Scott Sanborn
Scott Sanborn was a candidate for the nonpartisan District 3 seat on the San Diego City Council in California. He was defeated in the primary election on June 7, 2016.
Biography
Sanborn earned a B.A. in criminal justice from the University of West Florida and a J.D. from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard and went on to serve in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He served two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He was awarded Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Purple Heart, and Bronze Star during his service. In addition to practicing law, Sanborn works as a certified CrossFit trainer.[1]
Elections
2016
The mayor's chair and five of the nine seats on the San Diego City Council were up for election on June 7, 2016.
While the June election was called a primary, it was functionally a general election. The only races where no candidate won a majority (50 percent plus one) of the votes cast in the primary advanced to the election on November 8, 2016. The November election was called a general election, but it was functionally a runoff election. Christopher Ward defeated Anthony Bernal and Scott Sanborn in the primary election for San Diego City Council District 3.
| San Diego City Council District 3, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Christopher Ward |
59.23% | 15,029 |
| Anthony Bernal | 27.02% | 6,856 |
| Scott Sanborn | 13.75% | 3,489 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 25,374 | |
| Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Presidential Primary Election, Tuesday, June 7, 2016," June 8, 2016 | ||
Campaign themes
2016
Sanborn participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | 1. I will prioritize our veterans currently homeless in our city.
2. I will expand of the trolley to the airport and our beaches at a minimum. 3. I will support initiatives that encourage the use of public transportation so as to free up our roads and parking spaces. 4. I will support initiatives that encourage San Diego tourism.[1][2] |
” |
When asked what he would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Veteran Homelessness
San Diego has the most severe veteran homeless crisis in the nation. Although there are various issues that I am excited to address, my number one priority is veteran homelessness. In fact, this crisis is the reason I am running for city council. Before we can address veteran homelessness, we have to understand the problem. After a war the military faces large budget cuts. One of the most efficient ways to save money is to kick service members out. Service members will be kicked out for behavior that was otherwise tolerated during the war because we need “boots on the ground.” The service member will receive an unfavorable discharge. With this discharge, he must disclose it on job applications. He is not eligible for help from the VA. He is not even legally considered a veteran. Basically he is screwed for the rest of his life. There is injustice here because often times the veterans behavior or drug use can be attributed to PTSD.[1][2] |
” |
When asked what he is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I believe San Diego is the greatest city in the world. That is why I live here. Our greatest asset is our people. The culture is so diverse and tolerant.
I have traveled around the world and have seen other cities. There are some small tweaks we can make in order to ensure we living up to our full potential.[1][2] |
” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Homelessness | |
| Transportation | |
| Government transparency | |
| Civil rights | |
| K-12 education | |
| Recreational opportunities | |
| Unemployment | |
| Housing | |
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | |
| Environment | |
| Crime reduction/prevention | |
| Public pensions/retirement funds | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| Sanborn did not answer this question. | |
| This is an ambiguous question. Public safety is a broad topic and can be in reference to any type of threat. I cannot provide a specific answer if there is not a specific question. | |
| Focusing on small business development |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Scott Sanborn' 'San Diego'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- San Diego, California
- Municipal elections in San Diego, California (2016)
- United States municipal elections, 2016
External links
Footnotes
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