Tommy Hough – Your Neighbor, Your Advocate
As a former on-air host at San Diego radio stations like 91X, KPRI and FM 94/9, I'm not your average candidate for office. My wife and I both work for a living, and we earn our paychecks the same as you.
I'm taking a break from my broadcast career to run for city council because I'm tired of seeing District 6 fall behind the rest of the city in terms of city services, and I'm tired of our communities bearing the burden of city hall schemes because they don't have a councilmember fighting for their interests.
I'm running because I'm amazed our current councilmember sold out his own neighbors and committed a crime – yet is still sitting on council, writing policy and voting on policy that affects the entire city.
I'm running because I'm fed up with city hall's failure to directly address the problems we know need to be solved – like housing, homelessness, pollution of our air and water, implementing energy choice and our climate action plan, adding fire stations and retaining our trained police professionals, and stopping the spread of short-term vacation rentals.
I'm taking a break from my broadcast career to run for city council because I'm tired of seeing District 6 fall behind the rest of the city in terms of city services, and I'm tired of our communities bearing the burden of city hall schemes because they don't have a councilmember fighting for their interests.
I'm running because I'm amazed our current councilmember sold out his own neighbors and committed a crime – yet is still sitting on council, writing policy and voting on policy that affects the entire city.
I'm running because I'm fed up with city hall's failure to directly address the problems we know need to be solved – like housing, homelessness, pollution of our air and water, implementing energy choice and our climate action plan, adding fire stations and retaining our trained police professionals, and stopping the spread of short-term vacation rentals.
My name is Tommy Hough. I'm not a creature of city hall.
I'm not a product of wealthy or powerful elites.
I'm not a rubber stamp for developers, and I will never betray the business of the people of San Diego to Downtown developers or moneyed special interests.
I'm committed to our District 6 communities of Clairemont, Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa, Sorrento Valley, Miramar and southern Rancho Peñasquitos, and I'm committed to working San Diegans. We have an opportunity to upgrade our leadership, and vote for a new councilmember free of ethical lapses, and determined to make city hall work for all San Diegans.
I'm not a product of wealthy or powerful elites.
I'm not a rubber stamp for developers, and I will never betray the business of the people of San Diego to Downtown developers or moneyed special interests.
I'm committed to our District 6 communities of Clairemont, Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa, Sorrento Valley, Miramar and southern Rancho Peñasquitos, and I'm committed to working San Diegans. We have an opportunity to upgrade our leadership, and vote for a new councilmember free of ethical lapses, and determined to make city hall work for all San Diegans.
A Unique and Lengthy Relationship with San Diego
I've spoken to so many of you during my 15 years on the air in San Diego, and I've met so many of you at events around our city.
During that time, we've built a community around shared experiences: favorite songs and movies, kids growing up, travel, traffic jams, births and deaths, going from one job to another, working to finish school, and working to make ends meet
But what I've heard more than anything else over the last 15 years is how the middle class is slipping away for working San Diegans who have to make tough financial decisions not at the end of every month – but every week.
"Can we put money away for the college fund?"
"Can we get the car worked on this week?"
"What if I lose my job?"
Despite California's "on-paper" prosperity, the cost of living in Southern California and the financial uncertainty facing middle class San Diegans is very real.
During that time, we've built a community around shared experiences: favorite songs and movies, kids growing up, travel, traffic jams, births and deaths, going from one job to another, working to finish school, and working to make ends meet
But what I've heard more than anything else over the last 15 years is how the middle class is slipping away for working San Diegans who have to make tough financial decisions not at the end of every month – but every week.
"Can we put money away for the college fund?"
"Can we get the car worked on this week?"
"What if I lose my job?"
Despite California's "on-paper" prosperity, the cost of living in Southern California and the financial uncertainty facing middle class San Diegans is very real.
The middle class is much more fragile today than it was even 20 years ago, and is no longer the solid anchor that could be reliably counted on to build and support a family, a home and a career. Today, too many of our neighbors are going from one end of the city to the other working two or three jobs to make ends meet, while trying to making time for classes and family.
As your councilmember, you will have my ear. I won't lead from the dark or hide in my office, and I won't try to quietly drop potentially controversial projects in your lap in the hope you won't notice.
I will lead and stay out in front on land use issues, development, public safety and other critical matters so that you hear about it from me, and my office, first. I will ensure the concerns of regular San Diegans are addressed and baked into every piece of policy passed by city council.
In addition, I pledge to:
As your councilmember, you will have my ear. I won't lead from the dark or hide in my office, and I won't try to quietly drop potentially controversial projects in your lap in the hope you won't notice.
I will lead and stay out in front on land use issues, development, public safety and other critical matters so that you hear about it from me, and my office, first. I will ensure the concerns of regular San Diegans are addressed and baked into every piece of policy passed by city council.
In addition, I pledge to:
- End to the backroom deals to corporations that land squarely on the backs of working San Diegans.
- Break the cycle of loser leases and cronyism that leave San Diego taxpayers coming up short – like when Chris Cate offered Qualcomm Stadium to the Chargers for a dollar a year.
- Find and implement long-term, effective and compassionate solutions to our homeless crisis.
- Rebuild our district's broken streets from the ground up, not slurry-seal them over or fill problem potholes again and again hoping for a different result.
- Fully address our housing crisis by encouraging smart density development in conjunction with transit and parking infrastructure.
- Ensure all San Diegans have a choice in their energy provider.
- Add more fire stations to a city that is still dangerously short of them.
- Enhance our community parks and opoen space, and work to restore our canyons and watersheds to full ecological health.
- Offer our small business craft brewers more than photo ops to protect them from conglomerates like Anheuser Busch and Coors, who threaten our local brewers with phony "San Diego" Trojan Horse breweries.
Support Our Campaign – Contribute or Volunteer
I've had such a wonderful time re-connecting with old friends and meeting neighbors during our campaign in San Diego's District 6 communities. I hope you'll consider our campaign for the ethics of good government, a cleaner environment, a more prosperous future for working San Diegans, and effective representation at City Hall.
I'm ready to fight the Downtown establishment and city hall business-as-usual to serve as your next District 6 councilmember, but I can't do it alone. By supporting our fundraising efforts, you make the possiblity of a change at City Hall and a veto-proof majority on city council possible. Make a secure on-line contribution today to help.
If you'd like to volunteer for our campaign, now is the time. Let us know here.
Neighborhoods first,
Tommy Hough
(pronounced "how")
I'm ready to fight the Downtown establishment and city hall business-as-usual to serve as your next District 6 councilmember, but I can't do it alone. By supporting our fundraising efforts, you make the possiblity of a change at City Hall and a veto-proof majority on city council possible. Make a secure on-line contribution today to help.
If you'd like to volunteer for our campaign, now is the time. Let us know here.
Neighborhoods first,
Tommy Hough
(pronounced "how")
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