WEBVTT - A Different Approach.  SD Mayor Kevin Faulconer Talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>The show. Major League Baseball has got a problem, got

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<v Speaker 1>a problem with the COVID. We'll talk more about that

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<v Speaker 1>coming up with They canceled the game for tonight and

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<v Speaker 1>one for tomorrow. I think, right, here's your Armstrong and

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<v Speaker 1>Getty daily quiz question. We don't have one of those,

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<v Speaker 1>but if we did, this would be it. What is

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<v Speaker 1>the largest American city in the US with a Republican mayor?

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<v Speaker 1>That's right, San Diego, and San Diego Mayor Kevin Falconer

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<v Speaker 1>joins us. Now, hello, mayor, how are you, sir? They'll know, no,

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<v Speaker 1>good morning, great to be with you. Thank you. Oh,

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<v Speaker 1>it's our pleasure. So listen, let's get right into the

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<v Speaker 1>very very interesting times we're living in UH and it

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<v Speaker 1>is a challenging time to be a big city mayor.

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<v Speaker 1>I know. Let's start with the COVID nineteen. What's your

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<v Speaker 1>point of view on restrictions and masks and what the

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<v Speaker 1>governor Newsom in California is doing in opening schools that

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<v Speaker 1>sort of thing. Where does San Diego stand? Lots in there?

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<v Speaker 1>And I'll and I'll tell you guys, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>things that um I've done, particularly when it comes to

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<v Speaker 1>small businesses here in San Diego is to really be innovative,

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<v Speaker 1>to be creative, taking the approach that we have to

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<v Speaker 1>keep our small businesses in our economy going, we have

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<v Speaker 1>to keep folks employed. And so one of the things

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<v Speaker 1>that we've done here in San Diego, I've issued a

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<v Speaker 1>series of executive orders a couple of weeks ago trying

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<v Speaker 1>to get creative to let restaurants come out to the

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the sidewalks, the parking lots, gyms, barbershops, others,

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<v Speaker 1>places of worship. And because I will tell you this

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<v Speaker 1>is so difficult, particularly um on these small businesses and

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<v Speaker 1>folks that are struggling to survive, I'm doing everything I

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<v Speaker 1>can to make sure that we have that infrastructure um

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<v Speaker 1>for them to return to work once they're in fact

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<v Speaker 1>allowed to amen to that. That is so good to hear.

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<v Speaker 1>It's fairly rare these days. What's the school situation? Because

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<v Speaker 1>I think virtually every man, woman and child in America

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<v Speaker 1>wants the schools to be functioning well they do. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think you know, every community wants a safe return

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<v Speaker 1>right for for teachers and for kids. And it's it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's difficult, particularly for you know, for work and parents

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<v Speaker 1>who are trying to plan what's going to happen, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>holding down a job, wondering about their kids, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think what one of the things that I've really

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<v Speaker 1>advocated for in in San Diego is to have that

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<v Speaker 1>that local control based upon the facts of the ground here,

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<v Speaker 1>because whether you're talking about schools, whether you're talking about

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<v Speaker 1>our economy, that kind of the one size fits all approach, um,

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<v Speaker 1>it's tough to do in the state that is so

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<v Speaker 1>diverse is our So look, I think we ought to

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<v Speaker 1>have common sense rules. I think we ought to do

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<v Speaker 1>it safely, but I think we ought to we ought

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<v Speaker 1>to allow school districts and parents to be a big

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<v Speaker 1>part of that on the local level. You know, you

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<v Speaker 1>live in interesting times when you're like walking through a

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<v Speaker 1>business section of any city and this happening around the

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<v Speaker 1>gas lamp in San Diego. But if you're walking through

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<v Speaker 1>and you see boarded up windows and you don't I

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<v Speaker 1>want you and you think, what if that's boarded up

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<v Speaker 1>because the COVID drove them out of business, or because

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<v Speaker 1>a violent mob smashed the windows out, could be they're

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<v Speaker 1>one you haven't had to deal with the the extent

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<v Speaker 1>of violent mobs that some of the blue cities have

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<v Speaker 1>the cities with Democrat mayors. What do you think they're

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<v Speaker 1>doing wrong? What would you do in that situation? You know, look,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll tell you we we try to we protect everybody's

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<v Speaker 1>right for a free speech here in San Diego. But

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<v Speaker 1>of course we're also going enforce very clear rules of

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<v Speaker 1>the road, um, and protecting uh, you know, people, protecting property.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that's incredibly, incredibly important. And you know, look

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of the things that we're doing with our

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<v Speaker 1>community policing and you know, really out there working with

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<v Speaker 1>folks as best we can. We're gonna keep people safe.

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<v Speaker 1>But again, we're gonna enforce clear rules of the road

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<v Speaker 1>here in San Diego. I think that served us. I

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<v Speaker 1>think I served as well. UM. And you know, look,

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<v Speaker 1>it's important that you invest in your police department. Gentlemen,

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<v Speaker 1>We've done that in San Diego. You want to hire

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<v Speaker 1>the best. You want to hire folks and give them

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<v Speaker 1>the training so they're going to do the right thing

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<v Speaker 1>on the job. That takes dollars, that takes effort, and

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<v Speaker 1>that takes support. San Diego Mere Kevin Faulconer is on

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<v Speaker 1>the line. Understand, you did an interview with CNN earlier today. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>those people aren't very bright, are they. Did you notice

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<v Speaker 1>that they just answer that in full go on link

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<v Speaker 1>with Okay, so you can foul off a curveball. We

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<v Speaker 1>know that about his honor the mayor. Now, Uh, we

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<v Speaker 1>understand protesters showed up your house at your house a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of weeks ago. How'd that go? You know, that's

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<v Speaker 1>unfortunately part of reality these days. Um. Look, it's it's again.

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<v Speaker 1>That's not going to change my views on doing the

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<v Speaker 1>right thing. Uh. And making sure you know everything that

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<v Speaker 1>we're doing is I said, from our from our police department,

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<v Speaker 1>of our public safety and you know, helping to helping

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<v Speaker 1>to make sure we're giving everybody the tools and the

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<v Speaker 1>support that they need. Um. But you know, I've really

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<v Speaker 1>really strove down here in San Diego to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>that you know it's pretty open. I'm gonna tell you

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<v Speaker 1>exactly where I stand. I'm gonna tell you what I

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<v Speaker 1>think is the right thing for us to do. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know, sometimes you're gonna have protesters to disagree.

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<v Speaker 1>That's okay, But I'm always going to push hard to

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<v Speaker 1>do the right thing. We have listeners all around the

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<v Speaker 1>country listening right now, astonished to hear a big city

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<v Speaker 1>mayor making sense. So let's go ahead and throw you

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<v Speaker 1>one more tough pitch to hit. And that's that. San Diego,

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<v Speaker 1>like somebody West Coast cities, has dealt with a pretty

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<v Speaker 1>significant homeless problem. Um, not only folks out of work, etcetera,

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<v Speaker 1>but lots of bums and junkies. Um. What's different about

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<v Speaker 1>the way San Diego handles it, for instance, than than

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<v Speaker 1>other cities. Well, you know, guys, I'll tell you we

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<v Speaker 1>were We've taken a pretty direct approach. I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>a compassionate approaches. As I've said, it's not compassionate to

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<v Speaker 1>let somebody live, sleep, and die on the street. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>And so we have I think that right balance of

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<v Speaker 1>we're gonna have a place for you to go. We

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<v Speaker 1>spent a lot of time on our bridge shelters. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>columusist was down six percent in San Diego this year.

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<v Speaker 1>It was down six percent last year. I think we

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<v Speaker 1>have an approach again that that's working, that's in passionate, compassionate,

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<v Speaker 1>but again allowing you know, I don't allow tents on

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<v Speaker 1>the sidewalk in San Diego. That is not compassionate to

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<v Speaker 1>do that. We want to give people to help, we

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<v Speaker 1>want to give them the support. Um, I think we're

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<v Speaker 1>heading in the right direction when we certainly have a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of a lot of work to do here in

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<v Speaker 1>San Diego. But it's it's really gonna it's incredibly important,

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<v Speaker 1>we keep people saying, particularly during this time of COVID

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<v Speaker 1>UH and I think we've had a lot of success

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<v Speaker 1>in that in San Diego thus far, um taking that

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<v Speaker 1>swift action to get folks in shelter in our convention center,

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<v Speaker 1>all the positive tests, but really working again to get

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<v Speaker 1>them that place of their own, and a place of

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<v Speaker 1>their own is not out on the streets. So I

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<v Speaker 1>can't just be a junkie and sleep on the streets

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<v Speaker 1>and poop on the streets in San Diego. Well, no, look,

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<v Speaker 1>that's you know, that's of course, that's not what anybody wants.

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<v Speaker 1>And although you have big cities, Kevin that are full

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<v Speaker 1>of that and policies that encourage it, and a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of those policies are wrong. And I'm very outspoken about it, guys,

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<v Speaker 1>And I'll tell you why, because when you look at

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<v Speaker 1>what's happening, particularly in California, as we have taken what

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<v Speaker 1>used to be, for example, a felony on doing heroin

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<v Speaker 1>and meth and fed me making that to a misdemeanor

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<v Speaker 1>on our streets. I would suggest you that's the wrong approach,

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<v Speaker 1>that is, that is the wrong of what you want

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<v Speaker 1>to get people help. You want to give people support,

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<v Speaker 1>but you need to have consequences for action. Again, it's

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<v Speaker 1>not compassionate to let somebody live on the street addicted

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<v Speaker 1>to substance abuse and others. That's not going to help anybody.

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<v Speaker 1>San Diego, Mara, Kevin Faulkner. Hey, really enjoy the chat,

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<v Speaker 1>Mr Mayor. Let's do it again soon. Looking forward to guys. Thanks,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks for the time. Yep, you got it? How much?

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<v Speaker 1>How does that contrast with your mayors of Portlandia, of

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<v Speaker 1>San Francisco, of Seattle, night and day? But isn't that interesting?

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<v Speaker 1>You can see a boarded up business thin I wonder

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<v Speaker 1>if they went out of business because they weren't allowed

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<v Speaker 1>to be in business or because the protesters are allowed

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<v Speaker 1>to smash it. Yeah, could be either, right? Right? How

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<v Speaker 1>odd