Terry Hoskins, a retired Marine officer and retired San Diego police officer, is running for City Council in District 9, challenging incumbent Sean Elo-Rivera in seeking the mid-city seat. To help inform voters, the San Diego Union-Tribune asked all the candidates a series of the same questions about their priorities, positions and campaigns. Their emailed answers have been lightly edited for clarity. Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate? I am a father who experienced the challenges of raising a family on a limited income, supporting my daughter through college and seeing her join the ranks of strong, independent women. I know the struggle of renting too well. My first home was a mobile home. I am now a homeowner in Rolando Park. Terry Hoskins, candidate for San Diego City Council District 9 Public service is my life. I served 26 years in the Marine Corps, achieved the rank of Sergeant Major, led Marines and Sailors in combat and am a Purple Heart recipient. Upon retiring in 2008, I joined the San Diego Police Department, serving 15 years in District 9 and the last eight years as a community relations officer. I have stood on every street, sidewalk, alley, canyon, creek and streambed in District 9. I have observed community members’ struggles with City Hall. If you support me, I will restore trust in the office of District 9. What are the top 3 issues facing the city? Public safety is my main priority. I have heard and seen with my own eyes when community members feel unsafe walking down a street, being in the park, parking their vehicles, being in unsafe bike lanes, shoplifters, businesses being robbed, solicitation, property crime and substance abuse in front of our families. Housing and infrastructure. Focusing on poor density policies, such as the bonus ADUs and Airbnb programs, and neglecting basic infrastructure contributed to the devastation caused by the floods this past January and contributed to the lesser tree canopy. Not holding corporate developers accountable has resulted in less affordability. Homelessness is a wicked problem. Spending millions on programs without knowing their effectiveness is not fiscally responsible. Housing first or shelter first does not treat the homeless individually and often neglects the core issue. Each homeless person is unique, and so is their pathway to success. Unsuccessful programs must be unfunded. What are the first 3 things you would do in office if elected? I would advocate removing the bonus ADUs and JDUs program and returning to the state of California mandate. When removing the bonus ADUs and JDUs program, I would rescind waivers of development impact fees. Future density would be channelized along the main thoroughfare that aligns with walkability, cycling and use of public transit. I would advocate expediting the process of examining and closing loopholes in the city’s current short-term rentals. One investor firm has over 100 licenses in Ocean Beach. Fifty percent of short-term rentals are part of a portfolio of three or more properties. Investors are converting housing to hotel chains, with over 200 apartment buildings converted to hotels. Homelessness is a wicked problem. I would advocate for and lead in establishing a vibrant, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week navigation center. This center would be the nucleus of San Diego’s homeless policy, regulation and procedures (as in the Huntington Beach Navigation Center). Do you support a 1-cent city sales tax increase? Why or why not? I oppose the tax as currently written. I concur with the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. I have concerns about our city’s past failures in managing essential services and core municipal functions. There is no defined use of this additional revenue, and there should have been a sunset clause. The city’s independent budget analyst has warned that next year’s budget cycle could be difficult absent a new revenue stream. Between that warning, the city’s infrastructure funding shortfall and its ongoing pension payments, what should the city do? Where should services be cut, and/or where should new revenue be sought? The budget represents years of endless shell games, which adds to a lack of accountability, and moving funds from one fund to another has produced a lack of transparency. Potential revenue shortfalls may be present in fiscal year 2025, and to increase revenue, sincere discussions should be made to increase revenue by increasing the transient occupancy tax and franchise fees. Common sense and a fiduciary mindset must prevail. The city’s core municipal functions include public safety, infrastructure, maintenance and capital improvements, which must be funded. The city’s poor decision to purchase property such as 101 Ash St. must cease. Polling has shown housing and affordability to be a top issue for San Diegans, and city leaders and candidates have raised concerns about San Diegans being priced out and stressed the need for more homes that middle-income people can afford. What more should the city do to combat its housing affordability crisis? San Diego is experiencing a housing affordability crisis, intensified by our elected officials’ poor decisions and the City Council’s leadership. Sadly, this is happening in every district and varies in District 9 from 13% to 14%. Corporate investors are buying single-family homes and transforming them into market-rate apartment complexes. I commend Terra Lawson-Remer, vice chair of the county Board of Supervisors, for standing up to Blackstone, organizing protests in which I participated — the largest landlord in the U.S. with over 300,000 rental units. San Diego must prohibit or limit corporate investors, resolve our short-term rentals and rescind the bonus ADU program. Proposition 33 would allow cities to enact rent control beyond what they can now, but it’s drawn concerns about how it could curb new housing construction locally. Do you support Prop. 33? Why or why not? Beyond the specifics of that measure, do you support expanding local rent regulations more generally? If so, how so? I join several iconic Democrats in opposing Proposition 33. I support intelligent development solutions that realistically aim to increase housing production while preserving single-family neighborhoods and promoting equity. I view rent control as a short-term solution that will discourage new housing from being constructed, which would already impair what is a housing affordability crisis. Additionally, Proposition 33 may prevent small-scale housing providers with minimum units from surviving the current market. Corporate developers will purchase these properties, refurbish the units and charge higher than market-rate rents when this occurs. I believe Proposition 33 will not accomplish what was intended. How would you evaluate the record of Proposition 47 in the decade since voters enacted it? Should voters scale it back by passing Proposition 36? Why or why not? I support the passing of Proposition 36. The progressive ballot measure Proposition 47 had good intentions but reduced particular theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors to address jail overcrowding. Proposition 47 did not allow or delay the accountability of the third component of our criminal justice system, the correction component. Unfortunately, this delayed or prevented substance abuse counseling and access to education and prevented a network of services designed to support those who need it most. Currently, due to a lack of funding, our current criminal justice system does not establish successful support groups aimed at minimizing recidivism. San Diego has too few shelter beds to accommodate the homeless people who need them and stands to lose more soon, but a proposal for a large congregate shelter lease has drawn scrutiny. How should the city act quickly to ensure everyone who wants it has shelter or housing? How should it balance this urgency with the need for due diligence? Sadly, our elected officials have seen this approaching for months. The reality is that San Diego does need a shelter to accommodate the homeless. The proposed location at Kettner and Vine deserves much scrutiny. It must include community involvement and specific characteristics that promote success. The city has a responsibility to act. Sadly, the city lacks a realistic plan for success regardless of the location. This responsibility does not rest with the mayor alone; the council president bears this responsibility equally. I would establish a vibrant, 24/7 navigation center and collaborate with all civic partners, creating a successful homeless strategy.