Terra Lawson-Remer, a Democrat, represents District 3 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and is the board’s vice chair. She lives in Encinitas. The San Diego Union-Tribune asked Lawson-Remer and the other candidates for supervisor for their priorities, plans and positions if elected. Their responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity. Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate? I’m running to reverse decades of inaction on San Diego County’s most pressing issues. Since I took office in 2021, we’ve made tremendous progress on housing, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, gun safety, reproductive rights, protecting our beaches and coastlines, and so much more. My Republican predecessors, like Kevin Faulconer, left our region in crisis. Homelessness doubled on Faulconer’s watch — with ZERO county-funded shelter beds. Today, we have over 900. Faulconer neglected our stormwater infrastructure — I’ve invested $200 million to fix it. He stood with the radical gun lobby — I banned untraceable ghost guns. He ignored the drug addiction crisis — I sued “big pharma” and invested in treatment. Now, Kevin Faulconer, a supporter of Donald Trump, wants to take us backward. We can’t afford to lose our progress. I would be honored to serve a final term to continue improving life for all San Diego County residents. What are the top 3 issues facing this district and the county generally? Homelessness: Under my leadership, we’re tackling this challenge head-on and seeing results. We’re reducing street encampments by building tiny homes, shelter beds, and safe sleeping sites, and creating long-term solutions that clean up our streets while offering dignity to those most in need. Healthcare: I’m fighting to make healthcare affordable and accessible for everyone in San Diego County. Since I took office, we’ve hired hundreds of new behavioral-health workers and expanded the number of treatment facilities. We must get people off the streets, and into care, and ensure that every resident can access the services they need. Environment: I’m working to clean up the sewage crisis, prevent polluted stormwater runoff, and protect our beaches and coastline. I’ve fought to keep our water clean from toxic pollution, preserve our open spaces from unchecked sprawl, commit to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, divest from fossil fuels, and prevent offshore oil drilling. What are the first 3 things you would do in office if elected or reelected? Expand mental health and substance abuse treatment: I’m working to triple federal funding for mental health and substance abuse treatment. This will be a game-changer, enabling us to build more facilities, increase our behavioral-health workforce and ensure people get the care they need. Addressing these challenges is crucial, as nearly 50 percent of the homeless face behavioral-health issues. Tackle the housing crisis: I’ll create additional public and private partnerships to tackle the housing crisis, similar to the one I helped negotiate that will build 10,000 new homes on government-owned land. Fix the Tijuana sewage crisis: I’ll secure the additional $310 million needed to fix the sewage crisis. We’ve made significant progress, with Mexico agreeing to rebuild the Punta Bandera plant and Congress approving most of the funding for the South Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant. Securing the final funds is essential to stop the pollution from contaminating our beaches. Do you support Measure G, the half-cent county sales tax increase that would fund transportation? Why or why not? Our crumbling infrastructure threatens our environment and hurts our pocketbooks. We must fix aging bridges, fill potholes and relocate rail lines in danger of collapse. This initiative will make our roads and highways safer and more efficient while reducing air pollution, protecting our environment and strengthening our quality of life. What more should the county do to combat the region’s housing crisis? Our housing affordability crisis is decades in the making. Under my leadership, San Diego County is tackling the rising cost of rent and buying a home so our kids and grandkids can raise their families here in the community where they grew up. Since 2021, we’ve built thousands of affordable homes on county land, streamlined permitting for affordable housing in the unincorporated county and built homes twice as fast as the historical average. We’re building in the right places — near jobs, schools and grocery stores — while ending the destructive practice of sprawl-and-pave development that threatens our region’s precious open spaces. What are your plans for addressing homelessness in San Diego County and in this district specifically? I’ve prioritized clearing encampments, expanding shelter capacity, and enhancing mental health and substance abuse services. We established a Department of Homelessness, created 900 new shelter beds and launched an audit of regional homelessness spending. We’re implementing CARE Court and Senate Bill 43 to mandate treatment for those with severe mental health or substance abuse challenges and are scaling up behavioral-health infrastructure with six new crisis-stabilization units. We’ve increased fentanyl enforcement, prevention and treatment programs. In my district, I’m partnering with cities to build affordable housing on surplus government land and prevent homelessness through senior rental-assistance and eviction-prevention programs. How should public safety and civil liberties be balanced when it comes to homelessness enforcement, behavioral health policy and surveillance? Do you support Gov. Newsom’s recent move to clear encampments? We’re working tirelessly to reverse decades of inaction on homelessness. We must support the most vulnerable, ensure they receive the care they need, and keep our streets clean and safe for all. If a shelter bed is available, people need to use it. We must provide enough shelter space and treatment beds for everyone sleeping on the streets. We cannot criminalize poverty by putting people in jail for sleeping on a sidewalk if they have nowhere else to go. We must continue accelerating efforts to move people into shelters, tiny homes, safe camping sites, substance abuse treatment and mental health supportive services. Recent flooding has brought new attention to how the effects of climate change can disproportionately impact poorer neighborhoods and communities of color. How should the county combat this? Kevin Faulconer defunded stormwater maintenance to finance his 101 Ash St. debacle, costing taxpayers $264 million while his donors profited $15 million. Meanwhile, communities impacted by floods were left with nothing. Under my leadership, climate-resilient infrastructure has been a top priority. I’ve invested a record $200 million to repair our stormwater system and upgrade roads and drains to protect neighborhoods, health and homes from floods and toxic pollution. I’ll continue being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, ensuring the county prioritizes infrastructure that safeguards all residents’ ability to thrive. San Diego County jails have had a persistent problem of people dying in them year after year. What more should the county do to keep people in its custody safe?The county has taken several steps to improve the safety for incarcerated people. It is unacceptable that we have the highest jail death rate of any large county in California. While the Sheriff’s actions to implement recommendations have been positive, most deaths result from untreated medical conditions and insufficient staffing. We must recruit and adequately compensate detention and medical staff. Last year, we increased pay for jail healthcare staff and deputies, improving recruitment, but more action is needed. We must also address the high death rate among those in pre-trial detention and implement systemic reforms to protect this vulnerable population. Every death in custody is a failure, and more must be done. What are your plans for improving transportation options and reducing vehicle emissions in this district and countywide? I’m focused on three key strategies. First, we’ve ended the disastrous history of pave-and-sprawl developments that damage our natural open spaces and increase the number of miles new homeowners have to drive to get to their jobs, schools and grocery stores. Second, I’m implementing the county’s electric vehicle roadmap to expand charging infrastructure and incentivize EV adoption. Third, as vice chair of San Diego Community Power, I’ve secured a commitment to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, ensuring our energy grid supports these sustainable efforts. These initiatives will create cleaner, more efficient transportation options across the district and countywide.