Liam Dillon, Voice of San Diego

>> >>PEGGY: SAN DIEGO MAYORAL CANDIDATE BOB FILNER AND CARL DEMAIO SEEM TO HAVE SOFTENED THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARDS EACH OTHER AND EMBRACE NEW POSITIONS. VOICE OF SAN DIEGO REPORTER LIAM DILLON HAS COVERED THE MAYOR'S RACE AND JOINS ME TO BREAK DOWN THOSE CHANGES BY THE CANDIDATES. BOTH CANDIDATES SEEM TO BE BEHAVING SOMEWHAT DIFFERENTLY TOWARDS THE EACH OTHER. WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED? >> >>LIAM DILLON: IT'S THAT THE IMAGE THEY'RE TRYING TO PRESENT TO VOTERS. IT DID TAKE A STEP BACK. SAN DIEGO IS USED TO ELECTING SORT OF MODERATE FOLKSY MARES, WHO ARE NOT NEARLY AS PARTISAN AS THESE GUYS. THEY'RE TRYING TO TO BE MAYORS AND CREATE AN IMAGE THAT IS LIKE THE MAYORS IN THE MAS PAST, AND SELL THAT THEY CAN BE THE MAYOR SAN DIEGO LIKES TO ELECT. >> >>PEGGY: THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SPECIFIC CHANGES. LET'S START WITH CARL DEMAIO, FOR INSTANCE ON EDUCATION. TELL US ABOUT THAT. >> >>LIAM DILLON: HE USED TO SAY THAT THE CITY THE TOO MANY PROBLEMS, TO DEAL WITH EDUCATION. THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO DOES NOT HAVE ANY DIRECT CONTROL OVER THE CITY SCHOOL OR ANY SCHOOLS. IT'S A SEPARATELY RUN ORGANIZATION MANAGED BY A SCHOOL BOARD. HE SAYS HE WANTS TO HAVE MORE INVOLVEMENT, CHAMPIONING A CITY COUNCIL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, PROMOTE SOME PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND IS TALKING ABOUT EDUCATION AS SOMETHING THAT WILL BE UNDER HIS PURVIEW. >> >>PEGGY: AND THERE'S A FEW OTHER THINGS TOO, SEWAGE >> >>LIAM DILLON: RECYCLING, YES, THE TWO YEARS AGO. THERE'S THIS MASSIVE PROJECT GO ON RIGHT NOW, IT USED TO BE [INAUDIBLE] THAT'S NOT DISCUSS SOD MUCH ANYMORE. THE PROCESS BY WHICH WATER IS RECYCLED INTO DRINKING WATER, CARL WAS OPPOSED TO THAT AT A VOTE TWO YEARS AGO AND SORT OF MODERATED STEP BY STEP. AND NOW HE CALLS IN THIS ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN WHICH HE RELEASED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, A TRUSTED TECHNOLOGY. >> >>PEGGY: ABSOLUTELY, AND THE BORDER DEVELOPMENT AND ALSO HE SWITCHED ON THAT A AND A WANTS TO BE MORE INVOLVED. DOWNTOWN BUSINESS, TELL ME ABOUT THAT. >> >>LIAM DILLON: THIS IS THE BIGGEST THING FOR ME THE CHANGING OF RHETORIC. I THINK THIS IS THE PLACE WE'VE SEEN HIM CHANGE HIS RHETORIC THE MOST. HE'S BLAMED FOR THE TIME HE'S BEEN IN SAN DIEGO, AND RECENTLY IN THE PRIMARY TWO GROUPS FOR SAN DIEGO'S FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, GOVERNMENT LABOR UNIONS AND DOWNTOWN INSIDERS. SO HE NOW IS SORT OF COURTING SOME OF THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS LEADERS AND GROUPS HE TRADITIONALLY CRITICIZED TO HELP DONATE TO HIS CAMPAIGN. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN SOFTENING HIS RHETORIC TOWARDS THEM. I MENTIONED THE PENSION ISSUES, HE'S RAILED AGAINST THAT EVER SINCE HE GOT HERE USED TO SAY THAT FOLKS INVOLVED IN MAKING NOSE DECISIONS DIDN'T HAVE POLITICAL FUTURE, DIDN'T DESERVE IT. TONY WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER DURING THE PENSION NOW WHEN SHE WAS NAMED THE MAJORITY LEADER IN THE ASSEMBLY, HE NOW CONGRATULATED HER. VERY DIFFERENT. >> >>PEGGY: LET'S TALK ABOUT BOB FILNER. WHAT HAS BEEN HIS TOP SORT OF TURN AROUND? >> >>LIAM DILLON: HE, IN THE PRIMARY EMPHASIZES OPPOSITION TO THREE BIG THREE, PROPOSITION B, PENSION INITIATIVE, 4 OR 1KS, THE FINANCING PLAN, CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION AND ALSO THE TO REMODEL THE PLAZA DE PANAMA IN BALBOA PARK. THEY WERE A FRAUD, A GIVE AWAY. NOW HE SAYS WELL, I'M GOING TO IMPLEMENT THEM NOW. THAT'S SORT OF DIFFERENT, SORT OF A TONE HE HASN'T TAKEN WHEN HE WAS BELLICOSE ABOUT THEM IN THE PRIMARY. >> >>PEGGY: DO YOU THINK THIS IS A POLITICAL PLOY TO GET ELECTED OR DO YOU THINK THEY'RE GENUINELY TRYING TO MOVE TOWARDS THE THE MIDDLE? >> >>LIAM DILLON: I THINK YOUR GOING TO SEE IN EVERY ELECTION, CANDIDATES RUN IN EXTREMES IN THE PRIMARY, AND CANDIDATES MOVE TO THE MIDDLE IN THE GENERAL. THERE IS SORT OF THE AMOUNT OF SHIFTING GOING ON HERE SEEMS TO ME IT WOULD BE UNPRECEDENTED IN TERMS OF WHAT THESE FOLKS ARE DOING. YOU DO SPEND A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT THEIR HISTORY AND BACKGROUNDS YOU'LL SEE THAT THE MOVE TO THE MIDDLE IS OUT OF CHARACTER FOR WHAT THEY'VE DONE IN THE PAST. SO IF YOU BELIEVE THAT HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF, YOUR MORE LIKELY TO SEE SOME OF THESE GUYS ACT LIKE THEY DID IN THE PRIMARY. >> >>PEGGY: TWO MORE QUESTIONS. TWENTY DEBATES ARE PLANNED BETWEEN LABOR DAY AND ELECTION TIME. WHY SO MANY? >> >>LIAM DILLON: I DON'T KNOW. I THINK IT'S KIND OF OVER KILL Y.UNDERSTAND IT FROM THE CANDIDATES PERSPECTIVE, YOU HAVE AN INTEREST GROUP SAYS HEY, COME TALK TO ME. THEY DON'T WANT TO UPSET INTEREST GROUPS PARTICULARLY IN A VOTE LIKE THIS. THEY HAVE TO SHOW UP. THAT DOES U ALLOW THESE GROUPS TO SEE EVERYBODY'S POSITION BUT IT IS *** THEM. >> >>PEGGY: SAYING YES TO EVERYBODY. BRIEFLY BEFORE WE GO, ENDORSEMENTS? >> >>LIAM DILLON: CARL ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT JAN GOLDSMITH WAS BACKING HIM, AS SORT OF THE ONLY NEW ONE. BASICALLY IS WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT, REPUBLICANS LINING UP FOR CARL, DEMOCRATS LINING UP FOR BOB, I THINK THE TWO BIG OUTSTANDING ONES JERRY SANDERS HAS NOT ENDORSED AND ASSEMBLYMAN NATHAN FLETCHER HASN'T ENDORSED. WE'LL SEE WHO THEY LINE UP WITH. >> >>PEGGY: LIAM DILLON, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.