in and we know growth is going to occur - and we haven't done a good job of planning for it. Planning is a central function of government, something we've really let down on. I want to start re-emphasizing planning as a core function of the government." Providing adequate, affordable housing for people at all socioeconomic levels is another item on Peters' laundry list of things government needs to do. "Housing affordability has now become a business issue," he pointed out. Addressing housing also needs to carry over to providing a nurturing climate for businesses to grow and develop, added Peters. Where the environment is concerned, Peters believes efforts to reroute storm-drain runoff are good "as far as they go." "But that's kind of a Band-aid approach that doesn't address the real problem that occurs way up the watershed," Peters adds. "We need to find a way, a more integrated approach, to account for things as they happen up the watershed. If we fail to do that, we're not going to capture what's coming through the pipe." Peters doesn't like being "tied down" by labels, and doesn't feel labels apply to him. He sees himself as a coalition- builder, and points to the fact that he's drawing support from people at all points on the political spectrum to demonstrate his networking expertise. He's also a firm believer in looking at the "big picture," viewing planning in San Diego as an integrated whole, recognizing that all of the "pieces," the various communities, are part and parcel to the larger whole. "We've had a history of lining up into teams," Peters pointed out, "neighborhoods vs. the downtowns, growth-ers vs. non-growth-ers. As more and more people come in, we really have to work together to a degree that's unprecedented. I don't think you can really solve problems by excluding anyone interested from the discussion. We need to get everyone involved to sit down and work it out." Peters noted that there's clearly a need for more parking in La Jolla, but pointed out there's a delicate balance which needs to be struck with enhancing parking, while preserving the community's historical character. He added he favors charging a fee for businesses creating parking demand to fund construction of parking facilities. He supports searching for underground parking sites. He also contends that the city needs to lend a financial hand in helping La Jolla solve its infrastructure needs. La Jolla needs to "reorient its thinking a little bit," in Peters' view. "We need to recognize we are an older community and our infrastructure really needs upgrading," he said. "One of the things I'm working on is developing working relationships with elected officials in other areas, so we can all be a part of revitalizing the existing, older areas of the city." Running a political campaign has been fun and a great learning experience, though it's taken Peters away from his family more than he'd like, which has been difficult. But it's worth the sacrifice, he said. "My view is I have a lot t o offer -- and I can really make a contribution," he asserts. Peters views the present as a great time to be involved in community affairs and a great opportunity to take control and make positive contributions toward San Diego's future. "I want to make sure my kids have the opportunity here to have great jobs and have a nice and attractive place to live and raise a family," he concluded. La Jolla Light Aug 12, 1999 Page 3

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