In a few weeks the massive tax increase placed before San Diego voters by the billionaire Spanos family in order to gain a massive public subsidy for their very profitable football team will go down in defeat.
In its wake it will leave a much diminished Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Overnight, for me, he went from being a different kind of politician — focused on reform and limited government — to a proponent of tax increases who is at best ideologically confused. I was most disappointed that he would join arms with the Spanoses after they took to paid advertising to attack Faulconer’s council ally Chris Cate. Loyalty is a value you either have, or you don’t.
The Mayor is likable and I am sure will continue to do some great things with his remaining time in office. But he’s just a politician now, and he could have been more than that.