Councilmember Gloria disputes DeMaio’s Prop. C leadership claim

BY WILL RODRIGUEZ-KENNEDY

SAN DIEGO, Monday Oct. 31 – District 3 Councilmember Todd Gloria has questioned a claim made by Councilmember Carl DeMaio during today’s final mayoral debate with Congressman Bob Filner.

When the subject turned to veterans support DeMaio stated, “I am proud to have led a coalition, in 2010, to change how we hire veterans and give them preference points in hiring decisions.” DeMaio was describing his participation in Proposition C which does just that.

But that particular claim didn’t sit well with Gloria who Tweeted from his official Twitter handle @ToddGloria.

“For the record, I was the leader of the 2010 Prop. C to update the City’s veterans hiring policy. bit.ly/TmZNja”

Following his Tweet, San Diego LGBT Weekly reached out to Gloria for clarification of his reaction to DeMaio’s claim of his role in Prop. C. and Gloria issued the following statement via his Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Keach:

“I’d prefer to answer the inquiry with an explanation of how it got done. Others can decide who led the effort. Soon after I was elected in 2008, I began working with the City’s Personnel Department and City Attorney’s Office to update San Diego‘s veterans hiring policy. After months of work, it was determined that since it was contained in the City Charter, only a ballot initiative could amend the policy to apply to veterans who have served since the draft was ended in 1973. At my request, the City attorney and City clerk prepared the language for what would become Proposition C.

I worked with then Council President Ben Hueso to have my request heard by the Rules Committee in early 2010. The Rules Committee voted on January 13, 2010 to forward my proposal to the full Council with the affirmative votes of Council President Hueso, Councilmember Tony Young and myself. On February 1, 2010, the full City Council voted unanimously to place the veterans hiring policy update on the June 2010 ballot for the consideration of the voters. San Diego voters overwhelming approved Proposition C on June 8, 2010”

LGBT Weekly asked Lorena Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial County Labor Council and one of the five signers of the Prop. C ballot statement, about DeMaio’s involvement in the proposition.

“Nothing,” said Gonzalez. “I don’t even remember him saying he supported it. I expect he will take credit for building the Coronado Bridge too, nothing surprises me.”

LGBT Weekly also reached out to the DeMaio’s campaign team who declined the opportunity to comment.

However, LGBT Weekly did find a press release posted on sdrostra.com dated May 22, 2010 titled “DeMaio Urges Yes on Prop C – For Veterans,” although there is no evidence that DeMaio took a leadership role in that coalition.

In 2010, DeMaio was heavily involved in the battle to defeat proposition D, a half cent sales tax increase that failed at the ballot.